Thread for the AmaPiano awesomeness that is “Baby Are You Coming?” by Zero12finest feat. ThaMagnificent2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SldyCVP02VM

A track that stirs this amount of passion in people and gets them heated in all kinds of ways deserves its own thread.

Some testimonials:

This one is a bop!
― breastcrawl, maandag 10 juni 2019 18:34

"Baby Are You Coming" on a loop. dope track.
― blue light or electric light (the table is the table), maandag 10 juni 2019 23:46

Baby are you coming is definitely a jam.
― human and working on getting beer (longneck), dinsdag 11 juni 2019 22:08

i think i've played it about twenty or thirty times since yesterday.
― blue light or electric light (the table is the table), dinsdag 11 juni 2019 22:12

I just listened to and loved "Baby, Are You Coming”
― rob, zaterdag 15 juni 2019 15:27

wow "baby are you coming" is MONUMENTAL.
― Li'l Brexit (Tracer Hand), zondag 30 juni 2019 22:38

I CANNOT STRESS HOW TRUE THIS IS. this is the track of the summer for me, hands-down.
― blue light or electric light (the table is the table), maandag 1 juli 2019 18:02

zero12finest.... BUMPS so hard
― ||||||||, donderdag 18 juli 2019 22:20

mom enters my room
Mom: switch that off
Me: Why?
Mom*angry*: WE GOT BETTER SPEAKERS IN THE SITTING ROOM!!
Vilho Gottlieb . 2 months ago

But is it really the Song of this Summer? Or is it actually winter in South Africa right now? You tell me!

I still don't think I get what AmaPiano is, but this song is superb

this is fun to run to

it has this ineffable (yes) mix of gentle, swirly psychedelia and menace that is like catnip to me.

however to answer the song's question uh no, not if you're going to take my girl and make her yours wtf

to rob:
Not sure if this will help you “get” AmaPiano, but I like this medley of performances of three big AP hits, which includes “Baby Are You Coming?”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmyL11KwR-I

this is dance music, or pop music?

generally I'm into dance not pop but found this very enjoyable

I don't really listen to this kind of music but reminds me of "township funk" with a vocal hook instead of a synth lead

AmaPiano is just the most recent mutation of South African house music to go mainstream, more or less replacing gqom, which originated in the club scene as well. The vocal hooks are part of that process, in a chicken and egg kind of way. This what chart pop sounds like right now in South Africa.

Also like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toIO2FnusE0

KayGee DaKing & Bizizi ft. Killer Kau • Kokota

And like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEM4AlFg8YY

DeMthuda ft. Njelic • Shesha

thx for the low down!! somewhat predictably and boringly I generally prefer the more stripped-back stuff

that medley video was cool, thanks breastcrawl. I think the reason I don't "get" amapiano is that I realized early on I didn't dig gqom that much, which means now I have less of a feel for how amapiano is displacing it. tbc, I def hear how different amapiano is from gqom--maybe it's more that I don't get why amapiano wouldn't just be called (south african) house? not that it matters much tbh

What I like abt this song is there’s actually a pretty wide spread of emotions & tonal choices throughout but it’s very stripped down, so really small bore changes are doing the work of shifting the songs affect

Like it figures out how to make big emotions via reduction rather than amplification or complexity

To hear it is to love it.

That will be for my own baby as whenever I tell her I'm coming, she comes back with: are you really coming ?

it's been a joke in our house too

https://www.musicinafrica.net/magazine/top-amapiano-songs-2019
Nice write-up this. As “Top amapiano songs of 2019” it’s a bit random, good as the tracks are. Some big hits there, but no “Baby Are You Coming?” or “Shesha”, no glory. But it gives some wider context for the style, which I found useful.

like Rob, I'm not sure I can get as enthusiastic about this track and the amapiano stuff in general as others are. it's interesting that something this dark and minimalist is mainstream

I like this one from that list. Dark and minimalist, check!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WH-X82dL0t4
El Maestro ft. TP • Bum Bum

Baby are you still coming?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zf09g53-nUA
DJ Sumbody ft. Londie London & Leehleza • Suk’emabhozeni

(from Sumbody’s fantastic album Ashi Nthwela)

niiiiiiiiice

That song is lots of fun

Definitely try the album, I’ve been listening to it all afternoon.

This track does things to the “Don’t Look Any Further” bassline, and lots of other stuff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GcOSnRHmgU
Jusca x Plee • Empa Nna

This one is great too, and has the added bonus of an actual video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83zlbCKktzI
Jusca x Plee • Piano

And yes, this whole album too rocks. Pencil and/or Zing Master are involved.

how did i miss this track it's like the deep house jam of the year?? would sound great next to a mr fingers track

which one, maps?

"baby are you coming?"

