Black Coffee lost use of his right arm after a taxi crashed into a crowd that he was in, one person died and Black Coffee was one of 36 to be injured. If you haven’t noticed, his left arm forever in his pocket is not an attempt to look cool. And yet, at age 34, he’s achieved what most people his age have and will not. A lot of people have a one arm head start in becoming DJ’s and producers but I guess Black Coffee’s taste is way more percolated.
Black Coffee has never wanted to be known as “that DJ with one hand” as he wanted to be acknowledged for his talent and not his disabilities. But I ask why not? Why not say “I have one hand and I’m still better than you! I get more girls than you, more money and have been to places you can only imagine” No matter how hard he tries to avoid it, he is the DJ with one hand and though people might pretend they don’t see him as that they are thinking it. He has a lot to be proud of and he should also take the credit of achieving all this “single handidly”… literally. He opened a label called Soulistic Music which is home to the upcoming DJ Culoe De Song.
Black Coffee has played in Greece, Miami, Paris, London etc etc and is respected by many big DJ’s. He’s worked with the likes of Ringo, Hugh Masekela, Busi Mhlongo, Thandiswa and Zonke to name a few. Black Coffee now sees his condition as a blessing that came with a responsibility, whatever he did he now had to represent the disabled. He has a charity called The Black Coffee Foundation in which he contributes 5cents for every CD he sells. His latest stunt to play for 60hours straight for The Guinness Book of Records is also in a bid to fund the foundation.
If anything Black Coffee has taught me not to take my hands for granted. Technically I can achieve twice as much as he has and that’s the pride I should take into my work, no harm intended. He shows us that as messed up as life can get it’s never over. Kudos Black… Kudos!
The Tiger himself
