MZANSI MUZIQ 2021 🇿🇦 Rolling South Africa thread

by popular demand: a thread that’s meant to function as the focal point for all the wonderful new music coming out of the good land of Mzansi (and immediate surroundings). this is the place to post your favourite tracks by your favourite amaKhosi nezIndlovukazi (that’s kings and queens in Zulu) of amapiano, gqom, (afro)house, kwaito, soul and rap, and whatever else might strike (y)our fancy...

(and yes, this means that it’s more or less replacing the mini-myriad of SA-themed threads (Sun-El, “eMcimbini”/Kabza, Amapiano) that have sprung up recent(ish)ly. they are still here obviously, but use them wisely, lovingly and sparingly. it's easy if you try - I hope)

let's kick off with a repost from the Sun-El thread of the current big summer hit in SA right now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AagjAUE8U8s
Blaq Diamond • SummerYoMuthi

huge amapiano track, not (yet?) on Spotify/etc for some reason:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2oUtIhSX00
DJ Obza • Dlozi’lam
(Shazam, in all its wisdom, lists the artist as “Joynomics”)

another very good current Obza track:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5etyYdRRCBo
DJ Obza ft. Leon Lee • Mang’ Dakiwe

Limpopo (in the) house: there’s much more where Master KG came from. as producers go, there’s also DJ Call Me. here he is with the awesome Makhadzi, whose recent album I nominated for the EOY, but Call Me’s own album is equally good:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gb77lccDHKo
DJ Call Me ft. Makhadzi & Mr Brown • Maxaka

more about this genre of “bolobedu house” here:
https://www.okayafrica.com/master-kg-jerusalema-bolobedu-house-tracks-check-out/

...and I'm also loving this track at the moment:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb2HYdZMaGQ
DJ Luvas ft. Mnisi • Egoli

so much for me for now - what are your favs of the moment?

Is this gonna be all pop music? Because I've been listening to a fuckton of South African jazz the last couple of years and that shit is amazing. Crucial names: Nduduzo Makhathini, Ndabo Zulu, Linda Sikhakhane, Thandi Ntuli, Siya Makuzeni, Bokani Dyer, Benjamin Jephta.

The Brownswood label is putting out a compilation called Indaba Is later this month. Here's the first single, Bokani Dyer's "Ke Nako":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2Mvqyc7DMM

My favorite that (I think) wasn't posted on last year's thread is "Mercedes" by Semi Tee

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4-FPxxH7b8

We’re bundling the various South African offshoots of the Rolling Afropop thread into one Rolling SA thread (of which this is the first edition), so yeah, the focus is definitely on “pop”, but as long as any non-pop stuff you’re posting is current I think we can *roll* with it. Pretty sure at least some people will appreciate the jazz!

As for “Mercedes”, it was posted on the Amapiano Awesomeness thread back in May. Semi Tee is a blast, and so is rapper Focalistic, who's on this track.

Egad, I was wrong! Well, I guess that's why it's a good idea to have one thread instead of half a dozen.

Jazz makes sense since it's such a big part of the SA music mindset, imo. Very happy about this thread in general.

JazziDisciples to thread!

There's a cover story on South African jazz (based around the aforementioned Indaba Is compilation) in the new issue of The Wire, which just came out today:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Eriu4-jXIAEqX1j.jpg

Jazz and pop have some overlap these days imo.

Have you guys heard this 2019 album by Tlale Makhene “s.g 2.0”? It’s so good, I’ve been obsessed w it lately.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdZImX0f1CE

Damn deej, this album is amazing! When are we rerunning the 2019 EOY?

A profile on Tlale Makhene:
https://www.jazzitout.com/2020/02/21/tlale-is-a-percussionist-whose-drum-beat-was-nurtured-the-swazi-way/

So S.G 2.0 is the follow-up to his 2017 Swazi Gold album, consisting in large part of “remixes” of that album’s tracks. The track deej posted (which is new) is actually the only percussion-heavy one, the rest is much closer to Makhene’s own description of them as “lounge and soul” (for “lounge” read “electronic”, I guess). Musical partner and producer Ziyawa Ka Zitha (who’s from Eswatini/Swaziland) quite probably plays a big role here. Opening track “Gegege”, which I'm currently luxuriating in, is just him (Ziyawa) with singer Juda Selitjane:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3elGc7YvZ0

(I’m a sucker for the kind of vocal harmonies that are employed on this album, they remind me of early 90s r&b and stuff, but you also hear them in turn-of-the-century SA house trio SHANA, featuring a young Black Coffee.)

