Set in Johannesburg, South Africa, Young, Famous & African brings together the continent’s elite entertainers. Each of the show’s cast members is a powerhouse in their own right. This group of friends is living the African dream, and the show is here to bring the glitz, the glam, and a bucketload of drama that comes with being a superstar. In the eyes of South Africans, Khanyisile Mbau, better known by her stage name Khanyi Mbau, is a gold digger. She earned the name years ago when she dated a well-known tycoon with a questionable source of income. That’s all in the past. In this life, Khanyi Mbau is an all-round entertainer, currently making waves for a passionate sex scene on Mzansi’s leading show, The Wife. She confesses that she thought she’d spend her life as a sugar baby, but she’s now a 35-year-old cougar. Khanyi lives in Sandton, the richest square mile in Africa, with her boyfriend, Kudzai. As a couple, the pair believes that alarms are outdated. Their solution? Waking up to sweet notes. Nothing beats the relaxation that comes with being woken up by soft melodious tunes.
Enter Annie Macaulay-Idibia, best known to be the wife of Nigerian musician 2Baba, formerly 2face Idibia. Outside being the entertainer’s wife, she’s an actress who’s featured in over 200 movies, an entrepreneur, a movie producer, and a model. Every so often, her success is overshadowed by her husband’s. She is in Johannesburg to expand her empire and is in the company of the fashion god, Swanky Jerry, who has been her stylist for years. Swanky and Annie are both invited to Khanyi Mbau’s ball. Speaking of Khanyi’s ball, South Africa’s very own Nadia Nakai shows up at the venue early. Now turning heads for her relationship with rapper AKA, at the time of filming, Nadia has a Ghanaian prince charming. She’s at the venue to catch up with Khanyi, who has a plan up her sleeve. Khanyi’s location reminds Nadia of a colonizer’s house, but she hopes the queen of bling will pull off the vision she has, which, in true Khanyi fashion can be described as ‘the Queen meets Amapiano’.
Like the star that he is, Diamond Platnumz arrives in Johannesburg in a private jet. Ready to receive him is Khanyi Mbau, who thinks he is a true superstar if the thousands of scandals he’s had in the past are anything to go by. Diamond has two children with Ugandan businesswoman Zari, with whom he co-parents. He calls himself ‘Simba’, the Swahili word for lion, and is in South Africa to hunt. For a star with a status like his, one-night stands are not a rarity. In fact, he openly admits to being on a mission, and so far there are a handful of baby mamas to prove it. For now, all his eyes are set on Nadia Nakai.
Although she is in Jozi for business, Annie Idibia is very much a full-time mom. She shares two children with 2Baba, one of whom has had a health problem in the past. Annie’s 7-year-old comes to the phone. She sounds a lot mature for her age. She wants to know whether her mom is happy or simply pretending. She brings out an emotional side of Annie, but we know what her favorite past time is: googling her husband. She needs to stay up-to-date with what he’s been up to, and Swanky Jerry is there to call her out in the full glare of the cameras. Away from the besties, we get introduced to yet another A-list South African star, Quinton Masina, also known as Naked DJ, or Mr. Ask a Man, a nickname born from a popular radio segment. Quinton has a son, and when he’s not on Daddy duty, he’s busy being Kayleigh’s daddy. Kayleigh is Quinton’s 28-year-old girlfriend. She is a fitness enthusiast and maintains that Quinton is not the world’s most romantic boyfriend.
Prior to Kanyi’s ball, Swanky has set up a date between Nadia and Annie. It would help for the ladies to get acquainted first. By the end of the date, Nadia concludes that unlike Swanky, who’s a ‘what you see is what you get’ kind of person, Annie is more reserved. Nadia may have to tread carefully when dealing with Annie. While Nadia may not really be the type to seamlessly blend well with Annie, we’re soon introduced to Quinton’s friend Andile Ncube, who seems to be more of Annie’s type. Andile is a sportscaster. He’s been in the entertainment scene for the longest of times. Quinton knows him as the most put-together man in his circle. In Andile’s own words, he does not mind shining the spotlight on others. He visits Quinton at home and proceeds to have a hearty conversation about relationships.
It’s the day of Khanyi’s ball. The queen of bling has promised flashing lights, red carpets, and everything in between. The ladies are all dolled up, the gentlemen are looking sharp, the paparazzi are around the corner with their cameras ready. Annie’ as usual, does not have a filter. She feels underwhelmed by the event, so does Swanky Jerry who was expecting a little more razzmatazz. All the cast members are finally together, seated at the same table. Diamond has his eyes set on Nadia, Quinton has no idea what kind of businessman Kudzai is in, Annie is really unimpressed by the food, and the conversation about how rich everyone is doesn’t seem to sizzle in her spirits. She’s off, and Nadia knows it. Only Andile can get something out of her.
At the table, a couple of things are discussed. Nadia is not single, single. She’s in a long-distance relationship, and Diamond likes that. The conversation about Diamond’s children comes up. He’s certain he has four kids, but they could be five or six. One of them was from a one-night stand that didn’t go as unplanned. Khanyi reveals that her 15-year-old daughter lives on her own. She is a liberal parent, and anything goes. Andile and Annie do not agree. They step aside for a conversation of their own, through which Andile and Khanyi learn of 2Baba’s infidelity. That explains why Annie is too guarded. She maintains that the good times are more than the hard ones, and love isn’t really what people say it is. Khanyi takes this information as a weapon she’ll one day use against Annie. As the night comes to an end, Diamond Platnumz performs a song dubbed “African Queen”. He dedicates it to Nadia. While he’s performing, we see Annie loosening up. She’s loving her time on the dance floor. After his performance, Diamond and Nadia step aside. He can tell she’s interested. Unknown to him, Nadia is eyeing Diamond’s diamonds.South Africa
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