Get to Know Golden Uncle, the Multihyphenate Rising Above All Odds
The story of Golden Uncle, born Tevin William, follows the script of the traditional underdog, the familiar trope of being born behind the eight ball and rising to overcome the odds. Raised in destitution, living in pain, and inspired by the unbreakable spirit of his mother, the conditions moulded Golden Uncle as he slowly found his way into DJing, content creation, and modelling, amongst other things. A noteworthy talent of many, William’s will to make the most of himself was steered by the sheer intention of writing a different ending to his story.
“I come from a very poor background, and I was raised by a single mother. So, growing up wasn’t easy and going to school without lunch and only a water bottle at times wasn’t easy. My mother supported me single-handedly while also supporting the rest of the family because she was the type of person to put everybody else’s needs before her own. But she always showed up for us and even went into debt just so we could go to school,” he said.
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William opened up about a tragedy that befell him in his high school years, which threatened to derail his future, an event he used as a springboard to pursue his dreams.
“Just as things started getting better in high school, with my mother successfully paying off her debts, I was sexually assaulted in 2022, and I ended up in a mental institution for depression and anxiety. I got out eventually and went straight into trying out deejaying because music has always been my passion. So I moved to Johannesburg in 2023, hoping I would succeed in the industry, and I stayed with my cousin at the time since I was unemployed because I had dropped out of school. So it was a risk more than anything. When I got there, I quickly realised that it’s about who you know in the city when it comes to the fast life. Because when I arrived, I tried hard and exhausted all my options. I went to every bar, offered to play for an hour or for free—I pushed every single day. Unfortunately, no one believed in me,” he said.
However, it was his mother who was the lone beacon of belief in his vision, who had it in mind to support him anyway she knew how, even though things didn’t go as planned.
“Behind Golden Uncle, there is a lot of trauma. There’s a lot of anger and healing that need to happen. My mother, after retiring, got a lump sum which she intended to invest in me and my vision of being a DJ. But then her sister wanted to borrow some of it to fix her car, and unfortunately, she never got her money back, which made her break down mentally. Before Golden Uncle, before the name even became something, it was very cut-throat,” he said.
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More tragedy struck for William when his world was rocked by unforeseen circumstances that forced him to retreat back home. However, even with the setback, the dream was far from dead. Armed with determination and a rejuvenation that came from his relationship with Jesus Christ, Golden Uncle was back at it.
“In 2024, my cousin, with whom I was staying, lost his job. We were put out on the street, and we had to sleep outside. Luckily, we were attending a church at the time, and one of the pastors reached out and offered us a place to stay. I decided to go back to East London, back home, set on forgetting about this whole DJing thing because I felt disappointed and I felt like a failure. But ever since I started attending church and growing my faith in Jesus Christ, I have been feeling a lot more motivated to go after my dreams.
“I went to learn how to DJ, and I have certificates for everything, but even with the papers, I still met resistance whenever I approached places with my services. It was always a thing of being turned away because they had no space for me since they already had resident players on their rosters. So I decided to host an event where I debuted as a DJ—the event was on the 30th of May 2026. It blew up so crazily. The thing about it was that I had only invited family and I was gonna play for them and then have that be my debut,” he said.
The event would eventually be known as the Golden Sessions.
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What was meant to be a family-exclusive event – with only 50 invites doled out for the occasion and only meant to last for a single night – blew up into a full-blown launch that not even Golden Uncle had anticipated. From word of mouth to shares on social media, the event caught fire and saw Golden Uncle even DJing alongside TikToker and DJ Jessica Mashaba. The growth saw his sister found a company to manage him, building the name and strengthening the foothold of the burgeoning brand.
“I was born a creator, I’d say. I wanted to be an entertainer, to be in the music industry. I wanted to do modelling. I wanted to be in fashion. I might even sound like I have ADHD because of how many different things I want to do all at once. Yet, I still managed to juggle things well. Out of all of them, though, I’d say my favourite is modelling, followed by music,” he said.
Tevin spoke about his proudest moment with the Golden Sessions.
“Playing back-to-back as a duo with Jessica Mashaba, I would definitely say, has been my proudest moment because she’s someone I look up to. I follow her on the socials, and she inspires me,” he said.
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Golden Uncle talked about how his relationship with God has helped him in carrying the load and the pressures of the brand.
“I almost got addicted to Xanax because everything was just getting a little too much to handle. They used to calm me and help me juggle everything all at once. I feel like church, and my relationship with God has helped me in being able to handle things, and nothing has been overwhelming me lately, and that’s a good thing because my career has taken off. I’ve been deejaying on and off, but now there’s consistency, and that’s what I need, and I’m okay with the sleepless nights that come with chasing the dream,” he said.