Babes Wodumo Biography. One of the earliest celebrities to come out of the Durban gqom scene was Bongekile Simelane, better known as Babes Wodumo, a South African singer and choreographer who has given the genre international recognition. She was born on March 26, 1994, in Lamontville.
Babes Wodumo Biography
The musician has achieved the title of “Queen of Gqom” despite her parents’ objections to her working in the entertainment sector. Her father gave her the stage name Babes because he thought that she had eyes that were similar to a member of the band “The Babes,” therefore the nickname.
Babes Wodumo Age
Babes Wodumo was born on the 26th of July in 1994, she is 25 years old.
Babes Wodumo Family
She grew up with passions like singing, dancing, football, and sports. Her obsession earned her the moniker “Wodumo,” and she upheld her aura, which helped her become the prosperous young woman she is today.
She was raised by her father, Reverend Welcome Semilane, who raised her as Bongekile Selimane. Babes had a home with Nonduh Simelane, her lone sister. However, her parents never supported her aspirations in the entertainment industry.
They preferred that she pursue studies in social work because she was passionate about assisting the elderly and helping others. The musician eventually concentrated on dance, began to have encouraging support from her family, and strived to develop as an artist.
After her birth, Reverend Welcome gave his daughter the name “Babes.” Her eyes reminded him of someone from the band “The Babes,” he thought.
Babes Wodumo Marriage
The late Mandla Maphumulo, often known as Mampintsha, was the husband of Babes Wodumo. He belonged to Big Nuz as well.
The public wasn’t informed of the couple’s nuptials until they surprised everyone with an Instagram photo showcasing their wedding bands.
Their union drew a lot of criticism because it is thought that they aren’t a healthy couple, and there have been abuse claims floating about since 2018. Despite this, the couple declared their love for one another in a highly embarrassing video of themselves in a hot tub that was released on social media.
People had believed the couple was expecting their first kid at one point in their life. Babes teased a “big announcement” in the media. Due to the fact that Babes was spotted at the time sporting loose attire, many people believed it to be a pregnancy announcement. But it turned out to be for a music video.
In June 2021, the couple gave birth to a kid they affectionately refer him as Sponge. Babes and Mampintsha have a reputation for being fiercely protective of their son, rarely letting the public see their little one.
Babes Wodumo Career
Babes Wodumo has years of experience in the music business. Babes first recorded Desha in 2014, which was supposed to be her first song and was produced by Sir Bubzin, but she didn’t release it until 2016—the year in which she would formally establish herself as the Gqom Queen after putting out a successful album.
The playlist for her album is as follows:
Wololo
Thobeka
Mercedes
Ching Chong
Family
Nkabinde
Yesgebengu
Kuth’angkhulume
Buyisa uBabes Wodumo
Umngan’wami
Amatsegetsege
Uyang’phazamisa
Thula Wazi
Ngangingekho
She was ready for 2017 because she had a large collection of South African and foreign honors. Babes Wodumo was later included on Kendrick Lamar’s Black Panther album as a result of this record.
Babes Wodumo Business
Owner and director of West Ink Dance Academy is Babes. She imparts her knowledge of choreography and routines at a dance academy.
Babes has worked as an entrepreneur with a number of performers, featuring her to direct the choreography or instruct their dances. As a result, she has amassed a sizable fan base for both her dancing and her music.
She has collaborated with numerous well-known musicians, including Kendrick Lamar, Big Nuz, Nikki Williams, and Dj Tira.
Babes Wodumo Abuse Allegations
Babes Wodumo once made headlines when she posted a video of her claimed physical abuse by her husband to her Instagram feed.
The film quickly became well-known to the general public and quickly became popular on social media. Thousands of people came together in support of Babes after the alleged abuse, and various hashtags were made to encourage the musician to report the alleged abuse to the authorities.
In their relationship, claims of abuse had already occurred. Mashechaba Ndlovu, a host of Metro FM, confronted Babes while she was interviewing her in May 2018.
Masechaba brought up the accusations, which made Babe’s comments stumble. The interview went viral, sparking a discussion on social media about the abuse claim.
Many fans were left feeling conflicted by this interview; they weren’t sure whether to condemn Masechaba for violating her interview protocol and leaking private information or to applaud her for bringing attention to the hardships the musician was experiencing but was too afraid to discuss.
