South African DJ and music producer DBN Gogo, born Mandisa Radebe, is celebrating a major career milestone after landing the cover of Forbes Africa for its Over 30 Under 50 issue.
The exciting news first broke in February 2026, leaving the 32-year-old star feeling proud and grateful for how far she has come. Taking to social media, she shared her excitement about the achievement and reflected on her journey from simply being behind the DJ decks to building a full business empire.
“What started behind the decks grew into a business. A label. A team. A vision bigger than me.
Honoured to be selected as one of the 2026 cover stars for the Over 30 Under 50 list by @forbesafrica @forbeswomanafrica
I’m truly excited to share more about what l’ve been building, not just as a DJ, but as a businesswoman. This journey has been about risk, resilience and ownership.
The music is the passion. The business is the legacy. Get your copy. MAMA IS ON THE COVER YA’LL.”
Radebe also sat down with the #Over30Under50 curator @chanel.red12 to speak about the early days of her career and the defining moments that shaped her success. Her story is one of grit, growth and betting on herself.
During her interview, she spoke honestly about the ups and downs of working in the entertainment industry. She said, “Entertainment is such a finicky space. One day you’re it and the next day you’re not. To be able to still be doing so many years later is really crazy to me. “
She also shared how she first got into DJing. She explained that before becoming a DJ, she worked as a promoter for venues.
“I used to promote for venues. I would get people to come obviously and give them drink specials. And then I became friends with all the DJs. I was like, you know what, I really feel like this is something I can do. And then I asked them to teach to me. It took some time as I had random lessons here and there. Until I took it properly in 2017. DJ Venom gave me three or four lessons. And then I played at my first gig at Tshwanefontein in Pretoria. I mean I played at 12, there was no one there. But it really was the building blocks, I basically learnt how to DJ while doing it as a job. They used to pay me R200. It’s been quite a journey.”
From playing to an empty crowd at midnight to gracing the cover of Forbes Africa, DBN Gogo’s journey proves that success takes patience, courage and belief in your vision.
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