Listening to Swazi Gold now, and some of the original versions are pretty old-school gospely soul jazz and their “remixes” on 2.0 really are *something else* altogether, his way of “mov[ing] with the times before finding himself on the other side of evolution”. But not everything is: the original “Emabhunswini” for instance is a trip and a half in itself.

this thread sure got off to an unexpected start - not complaining tho!

^that sounds cool, will check it out.

If we're still talking about recent jazz, I listened to the Ndabo Zulu album Queen Nandi yesterday and it's stunningly good: https://ndabozulu.bandcamp.com/album/queen-nandi-the-african-symphony.

Yeah, I love that record. I actually had a long Zoom conversation with Ndabo Zulu, Nduduzo Makhathini and Mbuso Khoza about it when I was writing a review of the album.

Off the 2021 tip, one thing I wanted to do this year was explore more of the older music from Africa (I've been following since 2019, but given all the great songs I've heard imagine all the great stuff I missed before then!). I've been enjoying going through this list as a starting point: https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/lifestyle/2014-07-15-the-100-greatest-south-african-songs/

One highlight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1OQLHHH63M

that’s Felix Laband • Whistling In Tongues, from 2002.

my request for this thread (and all other music threads really):

🔻🔻Could everyone please label the tracks they are posting?
It makes it so much easier to search for something, and as with all internet links, there is every chance these YouTubes (or Soundclouds or whatever the case may be) will become broken at some point (in a couple of years perhaps, or you know, next week, it happens all the time), and then we won’t have anything left to go on.🔺🔺

that list looks great, Greg, I feel the same about getting to know the classics better, but while I'm busy thread (traffic) policing - a reminder that we have a dedicated thread for older African pop:

Old School Afropop

(btw some ilxors might be interested to learn that that Laband track also received the Todd Terje remix treatment)

not sure how much longer TNS intends to continue to drip drop tracks before he releases his album (the tally is now at six), but this is one of the best so far:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMeb01inrCA
TNS ft. Nokwazi Mtshali & Nomcebo Mthethwa • Kwamashu

The DJ Obza album (it’s called Masego and features “Mang’ Dakiwe” but not “Dlozi’lam”) is very good.

Since we accept jazz, let's also accept r&b. This song from last year is quite magnetic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEWCJc1atvc
Elaine - You're the One

Through some odd channels, I recently came into a digital copy of Phelimuncasi's first record from 2016, which has seemingly disappeared from the internet. It's quality gqom, really digging it today.

ooh that TNS track breastcrawl posted is really cool

There's a clip for Makazi

In case you're interested to hear the follow-up to Dumelang, here's Nobody

Also Boohle is officially the closest singer to Sha Sha. Enjoying discovering her stuff, even if she's maybe not quite, not quite there.
But it's close.
Boohle - Inyembezi for example. Or Mama.
She was mentioned once last year. Her album with Josiah De Disciple is titled Umbuso Wabam'nyama (october last year), it's really consistent.

oh yeah, I like Boohle!

admire this beautiful piano with a Sun-El extension:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwF9S59F4II
Kelvin Momo ft. Sino Msolo & Souloho • Madlamini

that's really nice

might be my favourite song of the year so far, just so carefree and beautiful

I need to revisit it with much better speakers, but yeah it's cool to see 'piano done so gracefully

luv 2 start threads at the worst possible time: TRESOR, the Congolese-South African singer with the heavenly voice

https://www.theafricareport.com/62955/sibongile-khumalo-voice-of-the-new-south-africa-dies-at-63/

RIP Sibongile Khumalo, South African Zulu township jazz & choral singer. I know she’s not exactly perfect for this thread, but thought readers of this thread might nevertheless be appreciative.