Ah I see, thought you were talking about the new posts! Yes, “Baby” is still the jam.

sorry ha i'll take a listen

there's like half a dozen south african tracks that could have had the dedicated thread treatment, what an overwhelming bounty this year and I've probably only clocked like a third of what's been posted to ilm let alone exist in the world

i found a kind of incredible site.. with mp3 downloads??

https://somculo.com/download-mp3/life-ya-bora-amapiano/

slightly rephrased that to suit my own situation:

there's like half a dozen south african tracks or albums a month that I feel like giving the dedicated thread treatment, what an overwhelming bounty this year and I've probably only clocked like a tenth (I wish!) of what exists out there

xp

Nice 25-minute documentary about Amapiano. The Zero12finest crew have a small cameo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B9frOKUwz0

Cassper Nyovest is doing amapiano with Kabza De Small now. The track is called Phoyisa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCPBNXVWxjs

there's a track about an uber or something that's been in my head all week

If it’s this one you can vote🔶 for it, Nabozo nominated it:

https://www.youtube.con/watch?v=cTy8YTWtJqM
Semi Tee ft. Miami & Kammu Dee • Labantwana Ama Uber

(there are more Uber-mentioning amapiano tracks, but this is the big one)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTy8YTWtJqM

wtf autocorrect? it’s Miano, not “Miami”

bingo

youtube.con

That's the stuff

Very early amapiano track (from 2017) - with an awesome video! Loving the queerness:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ze7IGN3_xKA

De Mogul SA ft. Ms Mo & Makhensa • Oe Batla Kae

Also, don’t forget to vote🔸 for “Baby Are You Coming?”

(or any of the other of the nominated amapiano bangers - check out this playlist if you like:
ILM 2019 EOY🇿🇦SOUTH AFRICA)

Some hardcore spaced out amapiano by one of the masters:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb8ugKuqg_8

Vigro Deep ft. Sdala The Vocalist • International

(from Vigro's album Baby Boi III)

"baby are you coming?" should have been a 1-2 b2b with balloon

it is in my house

Banger from the brand new De Mogul SA album Lessons:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTebRM0Ru1k
De Mogul SA ft. Mdee Mshangane • Na Ku Randza

Aw Emcimbini, kulapho ongthola khona
(Emcimbini kulapho ongthola khona)
Aw Emcimbini, kulapho ongthola khona
(Emcimbini kulapho ongthola khona)

loooooooool

Piano! Piano!
https://i.imgur.com/PsoplB2.jpg

been listening to a bunch of the "amapiano grooves" playlist on spotify - very good. and it all seems to run together pretty seamlessly

||||||||, you posting this right here right now is definitely proof of something, I just don’t know of what. (if this comes across as cryptic may I redirect you to the Sun-El thread just above or below this one on SNA)

Aw Emcimbini, kulapho ongthola khona
(Emcimbini kulapho ongthola khona)
Aw Emcimbini, kulapho ongthola khona
(Emcimbini kulapho ongthola khona)

/Piano! Piano!/
🖼

Pi-ano! It’s a celebration:

🎹🎹PİANO! PİANO!🎹🎹 - a song appreciation thread for “eMcimbini” by Kabza De Small & DJ Maphorisa ft. Aymos, Samthing Soweto, Mas Musiq & Myztro

Oh yeah!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FPM5DX0fNs

Soweto's Finest ft. KayGee Da King & Bizizi • Tikoloshi

Also noticed some YouTube links upthread gave up the ghost, so let's repost:

KayGee DaKing & Bizizi ft. Killer Kau • Kokota

DJ Sumbody ft. Londie London & Leehleza • Suk'emabhozeni

always appreciate your textual thoroughness breastcrawl, it allows for late follow-up

And highly spiritual amapiano goes where?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx21fYB5Ha4
Mhaw Keys ft. Vigro Deep • Mwari

(and thanks, forks!)

Tikoloshi is a banger.

hahaha the comments on the OP are amazing

"I was listening to this so loud
My neighbor called the cops
They arrested him"

Mom: switch that off
Me: Why?
Mom*angry*: WE GOT BETTER SPEAKERS IN THE SITTING ROOM!!

Made a pseudo-pan-African-pop/not-pop playlist for the rolling afro 2020 thread and all Afro-adjacent threads, generously defined. It’s already 105 (update: 106) tracks deep, so enjoy!

ILM rolling ✳️all-inclusive✳️ afro 2020

Other relevant South African threads:

THE HOUSE OF SUN-EL: Sun-El Musician, Simmy, Mlindo The Vocalist, and other related artists

🎹🎹PİANO! PİANO!🎹🎹 - a song appreciation thread for ”eMcimbini” by Kabza De Small & DJ Maphorisa ft. Aymos, Samthing Soweto, Mas Musiq & Myztro

Gqompetition time: two songs, two videos - QDOT vs SHADO M

Jobe London & Mphow69 - Sukendleleni (feat. Kamo Manje)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3OTClCxDyk

Who's behind the song 'Life Ya Bora' ? Just ridic

https://somculo.com/download-mp3/life-ya-bora-amapiano/

That's actually "Empa Nna" by Jusca x Plee ft. Zing Master & Mabozza. I posted it upthread, back in December. That whole Jusca x Plee album is great.

ahhhhh!!

