Born Into Fame episode 2 recap: Owami, AJ and Tank open up

Owami Mafokate doesn’t know a life outside of fame. Both her parents are household names in the South African entertainment industry. Her father is kwaito legend and producer Arthur Mafokate, while her mother is Queen Sesoko of Abashante fame. On the latest episode of Born Into Fame, she said: “I grew up not even knowing that my parents are big, you know?”

She used to see people requesting to take pictures with her father. Although her parents are a big deal, Owami has created a path for herself as a DJ. “It fulfils my heart,” Owami said.

A complex relationship

The 22-year-old opened up about her upbringing. “I grew up with my dad and my grandparents. My relationship with my dad is interesting. It’s very interesting. He’s a good dad.” Her relationship with her mother, on the other hand, is getting better.

“The more I grow up I’m realising that having parents in your life, that’s very important. I can’t complain, no. It’s all good.”

Although they share the same father, Owami and her brother AJ have different mothers. While Owami was raised by her father, AJ was raised by his mother, also known as “the love of my life”.

“She’s been with me through everything. The tough times, good times, she’s been the dream mother,” she shared. He didn’t get to see his famous father a lot, only “on good days like once a month”. He said Arthur would come on some weekends with gifts.

“He would spoil him on birthdays and make sure that they were memorable. I didn’t grow up with him like that and I think that’s still affects me to some degree.”

Paternal legacies and personal identity

AJ explained that he only changed his surname to Mafokate a few years ago when he was about to become a father. “My mom and my dad never worked out. My dad, when I was born, didn’t pay damages.” He revealed that in 2018 or 2019 he chose the Mafokate surname because he wanted to bring a child into the world with the correct surname. The Mafokates did the right thing and paid four or five years ago and that’s when he officially changed his surname.

Tank and AJ have similar experiences because they both grew up on the maternal side of their families. Tank is the son of hitmaker and DJ Tira Khati. He was raised by his grandmother while his superstar father was still trying to figure things out with his career. “A lot of people will always expect more from you because they see who your father is. I do face those difficulties almost every single day,” he said on the show. Just like AJ, the fact that Tank didn’t spend a lot of time with his father while growing up might have created a gap. He feels like his father is a busy guy. “I just feel like he needs to cut the other shows and say ‘yo, let me focus on Tank right now’.”

Tank, AJ and Owami have followed in their fathers’ footsteps by pursuing music but they’re all trying not to live in their shadows. Can they successfully make a life outside of their parents’ fame? Watch Born Into Fame every Tuesday to follow their journey.