RIP. I had never listened to her before. Definitely old school, impressive voice.

someone has been watching "Jerusalema" blowing up worldwide:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcLM3brK16o
DJ Cleo ft. Bucy Radebe • Gcina Impilo Yam

it's actually an amapiano rework of this recent gospel smash:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RpnvLCgED8
Bucy Radebe • Uzugcin'impilo Yam'

the dance steps look easy enough, now let's hope "Gcina Impilo Yam" will roll off international tongues as easily as "Jerusalema" (or "ngilondoloze"/"y yo no lo se" lol)

I'm a big fan of Manqonqo. he started out in the Limpopo House/Bolobedu scene (working with producer Airic), but this is the best I've heard him on amapiano so far:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq-Wuqda9d8
Bee Kay ft. Manqonqo • Imali

sensational jam, love the dramatic disco strings and the organ vamps on this, and that beat is sumptuous

god for an opportunity to dance to this in public

He has a new song out gaining ground called Amaneighbour, but I will post this really fun song from two years ago: Killer Kau - Kataliya

I'm also getting interested in producer Busta 929 who has really unique take on the genre, quite free and deconstructed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijHEvvDKAZA
Mr JazziQ & Busta 929 - Ekseni feat. Boohle SA & Zuma

It's worth checking Vsop which is fascinating
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSKKAw024fs
Mr JazziQ & Busta 929 ft. Reece Madlisa, Zuma, Mpura, Riky Rick, 9umba - VSOP

Maybe it's the year Amapiano explodes as a genre as it's taken apart and to its logical end

Also:
https://www.okayafrica.com/south-african-artists-to-watch-2021/?rebelltitem=1

The album, Maba Jabul’abantu, is really uncharted territory.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryJjULFAquk
Reece Madlisa & Zuma - Sithi Sithi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLFULXPUqgk
(mfr souls ft. bassie - bathandwa)

crossposting here after having been made aware of this thread ;P

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

― dyl, Sunday, February 14, 2021 12:27 PM (three hours ago)

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!

― Long Tall Arsetee & the Shaker Intros (breastcrawl), Sunday, February 14, 2021 1:37 PM (two hours ago)

good morning!

Sweet stuff, TNS is doing amapiano. His album must be around the corner with the number of songs he just released.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dqr1n2a7Vk
TNS - Umhlaba Wonke

apparently as of a couple weeks ago, dj obza's "dlozi’lam" from upthread is now streamable as "idlozi lami," the first track on an open mic productions compilation. (good thing too b/c it's gorgeous)

Baby Are You Coming? for the pandemic era:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHGUjtcUF70
SHELOVESKAMO ft. Ch'cco & Crush • You My Baby

catching up on this thread and the the mr jazziq & busta 929 tracks are really cool, especially "ekseni". really love that massive hi-hat/snare sound

Jersualema never did much for me, but wow at "Gcina Impilo Yam" !

i'm behind on the thread but this just came through my inbox:
https://www.dw.com/en/warner-demands-licence-fees-for-jerusalema-videos/a-56594810

what a skeleton move

are you that Sumbody?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t16VuAYgFUA
DJ Sumbody ft. Drip Gogo & The Lowkeys • Iyamemeza

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMKi85xkgtw
Focalistic and Mr JazziQ - GUPTA feat. Lady Du, Mellow & Sleazy

GUPTA owns my soul right now.

Also... Liyoshona, not to mention Banyana.

hold up - no one has posted de mthuda's gorgeous John Wick yet?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06_9LOj75g4

holy hell at “Gupta”

Proper beat and chorus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBQx5O0_PIo
Khuli Chana feat. Tyler ICU, Stino Le Thwenny, & Lady Du - Buyile

Se ka buyile
Seng'shiya more, and ziwa more, wang' feel-a more
Wa tseba, wa tseba
Banana bantshwere ma ayi yebo
Ayi yebo, ayi yebo, ayi yebo!

Of course it was already posted :) my bad. Let's say it was for the video.

The new Vigro Deep album, Baby Boy 4, is good. Here's "Take It Slow" with Sha Sha:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUYpxUG8OuQ

Slowly trying to piece-together an amapiano-and-adjacent playlist to convert my dancehall and soca-loving friends that amapiano isn't all endless shaker-intros and polite, un-kinetic rhythms. Need things with strong hooks and big donks. This si what I have so far: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Aq1aR62T7j0pWqGBF975F?si=2de5fbee91524a95 What's missing?

actually Take It Slow should be on there (can't find a spotty link though)

tyla - "getting late"
busiswa - "makazi"
busta 929 - "ekseni"

"skeleton move"'s genre is bolo house if you want to find more in that vein specifically, i don't think it's that closely related to amapiano but i'm sure there's crossover these days

prince kaybee - "banomoya"
sho madjozi - "jamani"

ah, didn't know about "bolo house" although clearly it's a slightly different beast. I'm conscious Sk'Ngiding is from Mozambique, but it certainly sounds in line with the other tunes. It's one of my faves

thanks for the recommendations, will take a listen!