So it is!!!

Empa nna is excellent.

wow "Mwari" is really wild! I love how much of this stuff still sounds as raw as something like Township Funk

The whole Mhaw Keys EP (The Outcast)
is awesome, deeeep amapiano house.

Kabza is on the only non-piano track, which I will post on the Sun-El thread.

“Ngena Nyoro” and “Umamakhe” are some of the other highlights.

For all fans of "Labantwana Ama Uber" and/or "Lorch":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wy0cfA23iQ
Semi Tee ft. Ma Lemon • Lemonade

and/or

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZHNrwUxP1k
Semi Tee ft. Miano, Kammu Dee & Ora Dee • Gabadiya

"Gabadiya" in particular is **dense** and there are some percussive things going on in both of these that seem new in amapiano.

*dense* is the word. I have not quite warmed to these yet but I believe I'm on my way.

Flavours of Amapiano:

The organ-infused original, with an exciting helping of drum distortion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMDg3aMTz7g
JohnBravo ft. Caltonic SA • Thuma Mina (Freestyle)

Would you like some violin with that piano? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DDe8RMG0mk
Mr JazziQ x JazziDisciples ft. Vigro Deep & Rams De Violinist • Blue Skies

Indian, with Niniola as a bonus ingredient:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqO5x_P1XIg
Shuffle Muzik ft. Niniola, Master KG & Mr Brown • Putirika

(from Shuffle Muzik’s groooooovy Stimela album – also check “Putirika (Revisit)”)

Btw, this means last year’s club hit “Tanqueray” (with cheesy sax flavour) is now finally available on Spotify (and I guess other streaming platforms):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdlKlnf5GNI
Shuffle Muzik ft. MasterPiece, SnowDeep, Zero12Finest & JaySax • Tanqueray

Blending a timeless SA house vocal with amapiano:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxPu95Vnc20
ThackzinDJ ft. Boohle & Teejay • Izwelonke

More of that Thackzin fusion flavour:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XntkbENJu9M
Daliwonga ft. ThackzinDJ & Shaun101 • Ebusuku

Chef’s kiss:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBGfCZfogjc
#Chelete • Ama CV

So many great amapiano albums coming out as well. The Shuffle Muzik mentioned above especially is sounding like an early lock for the EOY, along with the Scorpion Kings Live and the Mhaw Keys “EP”, but there’s lots of good stuff on ThackzinDJ’s Ingqumbo Yeminyanya (The Wrath of the Ancestors) EP and Mr JazziQ x JazziDisciples’s 0303 album as well.

"Mdzango" with TallArseTee and "No. 9" with the equally charmingly named Hip-naughtic Sean are other favs on 0303.

As others have mentioned, the AmaPiano Grooves playlist on Spotify is a good way to keep up with this stuff. I came across both “Ama CV” and “Thuma Mina (Freestyle)” there. (The latter has now unfortunately been removed from Spotify however.)

sorry for piano rocking

It is welcome!

was beginning to think corona killed the piano thread

nah, just hard to get hyped about fun dance music right now i think

if you feel that way, the Mhaw Keys EP might surprise you - “fun” is not the operative word there.

having a go at it

Still amazed by Tikoloshi. So raw.

did Mhaw Keys fit your mood, forks?

(btw, best to skip the first two tracks the first time around, they have a different vibe than the core tracks)

Reposting this broken YouTube link:

Vigro Deep ft. Sdala The Vocalist • International

JohnBravo & Caltonic SA’s “Thuma Mina (Freestyle)” is back up on Spotify btw.

Video for Semi Tee’s “Gabadiya” (as posted by Nabozo on the Rolling Afro thread):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-zuBeqNrwY

More Semi Tee & friends content:

First official video for a Scorpion Kings hit track is for "Lorch" (the “Koko” vid was more of a mission statement, and “Nana Thula” was from the Piano Hub album). It’s a criminally short edit tho:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfuEP0fDrvY
Kabza De Small & DJ Maphorisa ft. Semi Tee, Miano & Kammu Dee • Lorch

(btw, I didn’t know that a) Maphorisa is rapping on this and b) the song is about https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thembinkosi_Lorch)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-9AF-IxG98

the "Gabadiya" video was removed for some reason, now it's back up.

Love this track (it’s the closing track again) from Future Majesties & Bafo’s Ubuzukuzuku (The Struggle) album:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B61JYzqq1YE
Future Majesties & Bafo • S’bonga Abazali

(Other good tracks: “S’yeza” and “Ungam’bambi”)

Amapiano wedding invasion:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2L6OiMMeNM

catching up on this thread and i love "gabadiya"

those two shuffle muzik tracks rule too, will have to listen to the album soon.

