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Samantha Ferre
Amapiano, a Nguni word loosely translated to "the pianos", is a south african subgenre of house music that emerged in South Africa in the mid-2010s. It is a hybrid of deep house, jazz, and lounge music characterized by synths and wide percussive basslines.
There is ambiguity and debate concerning its origins, with various accounts of the musical styles in the Johannesburg townships. Because it has a small similarities with Bacardi,[1] some people assert the genre began in Pretoria but it remains uncertain.[2][3][4] Various accounts as to who formed the popular genre make it impossible to accurately pinpoint its origins.[5]
The word amapiano is a IsiZulu or IsiXhosa, or dipiano is a word loosely translated to "the pianos",[6]The genre is mostly sang in Zulu and Xhosa, Sotho, Setswana, Xitsonga, one of South Africa's native tongues.
Amapiano music has always been dominated mainly by men. Social media users in South Africa are constantly fighting to change the narratives about how they helped the country advance.[19] In October 2023, the Amapiano song "Water" by South African singer Tyla gained international prominence following a viral Bacardi dance challenge on social media.[20] It became the first song by a South African soloist to enter the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 55 years,[21] and was a top 10 hit in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, the Netherlands, Sweden and New Zealand, where it reached number one.[22]
The genre's popularity has created a proliferation internationally, where producers attempt to replicate or fuse the sound with other genres for their next hit.Examples of such is Nigerian artist Davido's "Champion Sound" with South African artist Focalistic. This track was a major hit that led to the surge of Nigerian artists attempting to use the south African sound. The track "Monalisa" by Lojay featuring Chris Brown contains the signature "log drum", also known as the slit drum and other amapiano percussive elements.[23]
The "Top 50 - Nigeria" Spotify chart contains a plethora of amapiano-inspired songs. Some of the songs are explicitly titled amapiano, such as "Amapiano" by Asake featuring Olamide.[24] This has led to a misconception in the United States that amapiano originates from Nigeria. This can be seen in a recent tweet by American artist Swae Lee, where he tweeted the Nigerian flag, alongside the words "Wait till y'all hear Swae Lee on Amapiano".[25]
One of the key elements of amapiano is its use of piano melodies that are often played live, with a focus on improvisation and experimentation. This makes each performance unique and different, and it is not uncommon for DJs to incorporate other musical elements like drums, saxophones, and basslines into their sets.
Some of the most popular amapiano artists include Kabza De Small, DJ Maphorisa, MFR Souls, Focalistic, and Lady Du, among others. Kabza De Small and DJ Maphorisa, who often collaborate on tracks, are widely considered to be the pioneers of the genre and have been instrumental in its rise to fame.
Kabza De Small is widely regarded as one of the first popular amapiano artists and a pioneer of the genre. He began his music career in 2009 as a DJ, and eventually transitioned to producing amapiano in the early 2010s. As for where he first performed, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact location or event.
Amapiano is a unique and distinctive genre of house music that has gained popularity in South Africa and beyond. Its early emphasis on piano melodies has evolved but its slower rhythms, and heavy bass grooves combined with its fusion of different musical elements, has made it a favorite in clubs and music festivals around the world. With artists like Kabza De Small, DJ Maphorisa, MFR Souls, Focalistic, and Lady Du leading the charge, the future looks bright for the amapiano scene.
Local artists in African countries' use of computer technology to produce work is inevitable. The effect of popular commercial music on traditional musicians increases the genuine possibility of further extinction of local music, particularly in regional areas. The importance of preserving this music is underacknowledged as, like language, music is an essential form of communication and part of a person's identity. New developments can cast shadows over everyday music during modernisation, and young people seek new sounds. For others, especially those who have witnessed the slow disappearance of cultural practices unique to regions, the loss and damage are akin to whitewashing and theft. In many parts of the world, scholars and locals are scrambling to preserve music and transmit accurate cultural heritage accounts for future generations. Amapiano music, like so much music of the Nigerian diaspora, owes its traditional heritage to the ancient roots of the Igbo people of Nigeria. Through the psychoacoustic approach of mathematical music theory of the Ski-hill graph (Cohn, 2020), it is now possible to produce accurate, inclusive, and ethical representations of Amapiano and traditional Igbo music.
