The 13th of February greeted many South Africans with the unfortunate news that our music industry had lost another iconic musician and DJ. Sandile Citi Lyts Mkhize, the Younger Brother of South African hip hop/kwaito legend Prokid.
As painful and tragic as the circumstances surrounding Mkhize’s death are, life is always meant to be celebrated no matter how long or short it is. Dj Citi Lyts’s music remains permanently stamped in South Africa’s music culture.
Being the person behind two of some of the most viral songs our country has seen, how Vura and Washa dominated the streets is something that many South African’s will never forget.
Vura not only became a smash hit but a cultural phenomenon, masterfully packaging a mainstay of South Africa’s township culture.
The Volkswagen Golf3 VR6 that the song was inspired by quickly struck a chord with the majority. Here was a piece speaking about a car that, for many growing up, was one of the status symbols and signifiers of extreme cool. His legacy not only lies in the success of such a song. But it also lies in how such a song was able to speak to so many different types of South Africans, young or old.
Successful music, at its core, is the ability to touch the masses. Because of this, Citi lyts name will live long in the hearts and memories of those he made music for.
