Big Zulu

Big Zulu — pop artist from ZA.

Big Zulu, born Siyabonga Nene in Bergville, KwaZulu-Natal in 1987, is a South African rapper known for incorporating Zulu folklore into his music. With roots…

Influence: 57.88% Fanbase: 48.30% Trending: 62.67% Career Level: Rising

Top Brand Affinity

Highest overlapping lifestyle brand

Woolworths • 36.05% • Very Strong

As of 2025-09-29

1,721,306

Social Media Followers

As of 2025-09-29

00:00:00

Hours Airplay

2025-12-07 11:32:36 UTC

Genres

popsouth african pophip-hop & raphip-hop/rapsouth african hip hoprapcontemporary hip hophip hopafricanafro soul

Biography

Big Zulu, born Siyabonga Nene in Bergville, KwaZulu-Natal in 1987, is a South African rapper known for incorporating Zulu folklore into his music. With roots in the maskandi genre, popular in his province, his 2020 hit single "Mali Eningi" pays homage to the late maskandi legend Bhekumuzi Luthuli. Prior to his rap career, Big Zulu worked in the taxi industry, drawing inspiration from his experiences to craft storytelling rhymes exclusively in isiZulu. His transition from a backpack rapper in the late 2000s to a prominent crossover artist in the 2020s was marked by his ability to resonate with South Africa's working class through familiar musical influences.

Top Brand Affinities

Report Date: 2025-09-29

Big Zulu converts attention from 25-34 & 18-24 audiences across SOUTH AFRICA, UNITED STATES, ZIMBABWE. Audience shape is heavily male (79%), opening clear lanes for styling, voice, and offers. Topline results concentrate on Youtube at 1,401,518 avg views per post, with supportive conversation on Youtube. Shared audience with Woolworths, Hennessey, Ellesse underscores a strong fit in streetwear, music platforms, and lifestyle products. It’s a practical path to awareness that doesn’t fight the feed.

Artist Affinity estimates how strongly an artist's audience overlaps with interest in specific brands, products, and categories. It is derived from aggregated social and behavioral signals—who fans follow, save, click, and engage with—normalized across platforms. Higher affinity suggests better partnership fit and higher likelihood that fans will respond positively to branded content or offers. Use it to shortlist natural brand partners and product concepts that feel authentic to the audience. Combine affinity with Connection Strength (ER) and reach to balance fit with impact. Treat affinity as directional—validate with creative tests and small pilots before scaling.

ER = (likes + comments + shares) ÷ audience per post ≥ 3.0% = Very Strong 2.0–2.99% = Strong 1.0–1.99% = Moderate < 1.0% = Low

How to read it: Pair ER with reach (views/followers) to gauge intensity and scale.

Connection Strength

Artist Big Zulu score 1.02% — Moderate bucket.

Brand: WoolworthsBrand: HennesseyBrand: Ellesse

Followers:1,721,306

Engagements:17,559

Rate:1.0%

Posts:3,526

Avg Likes:16,907

Avg Comments:686

Avg Views:1,401,518

Audience Demographics & Key Stats

Metric	Value	Why It Matters
Social Snapshot	Followers 1,721,306 · Engagements 17,559 · Rate 1.0% Posts 3,526 · Views 1,401,518 · Avg Likes 16,907 · Avg Comments 686 · Avg Views 1,401,518	Combine reach (followers/views) with ER to size both impact and responsiveness.
Age Breakdown	25-34: 48% 18-24: 42% 35-44: 6% 13-17: 4%	Largest: 25-34 (48%); next: 18-24 (42%)
Gender Split	Female: 22% Male: 79% Non-binary/Other: 0%	Skews male (79%)
Top Countries	SOUTH AFRICA (82%) UNITED STATES (4%) ZIMBABWE (3%) UNITED KINGDOM (1%) ESWATINI (1%)	Top regions: SOUTH AFRICA (82%), UNITED STATES (4%), ZIMBABWE (3%)
Platform Engagement	Instagram: 3,507 avg likes/post · Youtube: 1,401,518 avg views/post	Best reach: Youtube 1,401,518 avg views; best engagement: Youtube 13,400 avg likes

Top Brand Affinities

Woolworths

Score: 36.05

Hennessey

Score: 19.52

Ellesse

Score: 17.45

Kappa

Score: 14.41

Champion

Score: 13.96

New Era

Score: 11.22

Colgate

Score: 8.44

Herbalife

Score: 8.19

Jagermeister

Score: 7.17

Hennessy

Score: 6.93

Lacoste

Score: 5.23

SoundCloud

Score: 4.81

Brand	Category	Score
Woolworths		36.05
Hennessey		19.52
Ellesse		17.45
Kappa		14.41
Champion		13.96
New Era		11.22
Colgate		8.44
Herbalife		8.19
Jagermeister		7.17
Hennessy		6.93
Lacoste		5.23
SoundCloud		4.81
Nivea		3.70
shein		3.56
Heineken		3.41
Puma		3.30
FOREX		3.28
Bacardi		3.24
SheInside		2.96
The North Face		2.82
MTV		2.75
H&M		2.40
Sprite		2.36
Huawei		2.18
Guess		2.16
Timberland		2.10
Zara		2.06
Spotify Music		2.06
KFC		2.00
Under Armour		1.98
Calvin Klein		1.76
FashionNova		1.69
New Balance		1.63
Los Angeles Lakers		1.62
Polo Ralph Lauren		1.62
Land Rover		1.62
musical.ly		1.53
Nike		1.51
Beats Electronics		1.51
Balenciaga		1.29
Bentley		1.28
Vans		1.25
Converse		1.23
Crocs		1.23
McDonald's		1.23
Tommy Hilfiger		1.21
Reebok		1.20
Versace		1.20
Red Bull		1.19
Volkswagen		1.15