In the Lorch/Phoyisa continuum >>> sounds like a hit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ProUQmyGaM
Tyler ICU ft. Focalistic, Masterpiece, DJ Maphorisa & Kabza De Small • Kwarentin

“Take me back to December, 2019 / I even miss the bouncer”

^absolute anthem, might adopt that spelling tbrr

yup, banger

As first heard in Kabza & Porry’s first Quarantine Party mix:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9MqkxR9D08
Mfr Souls ft. Kwesta & GP Ma Orange • Krrrr (Phum’imali)

Another good one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHH9wTGb08I
Semi Tee ft. Focalistic • Mercedes

Riding the piano train:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rqf7pdWUtI
DJ Big Sky ft. Sbhanga & Gaba Cannal • KhushuKhushu

And a double whammy from Kaygee & Bizizi:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ki1jo8BJ3Ik
Kaygee DaKing & Bizizi ft. Team Mosha • December

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDcVEjw9ggM
Kaygee DaKing & Bizizi • Sendi Location

Reminder that these amapiano bangers are part and parcel of ILM’s own rolling✳️all-inclusive✳️afro 2020 playlist

Dense, Dense, Dense (Yebo, Yebo, Yebo):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZcHIODWKZ4
Semi Tee ft. Kammu Dee & Njelic • Stayla

I know I shouldn’t bother because there’s hardly anyone left here anymore, but these are some serious bangers, y”all”.

no, keep it up. stayla was a great addition to my weekend.

I have to admit, I might have hit a bit of a wall with amapiano. I can hear the quality in the last few tracks you posted, but I get a little restless when some of the more familiar elements come in. And of course, there's likely something lost in hearing this stuff sat in front of a laptop with headphones on. I've had that thought before though and then been surprised by something new, so I'm not giving up on it, but I'm finding myself less excited to set aside time to check new tracks

I'm kinda lost in the afro/SA/amapiano threads atm but please tell me someone has already posted the very addictive "Piano Piano" by Alfa Kat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2H1ARs8udo

This is the catchiest jam for me right now – apparently it’s Zimbabwean:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh_amXZNE0I
Xavier ft. Jahbue & Tinah • I Don’t Know

Update: Xavier is apparently an SA-born, Zimbabwe-raised, (in 2016 at least) UK-based comedian (would explain that British bit).
More importantly, he seems to have jacked that “I don’t know but I think I know” hook from the Zimbabwean track “I Donno” by Chakie & DJ Spuzza from earlier this year (here’s some people getting down to it). Still think Xavier’s is the better jam tho.

But I have to give it to Spuzza, the *other* track he dropped this year is an absolute monster:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL9lGCeKtGk
DJ Spuzza ft. Chester Houseprince, Don Kamati, MEGA & Chakie • Soek Soek

(keep forgetting that Afrikaans is somewhat of a lingua franca in Namibia. A lot of these lyrics are easily understood by the Dutch speaker that I am)

And holy wow at this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBtX7kO4b1o
Kabza De Small ft. Wizkid • Need You Tonight

oops wrong thread...

“Corona’s no vibe” but this jam sure is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIRsPS7rV_g
Robot Boii & MFR Souls ft. DJ Visca • SBWL AmaPlans

two new tracks by Njelic (the vocalist on last year's “Shesha” and “Nana Thula”), both featuring MalumNator, De Mthuda & Ntokzin. this is brilliant stuff:

“Tsotsi”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbbM0kuCL1w

“Messiah”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_oxLQJe0bo

Banger:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPE30hvjZuM
Team Delela ft. Aembu, Lemamo & Blaque Juice • Bopedi

(their whole Pediyanos EP is fire)

"Motoro" has a video, for those who like to watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbrir9a0n7I
Team Delela ft. Aembu • Motoro

This is the big piano hit right now tho:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUK5S98r0MQ
Reece Madlisa & Zuma ft. Mr JazziQ & Busta929 • Jazzidisciples (Zlele)

some dance moves to practise at home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7F3WQHRKEU

yesterday I played "baby are you coming" followed by dj mujava "mugwante" in my dj set and a dude ran up on me all excited saying he was from pretoria and I took him right back home

Achievement unlocked!!

