2023-11-27 06:00:19
THE MORNING LIST
Kamo Mphela, an amapiano artist, during a concert in Pretoria, South Africa, July 2022. SHAFIEK TASSIEM / REUTERS
If we talk to you about African music, it is likely that a certain number of instantly recognizable genres come to mind, such as Nigerian afrobeat, Congolese rumba, Senegalese mbalax, or even ethiojazz. Perhaps you will also think more generally of Afropop and its Nigerian variation, Afrobeats (with an “s”), the wave of which in recent years seems to sweep away everything in its path.
All ? Perhaps not, because new styles continue to emerge in different countries on the continent, most often mixing traditional sounds with globalized electronic music, making their way from wedding parties to nightclubs. Original scenes are developing, such as those of Ivory rap in Abidjan or Ghanaian drill in Kumasi, with more or less success at home and abroad.
Among the musical innovations of the last fifteen years, five have caught our attention. From south to north, here are the genres that are making Africa move.
Amapiano: South African house conquering the world
It’s a bit like “Joburg’s” revenge on Lagos. Because if Nigeria has experienced – and is still experiencing – global success with afrobeats, it is now South Africa which has the wind in its sails with amapiano, a style of house whose name means “pianos » in Zulu and which is characterized by soaring synth pads, jazz chords, elastic bass and rhythms reminiscent of traditional percussion, all at a very “lounge” tempo.
This music, which follows other styles of South African house such as kwaito and gqom, appeared in the early 2010s in the townships of Pretoria and Johannesburg, but it was thanks to the Covid confinement -19 that it really exploded, according to the magazine Young Africa. Producers took advantage of this period to concentrate behind their machines and publish new songs on social networks, before the public could finally physically appropriate them when the dancefloors reopened.
Read also: The amapiano goes crescendo: the musical selection of “World Africa” #66
The piano has its stars: the men’s side, DJ Maphorisa, Kabza De Small, Focalistic, Daliwonga or Felo Le Tee; the women’s side, Sho Madjozi, Kamo Mphela, DBN Gogo, Uncle Waffles or Tyla, whose song Water rose to 19th place in the world for the most viewed clips on YouTube at the beginning of November. Unsurprisingly, this genre, full of freshness and good vibes, is making more and more converts, including French rappers Youssoupha and MHD, but also Beyoncé and Burna Boy, Nigerian Afrobeats star.
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