Biography

Josiah De Disciple

In 2019, on the Afropunk stage, Josiah De Disciple remained in the shadows behind Mr JazziQ. The audience cheered the duo JazziDisciples, but it was he who drew the harmonic lines of a sound in the making. Amapiano would soon pulse across the globe, and Josiah would be one of its silent architects.

In Brief


Full Name	Josiah Makoela
Stage Name	Josiah De Disciple
Birth	July 3, 1991, Alexandra, Gauteng (South Africa)
Field	Amapiano — DJ and Producer
Notable Works	Disciples of Piano, “Long Lasting”, Spirits of Makoela Vol. 2
Awards	Single “Mama” certified gold by RiSA, Dance Music Awards SA 2019 nomination

Key Dates

Year	Event
1991	Birth in Alexandra, Johannesburg township
~2005	Start of DJing at age fourteen
~2007	Begins music production at age sixteen
2017-2018	Co-founds JazziDisciples with Mr JazziQ (Tumelo Manyoni)
2019	Release of Disciples of Piano; Dance Music Awards SA 2019 nomination
2020	Split from the duo; release of solo EP SOM
Oct. 2020	Collaborative album Umbuso Wabam’nyama with Boohle; single “Mama” certified gold
April 2021	Album Spirits of Makoela Vol. 2: The Reintroduction; OkayAfrica cover
April 2024	Release of album Satori (Universal Music)

From Alexandra Rhythms to the Global Stage

Josiah Makoela grew up in the heart of Alexandra, one of Johannesburg’s most vibrant townships. As a teenager, he began mixing at fourteen: DJing was a language for him. By sixteen, production captivated him—his music formed in a blend of South African house and afro-house.

In Alexandra, he met Tumelo Manyoni, known as Mr JazziQ. The duo was born around 2017, driven by a vision: to extract amapiano from the anonymity of clubs and place it on the global map. JazziDisciples quickly became a reference, marked by jazz melodies slipped into house grooves. Their names mean disciples of the piano, a play on the word amapiano.

Between 2018 and 2019, they stringed together festival performances—Afropunk, Corona SunSets. Their first album Disciples of Piano was released in November 2019, featuring Okmalumkoolkat and Vigro Deep. That same year, a nomination for Best Amapiano Record at the Dance Music Awards South Africa¹. But the media spotlight turned toward Mr JazziQ. Josiah remained behind the scenes—his role in the duo: melodies, chords, drums, piano².

A producer who discovers new talents. Josiah always had the gift of welcoming new voices³. His approach distinguished itself from the dominant club-house trend: violins, flutes, saxophones, and electric guitars. He incorporated instruments that few piano producers use in their music. The track “Funguvhu” illustrates this approach: Josiah integrates a vocal sample from “Funguvhu Tanzwa Mulomo,” a traditional tshivenda lullaby³.

Solo Reinvention and Musical Recognition

After the announcement of their split in February 2020⁴, Josiah launched the EP SOM (Spirits Of Makoela) in May 2020⁵. The title echoes his identity—the family name, ancestral breath.

His first vocal collaboration marked a turning point: the album Umbuso Wabam’nyama (“The Kingdom of the Blacks”) was released with singer Boohle in October 2020. The single “Mama,” co-produced with Da Capo, secured the gold certification from RiSA⁶.

In April 2021, Spirits of Makoela Vol. 2: The Reintroduction proposed a musical manifesto. The album opens with “Spirits of Makoela (Badimo),” a prayer transformed into a synthetic instrumental. Collaborations were carefully chosen: Kabza De Small appears on “Manuel” and “Sponono”; Boohle resurfaces on “SMS,” a reinterpreted track³.

The split of JazziDisciples was not simple. In February 2021, Josiah publicly contested production credits on the hit “Long Lasting”⁴. He did not let himself be absorbed by the controversy. Spirits of Makoela Vol. 2 was a reintroduction—a renamed product, pioneer of amapiano³. In April 2024, the album Satori (Universal Music) confirmed a mature artist.

Major Works

Work	Year	Why It’s Essential
Disciples of Piano (JazziDisciples)	2019	First studio album by the duo; lays the foundations of the JazziDisciples signature—jazz meeting amapiano
“Long Lasting” (JazziDisciples)	2018	Cult hit of the duo; pre-split emblem; source of controversy over credits
Umbuso Wabam’nyama (with Boohle)	2020	Collaborative album certified gold; single “Mama” propels both artists
Spirits of Makoela Vol. 2 (solo)	2021	Second solo album; OkayAfrica cover; confirmed amapiano-jazz-soul blend
Satori (solo)	2024	Universal Music album; coherent and personal musical language, maturity confirmed

Legacy and Influence

Josiah De Disciple is one of those producers whose name is never on the first page but whose every track marks a genre. From the earliest days of the amapiano movement, he contributed to building a bridge between club house and jazz melancholy. The producers of the new wave—the young talents he continues to welcome in the studio—now bear his mark. His solo career confirms that JazziDisciples was a laboratory, and Josiah emerged with an unmistakable identity.