Really love jazzidisciples

yesterday I played "baby are you coming" followed by dj mujava "mugwante" in my dj set and a dude ran up on me all excited saying he was from pretoria and I took him right back home

Really love jazzidisciples

― ILX’s bad boy (D-40), maandag 7 september 2020 3:27 bookmarkflaglink

that track is the bomb... for real

Busiswa’s new one is *extremely* groovy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erEV_Yj-Z-0
Busiswa ft. Kamo Mphela • SBWL

Really love jazzidisciples
― ILX’s bad boy (D-40), maandag 7 september 2020 3:27 bookmarkflaglink

that track is the bomb... for real

― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), dinsdag 8 september 2020 13:44 bookmarkflaglink

official video is out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGvAKp3fOqg

...and it's the full 7+ minutes!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3UVw_SZbMs
MFR Souls - Amanikiniki (on a 20 tracks album called... Musical Kings, Amapiano is all about royalty)

...and about long-ass albums!

for more where “Jazzidisciples (Zlele)” came from: the 5-track Ama Roto EP by Reece Madlisa & Zuma with Mr JazziQ is really good...

...and so is TallArseTee (the original amapiano mc)’s Pampiri EP (Tribute to Papers 707), which has 7 tracks, 3 of which are with the above combination, including “Ngwanona”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Br-ah3UIX6o

(I’m mentioning the number of tracks because some of these amapiano projects (even some that are called EPs) can be intimidatingly long - case in point: that MFR Souls album. These two are in the half-hour range. And if you happen to feel amapiano all tends to sound samey: there’s lots of variety here, especially on the TallArseTee)

this banger now has a video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9_da2P5JjQ
Focalistic ft. Vigro Deep • Ke Star

Stumbled upon these two articles while looking for sources
https://mixmag.net/feature/amapiano-south-africa-house-music-movement-gauteng
https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/music/from-south-africa-to-the-world-why-amapiano-could-be-the-next-dance-music-genre-to-rule-the-clubs-1.1065104

Thanks for those! The Mixmag piece in particular is interesting.

Propulsion & Vibes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0YvDXksIw8
DJ Lace ft. Khanye • Izint Ezinhle

Loving all these *different* versions of amapiano:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J91SWcOtx0M
Mr JazziQ ft. Reece Madlisa, Zuma, Mpura, Riky Rick & 9umba • VSOP

sorry, wasn't this the Zero12Finest thread?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaNEExJK-ec
Calvin Fallo ft. Zero12Finest • No Strings Attached

fun TV performance of Busiswa's "SBWL":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01_H7TtNQ2c

Izint Ezinhle is excellent. And yeah definitely something "different" going on...I wonder if I really have any idea what makes amapiano amapiano? Anyway, I got pleasing Tresor-ish vibes from that. I also want to say that I *love* the guitar that comes in at the end, that's how you do it :)

VSOP's amapiano d'ennui is certainly an intriguing move, maybe a little sluggish for repeat listens imo, but very cool to see how much stretch there is in this sound.

yeah, I guess I sh/c/ould have posted "Izint Ezinhle" on the Sun-El thread as sort of adjacent to Blaq Diamond or Samthing's "Omama Bomthandazo", but percussion and bass-wise it is definitely under the influence of amapiano.

I mentioned it somewhere (but not on this thread I don’t think), but KayGee DaKing x Bizizi’s Kokota Piano (Amapiano Vol. 1) is a killer album, one of my favourites of the year. Front to back strong amapiano tracks with a delicious pop crunch.

Of course there’s last year’s massive “Kokota” (see upthread, also for the wedding dance version), and its follow-up “Isabella”, but these two:
Kaygee DaKing & Bizizi ft. Team Mosha • December;
Kaygee DaKing & Bizizi • Sendi Location
were posted here as well, with links that are now broken.

They made a video for “Rambo” (which might actually be the sparsest of the bunch, with not as much of that pop sheen):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJISK2BiHOs

(btw they've since dropped a new project as well, called Double Dragon)

Other broken links that needed replacing:

DeMthuda ft. Njelic • Shesha

De Mogul SA ft. Mdee Mshangane • Na Ku Randza

JohnBravo ft. Caltonic SA • Thuma Mina (Freestyle)

Another very good album I never mentioned on this thread: Semi Tee’s I’m Only Tweentyone (yes, it’s spelled ‘tweentyone’). It’s some dense shit, sonically closer to gqom than most amapiano. Check “Mercedes” and especially “Stayla” upthread.

Weirdly, singles “Gabadiya” and this one (I’m replacing the broken link):
Semi Tee ft. Ma Lemon • Lemonade
are not included on the album.

This other heavy hitter with Ma Lemon is though:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FijCIxLVs1w
Semi Tee ft. Ma Lemon • Vumani

(Everybody needs some) Amapiano relaxation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWo9vo9ZgvA
Kota Embassy ft. Cue • Sugar Mama

(possibly outvibing even DJ Stokie’s “Senorita”)

But maybe you want your amapiano to do more... damage?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q438fxYiar0
Quexdeep • Damage

And, crucially:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKsfRZcPngs
Mapara A Jazz ft. Ntosh Gazi & Colano • John Vuli Gate

Seriously, the John Vuli Gate thing is *blowing up* in SA - it comes with A Challenge:

read about it here...

watch it here...

parodies abound...

