Prince Kaybee – Biography, Real Name, Age and Career

Prince Kaybee, whose real name is Kabelo Motsamai, is a well-known house DJ and music producer from South Africa. He became widely recognized in the mid-2010s after his hit song “Charlotte” with Lady Zamar gained massive popularity. Since then, he’s kept fans hooked with dance tracks like “Club Controller” and “Banomoya,” which are part of his 2019 album Re Mmino. Prince Kaybee is known for staying active in the music scene, dropping new albums regularly. Some of his standout projects include Gemini released in 2022 and Music Theory in 2023.

Early Life

Prince Kaybee, born Kabelo Motsamai on June 15, 1989, in Senekal, Free State, South Africa, grew up as the youngest among 36 siblings from his father’s side. He was raised by his mother alone after conflicts within the family. In grade 11, he left school when his girlfriend became pregnant, which pushed him to find work in nightclubs. While working at a club owned by a Nigerian music producer, his talent caught attention. Later on, he landed a DJ job at a club in Bloemfontein and used his earnings to buy a laptop, teaching himself how to produce electronic dance music. He took on the stage name Prince Kaybee and started playing gigs and getting his songs added to compilation albums in 2014, slowly building a name for himself in the music world.

Career

Prince Kaybee first made waves in the music scene after winning the second season of the reality competition 1’s and 2’s on SABC1 in 2015. This win opened doors for him, and by 2016, he received a nomination for the Listener’s Choice award at the MTV Africa Music Awards. His major breakthrough came with the release of “Charlotte” alongside Lady Zamar in November 2016. The song earned him several Metro FM Music Award nominations and pushed his career even further. He followed up with other popular tracks like “Yonkinto” featuring Zanda and dropped his debut album I Am Music in 2017.

In January 2018, Prince Kaybee released “Club Controller” with LaSoul Mates, TNS, and Zanda Zakuza. The track quickly became a fan favorite, topping the Channel O Top 30 Charts and going 6× platinum in South Africa with over 120,000 copies sold. Later that year, he joined 1’s and 2’s again, this time as a resident judge for its 18th season. On August 31, 2018, he released “Banomoya” featuring Busiswa and TNS. Like his earlier work, the song was a hit, also reaching number one on the Channel O Top 30 Charts. It won Song of the Year on Ukhozi FM and earned 4× platinum status.

His second studio album, Re Mmino, came out on March 8, 2019, and also went platinum in South Africa. The album included major tracks like “Club Controller” and helped solidify his spot as one of the country’s leading house music producers. That same year, Prince Kaybee received multiple nominations at the 26th South African Music Awards, including Music Video of the Year and Record of the Year for songs like “Gugulethu” and “Fetch Your Life.” He also walked away with the Best House Record award and earned a nod for Best Music Video at the 2019 Dance Music Awards South Africa.

After putting out the Crossover Music EP, Prince Kaybee continued to highlight fresh voices with Project Hope (Season 1) in 2020, where he worked with lesser-known female singers like Thembisile Q and Thalitha. Staying consistent with his yearly music releases, he kept dropping albums filled with collaborations across the industry. One of his most successful singles, “Uwrongo,” which featured Shimza, Black Motion, and Ami Faku, came out on January 31, 2020. The song dominated the Radiomonitor Top 100 AirPlay Chart for a solid 26 weeks in a row.

In early 2021, he took part in Rhythms of Zamunda: Music Inspired By Coming 2 America, which was released by Def Jam Africa on March 15. Not long after, he revealed his fourth album, The 4th Republic, on Instagram, and released it officially on March 5, 2021. The following year, on June 17, 2022, he dropped his fifth studio album, Gemini, which included singles like “Zimbali,” “Sbindi Uyabulala,” “Tayari,” and “Breakfast in Soweto.”

By mid-2023, Prince Kaybee had already begun teasing songs from his next project. On June 4, he released three lead singles—“Amaphiko Ezono,” “Inkubulo” with Azana, and “Oh Boy” featuring Start Healers—giving listeners a taste of what was coming next.

Studio Albums

• I Am Music (2017)
• Re Mmino (2019)
• Project Hope (Season 1) (2020)
• The 4th Republic (2021)
• Gemini (2022)
• Music Theory (2023)

Personal Life

Prince Kaybee has mostly stayed quiet about his personal life, choosing to keep things out of the spotlight. He was once in a relationship with radio host Zola Mhlongo, and together they have a son named Mmino Milani Motsamai, who was born in 2021. By October 2022, he revealed that he was practicing celibacy, confirming that the relationship with Zola had ended.

While they were still together, their relationship faced public drama when Prince Kaybee was caught in a cheating scandal. A woman shared screenshots of private messages between them, which caused a stir online. He later apologized publicly for the incident, expressing regret for putting Zola through that experience.