amapiano has certainly spread far beyond just south africa now, there's been a bunch of nigerian amapiano tracks lately (though i don't remember them off the top of my head)

whole lot of examples if you search this year's afrobeats thread, i need to catch up on them all

the dj black low songs i posted upthread fit the bill, imo: "9 days," "jaiva low," "emonate oe bethela de vosho"

I'd forgotten how much I love "Majesty" by Busiswa and DJ Tunez. What a track!

Loving the Sho Madjozi track. I'd heard some of her other stuff and really enjoyed it but it wasn't in the amapiano style.

you're not wrong about DJ Black Low. I love this weird rippling almost drill'n'bassy thing the producers are doing at the moment

actually Take It Slow should be on there (can't find a spotty link though)

So the word in business circles and speculators is that Amapiano will take over the UK soon: https://www.okayafrica.com/amapiano-uk-summer-sound-opinion/
Number one amapiano song right now in SA from the household rap name featuring Boohle prominently.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnzy7Vtw7C0
Cassper Nyovest feat. Abidoza & Boohle - Siyathandana

yeah that one's really good

i remember this being one of the posts from after the 2019 trax poll when we were wondering how contemporary south african dance music still hadn't made its international break:

one of you folk should do a proposal for a show on nts, seriously. even just a one off

― ymo sumac (NickB), Sunday, February 2, 2020 1:47 PM (one year ago)

nowadays it seems like nts has been playing amapiano to some extent since late last year, and their latest call for prospective resident djs lists amapiano among the genres in which they are seeking genre specialists

so... maybe it's happening?

sa dance music did have an international hit last year with "jerusalema"

would make sense if amapiano has a breakthrough soon in the uk via west africa etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKO12nnAvrE
Aymos - Jemeni feat. Focalistic

Which will be the first track of his first album in September, Yimi Lo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00j7CQRr2bk
Dzo 729, Guyu Pane and YoungStunner - Ba Xolele

The softest hit of this year ?

Apartheid is getting further and further back in time
Now for something (not quite) completely different:
https://www.noformat.net/album-urban-village-udondolo-78-en.html

The name Urban Village does not just tap into Marshall McLuhan’s image of a global village brought together by telecommunications tech. The name also references how Soweto was created. During apartheid, Black South Africans were brought to the area for work. With them, they brought pieces of their original villages. This helped create a new culture that became a sprawling urban village. Into this melting pot four musicians were raised and met. Guitarist Lerato Lichaba met singer/flautist Tubatsi Mpho Moloi at local jam sessions. Then they hooked up with drummer Xolani Mtshali and bassist Simangaliso Dlamini and Urban Village was formed. [The Quietus]

I'm sure breastcrawl has introduced something like this and had a cool name for it, but this sounds like South Africa being influenced back by Naijapiano.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9w3a52eOC5I
CIZA - Carolina feat. Major League DJz & Abidoza

And since I'm on the subject of interesting variations on Amapiano, check this massive track that mixes a Swiss flag, slow house and this familiar Zulu word.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pG3YITIKGc
Dr Duda, Mr JazziQ & Kings Of The Surface - Amandla feat Jessica LM

To which you shall always respond "awethu" to complete the revolutionary cry: power to us the people. Dr Duda has an EP to go with it.

Let's see what we can post to wake this house up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjPK4YpxxFY
Dlala Thukzin - Phuze feat. Zaba

There's a short remix with Sir Trill, Mpura and Rascoe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=br7ek7iOMX8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xWd-SpMo0Y
Dj Tarico & Burna Boy - Yaba Buluku (Remix)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKpr1WyYdIQ
De Mthuda & Ntokzin - Jola feat. Malumnator & Sino Msolo

This is a lovely remix of an electro-pop track by Jo'Burg duo Lemon & Herb

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_Qe4Aia7EA

Nico de Andrea Feat Darla Jade - Ghost in Me (Lemon & Herb Remix)

Cover of the current Makhadzi hit and it's way better
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y60avQjxBEU
Sdala B & Paige - Ghanama

Busta 929 returning with 10 tracks. Out of the ones available so far, I'm feeling this instrumental 'ambient' Amapiano. You could put this in a film.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEdi3BPOyEc
Busta 929 - Heartbreakers

i remember this being one of the posts from after the 2019 trax poll when we were wondering how contemporary south african dance music still hadn't made its international break:

one of you folk should do a proposal for a show on nts, seriously. even just a one off

― ymo sumac (NickB), Sunday, February 2, 2020 1:47 PM (one year ago)

nowadays it seems like nts has been playing amapiano to some extent since late last year, and their latest call for prospective resident djs lists amapiano among the genres in which they are seeking genre specialists

so... maybe it's happening?