Checked up on that Ntosh Gazi guy who's on "John Vula Gate", and this, from last year, is great:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpTCM5n8ZAs
Ntosh Gazi ft. BlackBoyCannon • Tshaba

(it has 25 views, whatever)

this is quite something from Busiswa:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Knx9Vi1MRM
Busiswa ft. Mr JazziQ • Makazi

Between Mr JazziQ and Josiah De Disciple, JazziDisciples are having quite a year with all the stuff they’ve been involved with. Probably my favourite amapiano producers after Kabza (w/wo Maphorisa).

that's great, it's cool to hear how busiswa has adapted to amapiano beats

yeah, her vocal on this is amazing, unlike anything I’ve heard her do before

to be clear: *her vocal on this* is unlike anything I’ve heard her do before, she’s been plenty amazing in the past as well obviously

this is fucking great

oh my god, "Makazi" people! i'm not kidding! don't sleep on this!

that vocal breakdown at 4'25 is e-ve-ry-thing

Loving the aggressive hip hop into Amapiano vibes of Da Les’ Elon Musk, featuring some familiar voices:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJ4eWa7v-Bo

moodypiano:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n60B5bPQfx8
Solid T ft. Mr Madumane • Kom Kyk

does this feature the *real* Madumane (ie Maphorisa's rap alias?) or just someone who sounds quite like him and mentions his name a lot? either way, this is one groovy jam.

As a Dutchie, I’m fascinated by the occasional Afrikaans (loan)words and phrases in the lyrics of Zulu/Xhosa/etc music genres. Here the track title is Afrikaans, it means “Come (have a) look”.

Yeah there's a good number of Afrikaans words that have passed in South African English. Braai. Askies. Buckie. Lekker. Not even getting into the food (Boerewors, Vetkoek). When I was staying there the landlord's 5-year-old daughter would be coming to visit us at the cottage, and her English was full of Afrikaans and it was very fun trying to decipher what she was saying. We'd be asking her "did you have a good slaapie Kara ?", "what did you kyked ?". When we returned last year, she had grown up and her English was perfect (and little Boer accent thank God).
I also still can't get enough that South Africans call a traffic light a "robot". 'Short left after robot'.

I forgot an obvious one: voetsek !

one of the most surprising examples to me is “verstaan(a)” (‘understand’) in the Xhosa lyrics of Tresor & Msaki’s “Sondela” (not amapiano obviously).

about that “verkoek”:

https://static.raru.co.za/cover/2014/04/11/130398-l.jpg?v=1397170800

damn, “vetkoek”

does "askies" just mean "I'm sorry"?

yep, same word as “excuse”, but (I think) instead derived from the Dutch “excuus”

the above confirmed ✅

(in Afrikaans it’s spelled “ekskuus” tho, with “askies” being the colloquial version that’s used in other SA languages as well)

dank je!

Busiswa just dropped a new album, My Side of the Story. The tracklist suggests it's very amapiano-heavy.

it must be the December season!

it's good!

i kinda think Makazi is a competitor for best song of the year

beautypiano:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlG_6eqLCuo
Zain SA • Ina Iyeza

How about some TanzaPiano?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJXB8kqKMOk
Marioo ft. Sho Madjozi & Bontle Smith • Mama Amina

(made with generous help from South Africa obviously)

The Busiswa album is good, much better than the forgettable rush job that was her previous, Summer Life, two years ago - but not as good as Highly Flavoured before it imo. Wish she would have made good on the promise of tracks 1 and 3, where (like on “Makazi”) she uses her voice differently. Her singing voice on “Dololo” in particular is nothing short of spectacular. Quite the mission statement, I thought, but apart from “Bonnie & Clyde” she doesn’t really back it up on the rest of the album. Still, “SBWL” and especially “Makazi” are among the best singles of the year and there’s two strong tracks from the Mas/Kabza/Maphorisa camp.

loving this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdkPvFE2wac

Falz ft. Niniola - Squander

prime naijapiano!

got around to Busiswa's My Side of the Story and i pretty much agree with breastcrawl - it's not quite the tour de force that Highly Flavoured was, but still a welcome return to form after Summer Life was such a disappointment

anywhere you can buy 320s for ama or just amazon/itunes?

7digital is probably your best bet

nice 1, can't find everything but there's a decent amount on there.

I'll be giving a talk and doing an amapiano set tomorrow at the school I teach at, so I was just wondering if anyone had any particularly good articles about the genre that they'd like to share? It would be appreciated.
(I thought I'd show the yoof the Shaya! documentary.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B9frOKUwz0

from upthread:

Stumbled upon these two articles while looking for sources
https://mixmag.net/feature/amapiano-south-africa-house-music-movement-gauteng
https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/music/from-south-africa-to-the-world-why-amapiano-could-be-the-next-dance-music-genre-to-rule-the-clubs-1.1065104

― Nabozo, woensdag 23 september 2020 20:07

Thanks for those! The Mixmag piece in particular is interesting.

― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), woensdag 23 september 2020 21:35

I'll be giving a talk and doing an amapiano set tomorrow at the school I teach at

would love to hear more about this! what age are the students? is this part of a larger curriculum or more of a one-time thing?

The 20 Best Amapiano Songs of 2020 according to OkayAfrica, the blurbs are quite interesting:

https://www.okayafrica.com/best-amapiano-songs-of-2020/?rebelltitem=15#rebelltitem15

About breaking amapiano worldwide:

https://www.okayafrica.com/amapiano-who-will-introduce-to-the-world-op-ed/

(of those 20, the best for me are unquestionably "Ilog Drum" and "Jazzidisciples (Zlele)", both nominated for the EOY <<hint, hint>>)

would love to hear more about this! what age are the students? is this part of a larger curriculum or more of a one-time thing?

Thanks! They're between 19 and 63, lol, with most of them being in their late teens, early twenties. The school is part of the Norwegian "folkehøgskole" system, which means there are no exams and thus no set curriculum, but it's geared towards humanist values and lots of teaching of philosophy, literature, art, international politics, creative writing, etc, which basically means I can do whatever I want to, lol. (We're lucky enough to have stayed open throughout the pandemic thus far.)

and thanks, breastcrawl!
What would you guys say was the very first ama-hit to break into the mainstream?

more articles:

https://www.musicinafrica.net/magazine/amapiano-what-it-all-about

https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/the-latest/amapiano/12771394 (short but quite incisive)

(Mixmag piece def the best tho imo)

pretty sure that was Kwiish SA's "Iskhathi (Gong Gong)" (first months of 2019). MFR Souls ft. TallArseTee's "Bamb’ikhanda" was a prettyy crucial track as well, but I don't think it actually charted.

these were my first ramblings about it on Rolling Afropop back then: rolling Afropop / Afrobeats / Afrodance 2019

xp

thanks - that's great stuff

thanks for the response, longneck. I hate to be one of those north americans who romanticizes scandinavian social policy without having ever been there, but those schools sound great and it would be nice to live in a culture where lifelong learning was considered a good thing

finally getting around to kabza de small's i am the king of amapiano: sweet & dust and oh my god why is this 3 hours long lmao

gotta listen all the way till the end tho - there’s a weak patch in the middle (those guitar tracks), but the best tracks are in the Dust section at the back

have just hit the guitar tracks patch and yeah these tracks are just too chill even for amapiano. i would love this guitar noodling if there was a little more going on but it seems to just aim for ambience rather than balearic-esque transcendence

hope you made it through that section. would be worth it.

i made it through the whole album and it was overall pleasant of course but truly too much as a whole, hard to pick up on the back section being the strongest part bc of how it all blends together in an album that long

late advice, but: maybe try “Ilog Drum” and “Balanc’Ise” - best tracks on the album imo, and very different from what’s going on in the first half

anyway, here to celebrate the fact that “Jazzidisciples (Zlele)” placed in the EOY, at #65, too low of course, but I’ll take it.

reposting the video in its honour:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGvAKp3fOqg

loved this from D-40 on the rollout thread:

the reason "Jazzidisciples" stands out so much to me is that it felt like a dramatic shift in the sound amapiano had been moving towards -- where earlier records held onto this forward momentum, they figured out how to make a record that felt almost still and static while not rhythmically being that way at all -- all negative space, slow-motion. i think that's why it became such a huge record. If you're looking from a distance it might seem like a minute change, but if you're following all the records that become hits it had this really revelatory feeling, like oh look at all the possibilities this is opening up

btw, this thread will still be here to be enjoyed, but the main action this year is expected to be on this here new Rolling thread:

MZANSI MUZIQ 2021 🇿🇦 Rolling South Africa thread

that is a great post

"ilog drum" is so ridiculously good

really enjoying "bathandwa" from the mfr souls album. that album's been out since august of last year(?) but i guess i wasn't fated to hear this track until it got a video and could thus reach my ears via youtube recommendation algorithm/overlord

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLFULXPUqgk

yes, “Bathandwa” is a fabulous track.

Musical Kings is one of those big amapiano albums that I still haven’t listened to in full even tho all the tracks I have heard are great - see also DJ Stokie’s My Journey. they’re just so damn long!