Though in South Africa, like the rest of the African diaspora, West African Afrobeats has reigned musically for years, the nation has a rich history of house music that other African artists, including Afrobeats stars, are newly tapping into.
Amapiano feels like the fastest growing genre in music right now, it is fairly simple to create and to replicate, which can yield many formulaic tracks. However, that leaves lots of room for creativity and fosters mutations of the sound.
The bigger amapiano music tracks will tend to be brighter and less gritty. Jola (ft. Sino Msolo & Da Muziqal Chef) by De Mthuda has been huge in South Africa and is really representative of this. Amapiano was incubated in South African kitchens during the pandemic and this has meant amapiano has become the music that people listen to all day long.
Kamogelo Phetla, or Vigro Deep, was born and raised in a township located to the west of Pretoria named Atteridgeville. Before jumping into the world of music, the 20-year-old was a dancer. Although his father was a DJ himself in a group known as the Godfathers (specializing in deep house and deep nostalgia), his father wanted a different life for Phetla.
The geniuses and generational talents that are Kabza De Small and DJ Maphorisa made a bold statement by revamping their 2019 cult classic Nana Thula," pairing it with new instrumentation and additional verses from Young Stunna and Nkosazana Daughter. The song has been given a new lease on life and made to fit the current soundscape of amapiano.
To begin our exploration into Amapiano music, we must start with the foundation. As with most genres, one of the main defining features of Amapiano is the drums. The tempos, drum sounds, and patterns that make Amapiano music are vital to understanding how to program and create this style of music.
The log drum may be the quintessential defining element of Amapiano music. While based on a real instrument, in Amapiano, the log drum is a hybrid tone somewhere between a kick drum, 808, synth bass, and actual log drum percussion. The log drum creates the bass lines and momentum for the songs. While there can be other bass lines, the log drum is essentially the 808 of Amapiano. You can use it as a rhythmic and harmonic accent to the drum pattern.
PC: As I always say, music heals. And amapiano is part of that healing phase. I love it so much because I get to explore boundaries creatively. The genre allows people from different backgrounds to come together and connect artistically.
PC: Amapiano is here to stay. There is still so much to explore. The music is a never-ending artistry. Amapiano will continue to bring people together because of their love for dance. The genre will continue to grow, breaking many barriers within the musical industry and introducing us to many more talented people out there!
Today, the most exciting celebrities to be found in the South African music scene come from amapiano. Focalistic, DBN Gogo, Pabi Cooper, Reece Madlisa, Zuma, Daliwonga, Lady Du, Nkosazana Daughter, Sir Trill and many more new heavy hitters all drink from the fount of amapiano.
On the international front, amapiano stars are beginning to gain greater exposure from frequent festival appearances across Europe and Africa. London is fast becoming an amapiano hot spot with excursions led by the likes of Major League DJz, TxC, Pabi Cooper, DBN Gogo, Focalistic, Maphorisa, Boohle and others going on extended jaunts overseas. TikTok dance challenges by eye-catching influencers and ordinary users alike flood social media, creating constant viral sensations.
These diverse exploits and activities foreground a much-needed independent mindset because amapiano still lives in a space somewhere between underground and mainstream. From production to promotion, there is a can-do, do-it-yourself attitude among amapiano artists that promises to shift paradigms of how music is both appreciated and consumed. It also reflects how the most interesting developments in music such as jazz, punk, grunge, hip-hop and now amapiano, invariably emerge from underground scenes.
TikTok and other social media platforms are upsetting and redefining the meaning and nature of hierarchies and democracy in music. Artists now possess digital technology within their reach to create viral frenzies and remain independent.
Sometimes it is easy to think that amapiano is evolving much too fast for its own good. Already, the corporates are no doubt lurking over its fresh offerings, dreaming up ways to exploit the amapiano craze. After all, other youth music movements like hip-hop in the US and K-pop in South Korea have become ultra-commercialised.
Amapiano is a style of house music that originated in South Africa in the early 2010s. The sound is a mix of deep house, jazz and African influences, and is characterised by its use of organic instruments and piano melodies.
In this Op-Ed, Matuba Mahlatjie explores the cultural significance and unintended political implications of the amapiano music genre in South Africa. He also expands his thoughts on the profound impact amapiano has had on our cultural landscape, developing into a symbol of social cohesion, uniting people from diverse backgrounds while showcasing the talent and creativity of South African youth on the world stage.