Booking an artist for an event can be extremely expensive, but if you thought about how expensive it actually might be to book South African artists or celebrities, you might be surprised. In this video, we look at 15 South African artists who are extremely expensive to book, so watch till the end for all the details. Don’t forget to like this video and subscribe to our YouTube channel so that we can make more content like this.

15. DJ Zinhle

When we talk about expensive to book artists, we can surely include DJ Zinhle on that list. She can charge anywhere between 30 to 40,000 R per hour. However, some sources report that she used to charge around 30,000 R per 30 minutes at her peak.

So, if you want to book DJ Zinhle, make sure you have at least 50,000 R, because a hospitality rider can be around 10,000 R, excluding her transportation.

14. Young Stunna

Sandile Simango, also known as Young Stunna, is currently one of the hottest artists in South Africa. His song “Imitandas” is currently one of his latest releases. When it comes to booking, the guy can be a pain in the XYZ.

His booking fee is around 40,000 R. He was booked for 40,000 R in November 2022, with extra costs like the hospitality rider and others reaching a total of 87,000 R. However, the guy didn’t pitch. The event was in Lady Frere, Eastern Cape, and after disappointing the event organizers, they decided to sue him for 1 million R in total costs.

13. AKA

You might not have expected this one, but turns out AKA actually charges around 50,000 R for a performance. This excludes his transport, accommodation, and hospitality rider costs.

However, unlike some people on this list, he isn’t much of a drama queen, and there haven’t been many complaints about him not pitching. For those always comparing him and Cassper in terms of money, they’re just simply not on the same level.

12. Sethabile

For the Amapiano fans, Sethabile is one of the best vocalists of the modern-day era. While most expect him to be super expensive to book, he’s just a few grands above AKA, with a booking fee for around 60,000 R.

However, his booking experience wasn’t always fun, as some people once booked him for only 5,000 R, to which he went on a rant on his Instagram to talk about the disappointment, saying the same organizers were booking other artists for almost 40,000 R per gig.

11. Maazi

Now we’re getting closer to the 100,000 R mark with Maazi. As of 2024, Maazi is said to be charging at least 80,000 R per booking. However, booking Maazi isn’t always a walk in the park, as she might not show up.

The songstress was booked by a couple in Vendors last year; they paid her the requested booking fee, but she told them last minute that she couldn’t make it on time. While the couple was disappointed, they were happy she would still make it later in the day.

Because of the disappointment, she had reduced her fee, but even so, when it was time for her to come, she didn’t pitch, forcing the couple to approach Sunday World and demand a refund.

10. QT

If you want to book the “Shy Goody” hitmaker, you can expect to pay around 85 to 90,000 R in South Africa. However, when he’s overseas, he asks for a whopping 180,000 R or 10,000 USD. So, while he comes number 10 in South Africa, outside he gets paid a bit more. These fees exclude his accommodation, transportation, and hospitality rider fees, so in total, you could end up paying 130,000 R including other costs.

9. Sjava

To the “Noly” hitmaker, Sjava is one of the most underrated musicians in South Africa. His music is recognized everywhere, and recently he released his hit single “Amapiano.” For those wondering how much he charges for his booking fee, the truth is Sjava’s booking fee comes at a whopping 100,000 R as of 2024, which makes sense considering his longevity and unique contribution to the South African music industry.

8. Sho Madjozi

Like Sjava, Sho Madjozi also charges around 100,000 R per booking, so booking her isn’t a walk in the park. The young artist became a worldwide sensation with her hit “John Cena,” where she even got to meet John Cena in the United States of America. She has performed in front of millions around the world, so it shouldn’t surprise you that booking her in South Africa costs around 100,000 R—a very generous price to be honest.

7. Nasty C

Nasty C used to be very expensive to book locally a few years ago, with his estimated booking fee at around 200,000 R. However, as of 2024, many sources suggest that the musician can be booked at a minimum of 100,000 R, although depending on the event type, he could charge more or less. However, it doesn’t mean that he is making less money; it may just be his way to give back to South Africa by reducing his fee to 100,000 R. Brands love him.

6. Uncle Waffles

This may shock some, as it did on Twitter, but booking Uncle Waffles in South Africa is currently more expensive than booking Nasty C. It shows you how Amapiano is taking over the music industry. As of 2024, Uncle Waffles charges at least 120,000 R to her bookers per hour. So, if you book her for 4 hours or so, you’ll be nearing a million Rands.

5. Focalistic

Most people assume that Focalistic is one of the cheapest South African artists to book, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The artist actually charges around 30,000 R per 15 minutes, meaning in 1 hour he charges over 120,000 R, making him number five on our list. The artist has no booking issues thus far.

4. Gaba

Now we’re getting closer to the most expensive live artist to book in South Africa, and on number four, we have Gaba. The artist is said to charge anywhere between 200,000 to 300,000 R, with his minimum being 200,000 R. So, if you want to book Gaba, you better have deep pockets, as this fee doesn’t include his transportation, which has been said to cost up to 30,000 R per trip.

The artist prefers to use the most luxurious and expensive modes of transportation available, and his taste for expensive things can be seen even in his clothing and accessories, with watches coming up all the way to almost a million R in value.

3. Cassper Nyovest

As of 2024, Cassper Nyovest is still quite expensive to book. The artist is believed to be currently charging up to 250,000 R for a booking fee, all this excluding the other costs. As a result, he’s still currently the most expensive hip-hop artist to book in South Africa, since hip-hop has been losing its momentum.

2. DJ Maphorisa

Okay, when we’re talking money, we’re talking money itself. The artist in this joke charges around 300,000 R per booking, meaning booking the artist will cost you an arm and a leg.

In fact, in December 2023, the artist made 2.6 million R in one day after he got booked eight times in one day. So, as of 2024, Maphorisa is currently the most expensive artist to book in Amapiano, and this can be seen in his spending, with the artist wearing clothes close to a million R in value.

1. Black Coffee

Even though Black Coffee is the oldest artist on this list, he’s simply impossible to book in South Africa or outside the country.

The musician charges up to $100,000 or 1.8 million R for a booking fee, so getting Black Coffee on your set by booking him will be almost impossible for most event organizers. That’s why he’s almost always performing overseas, where they can actually afford him.

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