(points feebly at the Rolling MZANSI MUZIQ thread)

Blown away by A-Star's Nana Riddim ghanapiano goodness:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfYvrBjwZA8

follow-up “Free” is piano-drenched as well

question: if amapiano ever hits dancehall, will we call it a) “jamapiano” or b) “ganjapiano”?

the biggest SA amapiano hit in Nigeria gets an appropriate remix:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR5uz13lhB0
Focalistic ft. Davido & Vigro Deep • Ke Star (Remix)

(btw I’m still gesturing indiscernibly towards... well, you know)

Voted raggapiano

can't wait for... shabbapiano

bambamapiano

baby keep em coming

do we need a video for the "Ke Star" remix? I think we do:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQKKCXXRcKE
Focalistic ft. Davido & Vigro Deep • Ke Star (Remix)

Not sold on this yet - the original is pretty much perfect and some of Davido's shadings seem eh unnecessary - but let's see how this plays out anyway.

it’s interesting to me as a sign of the times (#1 in Naija and all that) - and I think the video is super fun

i certainly dig the fashion

I made a Spotify playlist with (almost) everything posted in the MZANSI MUZIQ 2021 🇿🇦 Rolling South African thread as well as South(ern) African tracks posted this year on other threads, like this one:

ILM rolling 🇿🇦 Mzansi MusiQ 2021 🇸🇿 🇳🇦

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/amapiano-genre-house-south-africa-1191523/

https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/dance/9606724/8-things-to-know-about-south-africas-amapiano-genre-a-locals-guide-to-the-scene/

Written by person who has written liner notes for Awesome Tapes from Africa amapiano releases

Awesome Tapes is releasing a new song by Native Soul called “Dead Sangoma”. Native Soul album Teenage Dreams will be out September 24

ILM keeps very little track of all the great amapiano stuff that continues to come out on a weekly basis (both tracks and albums) - here’s two gorgeous new tracks I’m enjoying today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd--jo6PLrg
Mapara A Jazz ft. Mr Brown • Feeling

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOC4e-Yx9j0
Sayfar ft. Musa Keys, Seekay, Makhanj & Optimist Music • Ithuba Lam

🎹🎹🎹

“Paris” by Q-Mark & TpZee ft. Afriikan Papi & Cloud9ne, which came out in October, has become a sleeper hit in South Africa, very deservingly so.

enjoy the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORCCxt1xlLI

…but it misses crucial sections, so you’ll absolutely need to listen to the full version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQPutytnnYk

one of the biggest piano bangers of the past several months:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTL0VJM9CnA
DJ Karri ft. BL Zero, Lebzito & Prime De 1st • Trigger

…but this TikTok monster, for better or for worse, is the track that has probably done more than any other in bringing amapiano (and its name) to the world:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnZTVUUwgpY
Goya Menor & Nektunez • Ameno Amapiano (Remix) (You Wanna Bamba)

shock horror, there’s nothing South African about it, it’s a Ghanaian-Nigerian coproduction

It's really tacky. I heard it shopping for second-hand baby clothes because it clearly found its way on some dumb-named spotify playlists, and I heard the two female sellers exchanging views on it (one positive, one negative), both evidently having no idea what it is they were hearing. I resisted nerdsplaining as I dropped some cute white ensemble in our shopping basket.

...while chanting: You Wanna Rompa?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVw0Rd8R8DY

short 1xtra doc

🎹🎹🎹

not nearly enough amapiano action on ILM, but I’m hoping this poll I created might get the amapiano party started again, because we’re seriously logging… lagging behind. here’s your invitation - I hope you will all participate:

drowning in a blissful ocean of log drums and keys: 🎹🎹 amapiano a-z 🎹🎹 an ilm poll

There was a very nice 1Xtra doc a couple of months ago - https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0c9kkls/1xtra-this-is-amapiano

Thanks! But some guy called Tracer already posted a youtube link to it 3 posts before you did.

lol duh

if you check the poll thread I linked it there as well - in the longer director’s cut. anyway, welcome to the poll all of you!

Want something major ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7o3F-MVE-Y
Major Lazer, Major League DJz, Tiwa Savage, Diplo, DJ Maphorisa - Koo Koo Fun

Otherwise I really think the big thing that was released lately is this DJ Maphorisa & Visca album Ba Straata featuring some of the big names.

sure, that’s a big one, but it’s not nearly as outstanding as Kabza’s KOA II Part 1.
thing is, there’s a plethora of good piano albums (with many also featuring said big names!), too many for one person to fully digest really, and with the festive December summer season ahead they continue dropping like flies.

recent-ish ones I like a lot include Piano Over Poverty by Kweyama Brothers, Horumar by Murumba Pitch (also their earlier collaborative Obrigado with Da Muziqal Chef), Ghost by Sir Trill, Two Sides Of My Story by MDU aka TRP, and Big And Small, Vol. 1 by Fiso el Musica.

oops, it’s actually Fiso el Musica x Thee Exclusives!

and big name-producer-wise there’s also recent projects by Mr JazziQ and Busta 929, as well as Mellow & Sleazy’s Barcadi Fest.

dont really like the major lazer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEtkT4pJQDg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUHnvbgu9wI

those are:

Rhyma ft. Sayfar & Bon Nghiêm • Wena

and

Toby Franco ft. Mellow & Sleazy x Optimist Music ZA • Mali (Kumnandi)