Limpopo-born Lekompo artist PLG Chanty pulls Mr Diego into “Thobela,” the opening track off her “20Chanty6” EP – and it sets a deliberate tone before the bigger features arrive.
“Thobela” is a traditional greeting in Sepedi and Northern Sotho cultures – and PLG Chanty uses it as more than just a title. The record carries the warmth and community spirit the word implies. So instead of opening the EP with her loudest moment, she grounds it in something culturally familiar first. That instinct shows real structural thinking from an artist who understands how to sequence a project.
Mr Diego fits this particular record well. His contribution stays rooted in the same Northern cultural energy PLG Chanty draws from throughout the EP. The chemistry between them feels genuine rather than assembled – two artists from overlapping creative worlds who naturally speak the same musical language.
The production keeps things celebratory and accessible throughout. Lekompo’s rhythm framework sits underneath the track with the warmth that makes the genre so effective at gathering people rather than dividing them. So “Thobela” functions as exactly what a good EP opener should – it welcomes the listener in rather than hitting them over the head immediately.
For fans who followed PLG Chanty’s journey through “Stofi Stofoza” and her consistent Northern Sotho music output, this record reminds you where the whole thing is rooted before the bigger collaborations on the project take over.
Stream “Thobela” on the “20Chanty6” EP and tell us if this quiet opener deserves more attention than it’s getting!
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