The Kwaito pioneers of the 1990s built the base that South Africa’s amapiano and hip hop stars still use, according to a feature published by Bona magazine.
The report said Kwaito grew in the townships after 1994. Its early leaders included Arthur Mafokate, Mdu Masilela, TKZee, Boom Shaka and the Kalawa Jazmee circle linked to Oskido.
According to Bona, these artists took international house music and slowed it down. They mixed it with local mbaqanga, kwela and street slang to create a sound of their own.
The magazine said Kwaito usually ran at a relaxed tempo of 95 to 110 beats per minute. It used heavy basslines, long intros and open grooves. Bona said these features shaped the way amapiano songs are built.
The report said researchers at the University of the Witwatersrand and the University of KwaZulu-Natal see amapiano as part of a long line of Black township dance music. In their view, as reported by Bona, it did not appear out of nowhere.
Bona said Mdu Masilela made heavy synth sounds and keyboard melodies popular over slow house beats. It said amapiano producers still rely on that style of production.
The magazine also pointed to call and response chants and long instrumental breaks. It said songs that use these ideas are drawing on what Kwaito artists did about 30 years earlier.
Language was another part of the story. Bona said Kwaito showed that township languages could lead mainstream pop culture. These included isicamtho, tsotsitaal, isiZulu, Sesotho and township Afrikaans.
The report named TKZee as an example. The group was made up of Tokollo Tshabalala, Kabelo Mabalane and Zwai Bala. Bona said they mixed classical arrangements with fast, rhythmic vocals, which helped shape Guz music and early local rap.
According to the magazine, media studies lecturers at the University of Cape Town and AFDA link modern SA hip hop to Kwaito. This includes Motswako, which HHP and ProVerb helped start.
It also includes the New Age Kwaito movement. Bona said this wave was driven by Kwesta, Riky Rick, K.O and Cassper Nyovest.
The report said Kwaito proved that South African artists did not need to copy American styles to sell records. Speaking in the rhythms of the township became their biggest strength, the magazine said.
Bona said the genre’s influence can still be seen in street fashion and Pantsula dance. It can also be heard in the swing of local production and in song lyrics.
The magazine said researchers, cultural commentators and artists agree that the country’s music export economy would look very different without Kwaito’s early leaders.
Source: this article is based on reporting by Bona. Image: Bona. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Entertainment desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Rirhandzu Baloyi writes about entertainment for Tzaneen Voice. Rirhandzu covers South African music, film, TV, streaming, awards and celebrity news, from amapiano and local soapies to Showmax and Netflix releases. Stories stick to what happened, who was involved and when fans can watch or listen.