DJ Fresh and Thato Mataboge sat down to share the ten songs that have defined their lives and careers.
Katlego Sekhu
DJ Fresh and Thato Mataboge recently joined My Top 10 at 10 with Tbose to discuss the songs that have shaped their journeys.
What emerged was not just a playlist, but a window into how these two broadcasters think about music, faith, growth, and what it means to build something that lasts.
For Thato, one song stands out as an anchor. Cece Winans’ Holy Forever is a track he reaches for when he needs to remember what matters. “It just calms me, man,” he says.
“You’ve always got to touch base, you know. With the Lord.” In his praise and worship group at church, the song hits differently. “It breaks me down, like a breakdown.” For Thato, music isn’t entertainment; it’s spiritual ballast.
Fresh’s choices tell a different story, one rooted in witnessing greatness and building on it. TKZee’s Izinja Zam takes him back to school, to watching the group pursue their dream relentlessly when they released it in 1998.
“They’re the first guys that actually I watched people pursue their dream to a certain level, and seeing how far it can go,” he reflects. “That song became a north star. It was watching TKZee that made him think: okay, I think I want to do this.”
His latest contribution to music sits at the other end of the spectrum. The Promised Land, a collaboration with producer Candy Man, is fresh off the press, released just four weeks before this conversation.
Fresh is candid about the creative process. They used AI prompts to help shape the track, and he’s unapologetic about it. “Why are we hiding the fact that we’re using AI?” he asks. “Music is software, isn’t it?” But he’s equally clear on ethics: if AI is going to use someone’s intellectual property as a prompt, that person must be compensated. “If you’re going to use me as a prompt, pay me.”
What ties these songs together, from Thato’s spiritual anchors to Fresh’s markers of ambition and innovation, is intention. These aren’t casual picks. They’re the songs these two men return to when they need to remember who they are.
Thato’s list
Thato ya Hao by Lebo Sekgobela
Izinja Zam by TKZee
Ghetto by Zakes Bantwini
Nammer – Mdu
Sippin by DMX
DJ Fresh’s list
Sibongile Khumalo – Thando’s Groove
Mama by DJ Fresh
The Promised Land by DJ Fresh & Candy Man
More Than Gold by Alex Jean
Holy Forever by Cece Winans
To hear the full interview, listen to the podcast.
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