Mampintsha was agitated and responded urgently to the contentious interview. He acknowledged that he occasionally reacted inappropriately but insists that he is not an abuser.
He highlighted his love for Babes and in particular that when he reacted inappropriately, his intention was not to harm her.
“I am no saint, nor do I plead absolute innocence in the claims made in that interview. I may have overreacted in a couple of incidents during our relationship with her over certain things I will not be comfortable to discuss in the public domain. As for the accuracy of the abuse claims, the build-up to the interview, the motive and the timing … is a matter I will leave to fate,” Mampintsha, at The Times.
Following more criticism, Babes’ father, Reverend Welcome Simelane, issued a statement to the media thanking Mandla for helping to shape Babes into the lady she is today.
“After all, we thank Mandla Maphumulo for discovering talent in Babes and grooming her to be where she currently is. We thank all those who supported our daughter, it’s truly showed how much she is loved,”.
This sparked outrage, and famous people began expressing their feelings. Many people, including Cassper Nyovest, Boity, Amanda Black, Pearl Thusi, and others, expressed their opinions and positions on gender-based abuse and domestic violence.
It didn’t take long for Babes to dismiss the allegations against her husband, but this time, Reverend Welcome made the decision to distance himself from his relationship with his daughter.
Babes Wodumo Controversy
Lady Zamar finally spoke up about the online harassment she received from Babes Wodumo.
“I didn’t even know the meaning of the names she called me, but I eventually learned that one of them is a b***h who goes around sleeping with different men to the point where her v@gina is worn out,” she said.
The hit song “Collide” vocalist has revealed how the musician made derogatory comments about her skin because of her acne. Baes made a concerted effort to persuade people that Lady Zamar had been the victim of cyberbullying, but the truth eventually came out.
The Gqom musician got herself into trouble once more when she tweeted that people should take revenge if cops beat them up during the shutdown. She was dragged for it because this infuriated a lot of people on Twitter.
Twitter users berated the controversial musician, claiming she should set an example for others and that Mampintsha should have been retaliated against for assaulting her.
Babes Wodumo has been featured on the Twitter trends list after a video of her appeared online, and Mzansi is trying to decipher what she is saying in the video. The less than 10-second clip was sufficient to make the Wololo hitmaker trend.
Babes, along with her sister and the musician Tipcee, were once charged with assaulting an unidentified Durban woman. Babes received a summons to appear in court as a result. To make matters worse, Babes was captured performing the vosho outside of court and posing for photos that she shared on social media.
The most strange image was one of Babes Wodumo that was going around, showing her extreme weight loss and disheveled appearance. After the image gained notoriety, Babes tweeted, “Pray for me,” a few days later.
Babes Wodumo Awards
Babes won a variety of accolades in 2017 as a result of her musical endeavors. This came after her debut album, which was published in 2016, was a commercial success.
2016 – MTV Music Awards for Song of the Year
2017 – Best International Act: Africa at the BET Awards Best Female Artist, Gqom Queen Vol. 1,
2017 – 16th Metro FM Music Awards in Best Kwaito Album, Gqom Queen, Vol. 1, at the 23rd South African Music Awards in 2017
2017 – Best Female Artist of the year at the 23rd South African Music Awards.
2017 – The 16th Metro FM Music Awards for Song of the Year, Wololo, at the 16th Metro FM Music Awards Newcomer of the Year, Gqom Queen, Vol. 1.
2017 – The 23rd South African Music Awards BET Award for Best International Act: Africa for Best New Artist, Gqom Queen Vol. 1,
2019 – NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation – Black Panther in Best Dance Album, Gqom Queen Vol. 1.
Babes Wodumo Cars
Babes Wodumo recently added the Audi S7, which has a market price of R1 100 000, to her collection. She also has a Mercedes Benz V-Class, 2019 model, believed to be worth R1 300 000.
Babes Wodumo Net Worth
Babes Wodumo’s estimated net worth exceeds R5 million thanks to her earnings from the West Inc. business and her successful musical career, which has paid for her travel, appearances, and performances. Meanwhile, it’s believed Mampintsha’s net worth clocks in at a hefty R6.8 million.
