AJ, Owami Mafokate and Phila Madlingozi get spotlight in 'Born Into Fame'

When he was in grade 2, AJ Mafokate discovered that he was the son of a 1990s kwaito superstar.

Before then he was oblivious to the fact that he was heir to Arthur Mafokate.

Now the 30-year-old and his sister Owami are getting their moment in the spotlight in Showmax's new reality show Born Into Fame following the lives of “nepo babies”.

They will be joined by other rising stars with famous parents such as Phila Madlingozi, Robbie Malinga Jr, Shamiso Mosaka and Tank The Rock Star – the offspring of Ringo Madlingozi, late Robbie Malinga, Azania Mosaka and DJ Tira.

“I wasn’t raised by him [Arthur] and didn’t really see him much. So, this one time he decided to pick me up from school with Zombo [late kwaito singer],” AJ said.

“I was coming out of class only to find a huge crowd surrounding my dad’s car. I was confused and I asked him what was going on. Zombo then told me it was because my father was famous – I think my father found it weird telling me that he was popular.”

From there, AJ had newfound popularity at school.

“I was that kid with a very controversial father. Around the time of Sika Lekhekhe, I was still in primary school and everything that came with my dad’s fame, other kids at school expected me to have answers to. Most of the time, I was just lying because I didn’t know what happened,” AJ said.

AJ added that throughout his teens into adulthood he had to adapt to his father’s countless controversies in the public eye.

“Besides the flashy lifestyle, the cons of having a famous parent is that you can’t discover yourself fully and make mistakes because, unlike many people, we have to do it in the public eye and what’s worse is that I’m a big over-thinker,” he said. 

“I’ve never had a normal job [a 9-5]. I’ve always worked in the family business but I kind of know what it’s like to work a full day, here at home. Side note: I can’t believe I’m mentioning this as a con. 

“However, I’m a family man and I’m raising my daughter which tends to be quite tricky because of a GBV case that my father was cleared from years ago. Often at times, the family name gets dragged.”

Does AJ want to follow in his father’s footsteps?

“He’s an entrepreneur and so I am. To be exactly like him is another story. I also don’t plan to walk in his footsteps as it will be a disservice to myself,” he said.

Phila, currently starring in the daily drama Gqeberha: The Empire can relate to AJ about feeling the pressure of living up to your famous father’s name.

“In primary school a lot of kids expected me to dress like a famous kid and show off a flashy lifestyle and that put me under so much pressure,” Phila said.

“But when I went to high school, all that changed. I went to school with rich kids and they didn’t care what I wore or how famous my dad was. They would only tell me how their parents loved my dad’s music.”

He admitted that being called “Ringo’s child” at every turn does annoy him, especially when he’s trying to carve a different path.

“As a famous kid, your privacy is gone. People think they own you and you owe them certain aspects of your life,” he said. 

“I don’t plan on walking in my father’s footsteps. I am a singer so is he but I will bring my own thing to the game.”