WATCH: DJ Uncle Waffles boldly addresses weight and sexuality rumours

Uncle Waffles has addressed online speculation about her weight loss and past rumours about her sexuality in a candid TikTok video.

“As someone who's experienced a lot of constant criticism about my appearance, I just want to preface this video by saying that the Olympics to tear down my ego are never going to work because I'm not living to please you."

"My appearance is not to please you. It's to be comfortable with myself. All the things that I'm doing are for me.”

Waffles explained why she referenced the “Olympics”. 

“I say Olympics because it seems like it’s more of a sport for a lot of people. It started off with people saying I was trans. The trans conversation started based on a Facebook post that someone made about me and Uncle Vinny, saying that I was Uncle Vinny's brother and I was jealous, so I decided to transition for more attention.” 

She said she initially addressed the rumours to protect the queer people around her. 

“A lot of people who are queer who are around me were receiving a lot of hate. I did not want that to fester and create an environment where people feel like they can comfortably say that about people around me. That's why I addressed it the first time."

"The second time, it happened again, and people were expecting me to release a statement about not having a penis. I don’t have a penis. If you take what people say on Facebook as the bible, I don’t want to reason with you. You’re not someone I can have a conversation with.”

She reflected on the absurdity of those rumours. 

“During that era, people were saying I should show them my vagina to prove that I’m a woman. Who are you to expect me to explain myself, especially about my anatomy?”

Waffles then turned to the discussion about her weight. 

“People are talking about my weight, and I’m going to be blunt. Many people experience travel leisurely. They assume that travelling for a living is easy and comfortable. They ask, ‘Why are you not perfect?’ I explained this once: we travel every three days, continent to continent.

"I can get to London, perform at midnight, catch a 5am flight, travel 12 hours, land two hours before a gig, get ready, play and leave. People assume you can still get eight hours of sleep, drink all your water, eat perfectly and look perfect for them. It’s a standard applied mostly to women, and it’s a strange expectation.

“I’m in a place where I’m comfortable with my weight and myself. Even when people called me fat last year and suggested I get a BBL, I was okay with myself. Now, some people say I’ve lost too much weight.

"You don’t know me. You don’t know my goals. Your encounter with me is parasocial. You haven’t lost or gained anything; that’s not your experience.”

She emphasised the personal nature of her choices. 

“There are many reasons people gain or lose weight. Why do you feel the need to talk about it? I put myself out there knowing criticism comes with it. But what I do is for me, for my comfort, and that is it.”

Waffles highlighted the broader issue of body-shaming female artists. 

“I see people try to bring down female artists’ achievements simply because of how their bodies look. That’s frightening. African women are breaking barriers, being iconic, pushing through and becoming multi-millionaires."

"Yet some people want to reduce that to their weight because it doesn’t fit their idea. It’s tiring. What I do with my body is for me. If I hit the gym, that’s my choice. It doesn’t mean anyone has the right to say whatever they want.”

She stressed the importance of personal boundaries and experience. 

“I don’t build environments for hate to fester. It’s unfortunate that I’m 25 now, and people have been scrutinising me since I was 21, growing up and learning from experiences you can never fully teach.

"Now, four years in, I’m finding better patterns for myself, and those include sacrifices. So please shut the f*** up.” 

Despite the distractions, Waffles remains busy with music.

She recently released her EP, “Mix It Up Vol. 4”, which blends sounds from Nigeria, London and Mzansi. The Swazi-born superstar is the executive producer, in partnership with Nandos and Bridges For Music.

The project features Nigerian singer Fave, UK rapper Ghetts, North London’s rising star Chy Cartier and South African producers Beats Slide, Royal MusiQ, TK Creedlion, Makhanj and Sbuda Maleather.

Earlier this year, she made history as the first female artist on the cover of “Rolling Stone Africa”.