― dyl, Sunday, June 6, 2021 2:23 PM (one month ago) bookmarkflaglink

sa dance music did have an international hit last year with "jerusalema"

would make sense if amapiano has a breakthrough soon in the uk via west africa etc.

― ufo, Sunday, June 6, 2021 3:11 PM (one month ago)

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/various-artists-amapiano-now/

Amapiano awesomeness thread has recent Billboard & Rolling stone links

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

Oh thanks, I missed those.

The RS piece is really good*, but I'm a little puzzled by the NTS/pfork/ATfA/Billboard narrative of amapiano being some kind of raw underground phenomenon, like they can only conceive of African music in those terms even when it's super massively popular by any metric (with AfRoBeAtS awkwardly serving as a big pop Other?). Idk maybe this is a UK perspective thing? I assume West African stuff is prominent there in a way it simply isn't here in Montreal.

* though... "Last July, after four months of enduring the pandemic in South Africa, Moma went to Zanzibar, Tanzania, where restrictions were lax. There, he finished his own take on amapiano, an EP called MomaPiano, inspired by American R&B from the Nineties and early aughts. He also found a new residency at a beach club, where his amapiano sets became a raging success." Hmmmmmmm.

those articles just seem to be emphasising the genre's origins without then also emphasising just how huge & commercially successful it is now in south africa?

"heartbreakers" is cool, reminds me of massive attack

Yeah it's definitely the kind of grave house music you listen to in your sofa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-ITxUqtA9Y
Busta 929 feat. Mzu M - Mmapula

Jorja Smith makes it work

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzGIAhqlblM
Jorja Smith & GuiltyBeatz - All of This

lol all the comments deriding "all of this" for not being pure enough amapiano and complaining it's not a south african producer behind it

Yeah I saw that, some people are fiercely defensive. And conflicted: lol at the "export control quality" posture, all the while still seemed to like the idea of having Jorja Smith's vocals on an Amapiano track. One thing that is true is that it's hard to hear this as a "blue lights" type of r&b, I can only hear it as amapiano.

Cassper Nyovest feat. Abidoza & Boohle - Siyathandana

― Nabozo, Sunday, June 6, 2021 9:59 AM (two months ago) bookmarkflaglink

just heard this for the first time and wooow what a banger

I went through the Aymos album (out 03.09). I did not find its first songs very inspired and his Moonchild Sanelly imitation with his soft voice was an early low point, but the rest from Risasekile to Muhle is charming.

Oops, pressed Enter or something. Charming and lyrical.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eJCL1qSrkc
Aymos - Rata (feat. Mas Musique & Boohle)

I'll also have to be checking Felo Le Tee who has an album with all the big Amapiano names and has a song trending with Bopha

KdS is evolving with his sound - he's at his most Sun-El here. Busta 929 maybe not so much. I can't complain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An0PHocDud0
Kabza de Small & Dj Maphorisa - Abalele (feat. Ami Faku)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3Y3IUx8aS4
Boohle - Amawaza (feat. Busta 929 & Mpura)

And to make it a full trio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SfcH29GGvs
Sha Sha - Ngithembe (feat. Mdu aka TRP)

And wait for it, we're not done here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZkcF5lzN3k
Sun-EL Musician - Higher (Feat. Simmy)

Tresor is releasing a 15-song album on October 15, leading with this collaboration with Da Capo and Sun-El and with at least two more tracks with KdS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9sUkM0-EUs
Tresor - Lighthouse (feat. Da Capo & Sun-El Musician)

The singles jukebox gave a 8.50 to Osama by Zakes Bantwini which is a trending gospel-type of song that works as the first single of an album coming out in December. He was relatively big 10 years ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wROpY5i-f_Q
Zakes Bantwini - Osama

Just heard Osama… for the third time in a row.