Black Coffee on the accident that left him paralysed

The DJ recounts how the accident turned his life upside down, thinking his dreams of being in music were shattered.

DJ Black Coffee. Picture: Gallo Images

While some South Africans are anticipating the state of the nation address in parliament tonight, others are celebrating the day Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990. However, DJ Black Coffee also had an experience of his own this day in 1990.

Black Coffee was involved in an accident that left him with a brachial plexus injury. According to the medical dictionary, the brachial plexus is a group of nerves that originate in the spinal cord in the neck and travel down the arm. These nerves control the muscles of the shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand, as well as provide feeling in the arm.

Some brachial plexus injuries are minor and will completely recover in several weeks. However, other injuries are severe enough and could cause some permanent disability in the arm, which explains how Black Coffee lost the use of his left arm.

The DJ recounts how the accident turned his life upside down, thinking his dreams of being in music were shattered. Little did he know he would grow up to be one of the biggest names in the South African house music industry. His music garnered worldwide recognition as he won the Breakthrough DJ of the Year at the prestigious DJ Awards in Ibiza in October last year.

“I used to hate this day.. every year it would depress me. But I’ve come a long way since then and I’ve learnt so much about myself. Now I celebrate this day because it changed my life. Because of this day, I’ve learnt to push all the limits and I’ve worked twice as hard to realise my dreams in music,” Coffee wrote on his Facebook page.

His hard work has indeed paid off. Coffee’s latest album, Pieces Of Me, went platinum less than a month after its release. This year, he was named as one of the headliners at one of the biggest arts and music event, Coachella in California, in the United States.

The Coachella festival will be held from April 15 to 24 and Black Coffee will be performing on April 15. The week-long event will feature artists including Guns N’ Roses, which have reunited after a long hiatus. Other headliners include Sia, Calvin Harris, Ice Cube, Rae Sremmud, Disclosure, A$AP Rocky, SZA and many more.

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