South African Grammy-winning DJ Black Coffee has secured a legal victory against Maserati South Africa after a dispute over a customised luxury vehicle that was never delivered.
The Johannesburg High Court ordered Maserati to pay R7 million to Soulistic Music, the company owned by the internationally acclaimed DJ, whose real name is Nkosinathi Maphumulo.
The luxury car company was also directed to pay interest of 10.5 per cent annually on the amount from August 22, 2025, until the debt is fully settled, in addition to the legal costs incurred during the case.
According to reports by TimesLIVE, the judgment was delivered by acting judge Sanet van Aswegen. The court order did not reportedly provide detailed reasons for granting summary judgment in favour of Black Coffee’s company.
The dispute dates back to Black Coffee’s decision to replace a Maserati MC20 Coupe he had purchased in 2022 for R7 million.
He subsequently chose a customised Maserati MC20 Cielo, reportedly valued at R9 million. Under the proposed arrangement, Maserati would take his existing vehicle as a R7 million trade-in, while he would pay an additional R2 million once the new car arrived.
Black Coffee’s company maintained that the agreement was reached through a combination of written communication and verbal discussions, with delivery expected by July 2025.
However, in June 2025, the dealership reportedly informed him that production of the customised vehicle would not begin until August and did not provide a definite delivery date.
Black Coffee subsequently cancelled the transaction and requested that the R7 million trade-in value be returned.
The MC20 Cielo ordered by the DJ was heavily customised. His specifications reportedly included a Blu Infinito exterior, glossy black diamond-cut wheels, leather and Alcantara interior, customised stitching and specially selected colours for several interior and exterior components.
He also selected a 12-speaker Sonus Faber sound system, among other features.
Maserati challenged Black Coffee’s position, arguing that the expected July 2025 delivery date had not been agreed upon.
The company also claimed that some of the additional specifications selected by the DJ were not part of the initial quotation and required confirmation from him and approval from its head office before production could commence.
Maserati reportedly told the court that a customised MC20 Cielo requires at least nine months to manufacture once all specifications have been finalised.
The company further argued that the R7 million trade-in valuation was linked to the completion of the purchase of the replacement vehicle and disputed the claim that it had breached the agreement.
Despite Maserati’s arguments, the High Court granted summary judgment to Soulistic Music and ordered the company to return the R7 million, together with interest and legal costs.
The available court order reportedly does not contain detailed reasons for the decision, meaning the ruling should not be interpreted as a finding that Maserati acted fraudulently or intentionally deceived Black Coffee.
Black Coffee, who won the Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Album in 2022 for Subconsciously, has established himself as one of Africa’s most internationally recognised DJs and producers.
His career has included collaborations and performances involving global stars such as Drake, David Guetta, Pharrell Williams and Usher.
The court dispute also reportedly involved claims that Maserati’s factory had made a special production exception because of Black Coffee’s international profile. However, the arrangement ultimately broke down over the vehicle’s production and delivery timeline.
