On August 10, 2015, music writer Therese Owen said that although Big Nuz's 2015 album "For The Fans" would be a success, it would probably be their last... and she was not wrong.
We have suspected for a while that the days of kwaito ensemble Big Nuz were numbered, but we were not ready for the actual (or imminent) split.
The group, signed under DJ Tira's record label Afrotainment, was formed in 2002 by its members: R Mashesha, Mampintsha and Danger.
At its peak, Big Nuz won accolades at both the South African Music Awards and the Metro FM Music Awards.
Then came R Mashesha's death in 2015. Lyricist Mashesha was believed to be the brains behind some of the group's biggest songs.
Last week, DJ Tira announced that his label had parted ways with the group. Just days later, Danger also announced that he's going solo, and will be launching a record label and entertainment company called 108 Entertainment.
Mampintsha, who launched his company West Ink Records in 2016, is also doing big things as the manager of gqom queen Babes Wodumo, among others. He also owns and runs a store called Original Shandis.
It's safe to say that although the duo have big plans for their futures separately, there may not be much hope for anyone expecting them to shrug off the loss of Mashesha and give us more hits like "Umlilo".
We're crossing fingers that this isn't the end for Big Nuz, but we aren't optimistic. Still, we are grateful for songs like these four hits to hold on to for now.
Umlilo:
Hawaii:
Ntombenhle:
Stingray: