Some music doesn’t begin on a lit-up stage. It doesn’t start in a polished studio or behind a label executive’s desk. It is born in dusty alleyways, on speakers placed on bare concrete floors in the townships, in the beating heart of a young Africa that refuses to let its energy go unheard. That is exactly how Amapiano came to life and that is precisely why, today, it fills dancefloors from Johannesburg to London, from Lagos to Dubai, from Dakar to Toronto.
Those unmistakable deep bass lines, the floating piano melodies, the hypnotic log drum percussion — Amapiano is no longer just a genre. It is a pan-African cultural movement. A shared continental pride. And if you haven’t been moving to its rhythm yet, you are about to understand why the whole world already is.
What Is Amapiano? The Sound That Belongs to the People
The word Amapiano comes from Zulu and means simply: “the pianos.” That name says everything about the genre’s sonic signature, those silky keyboards, those light synthetic pads floating above a heavy, intoxicating kwaito bass.
Technically, Amapiano is a bold musical hybrid. It blends deep house, jazz, kwaito (the South African genre that soundtracked the post-apartheid era), and traditional African percussion into something that feels entirely new yet deeply rooted. Its tempo sits between 110 and 115 BPM, slow enough to feel meditative, driving enough to make it impossible to stand still.
What sets Amapiano apart from every other house genre on earth is its extraordinary ability to be intimately African and universally danceable at the same time. It speaks Zulu, Sotho, English and the silent language of bodies in motion.
From the Townships of Johannesburg to the World: The Full Story of Amapiano
The Roots: Kwaito and South African House Music (1990s)
To truly understand Amapiano, you need to travel back to 1990s South Africa — a nation newly freed from apartheid, full of hope, and full of unresolved pain. In the townships of Soweto, Alexandra and Katlehong, Black South African youth were forging their own sound: kwaito. Slowed-down house rhythms, lyrics in local languages, syncopated percussion — kwaito was the sound of the Rainbow Nation, carrying both its dreams and its contradictions.
Kwaito built a generation of DIY artists, embedded a culture of home-studio production and soundsystem culture, and above all, taught an entire generation that music could be created right here, right now, with what we have.
The Birth of a Genre: 2012 in Home Studios
In the early 2010s, a new wave of amateur producers from Katlehong, Pretoria and Johannesburg began experimenting. They kept the deep bass and slow tempo of kwaito, but layered in gospel-inspired jazz keyboards and elements of Bacardi House, a local percussive sub-genre, creating something no one had heard before.
The duo MFR Souls (Tumelo Nedondwe and Tumelo Mabe), from Katlehong, were among the first to give this emerging sound an official name. When keyboards became the central piece of their compositions, they called it Amapiano and a genre was born.
For years, it circulated almost underground: tracks shared for free on Datafilehost and WhatsApp, downloaded and passed from phone to phone like a shared secret. No labels, no radio play, no music videos. Just the music, and the love the people gave it.
Going Mainstream: 2019, the Historic Turning Point
Everything changed in 2019. Two events permanently marked Amapiano’s arrival into the mainstream.
First, Semi Tee’s “Labantwana Ama Uber” became the genre’s first anthem to break beyond the townships. Its simple, addictive piano melody over an irresistible bass line infected radio stations, social media feeds and schoolyards alike.
Then the Scorpion Kings, the legendary duo of Kabza De Small and DJ Maphorisa, released their landmark collaboration. Their single “Amantombazane”, featuring the velvet vocals of Samthing Soweto, gave the mainstream its first glimpse of a melodic, vocal Amapiano that anyone could connect with. South Africa was conquered. Commercial radio stations, which had long ignored the genre, had no choice but to open their doors.
The COVID Era and the Global Conquest: 2020–2022
Paradoxically, the Covid-19 pandemic acted as a turbocharger for Amapiano. Locked indoors, artists produced relentlessly. Amapiano playlists exploded on Deezer, Spotify and YouTube. By September 2020, the hashtag #amapiano had surpassed 100 million mentions on TikTok, a historic milestone for an African genre.
Kabza De Small became the most-streamed local artist on Spotify South Africa. Deezer reported that its Amapiano playlist was the most-played it had ever recorded. The world started dancing.
International collaborations multiplied rapidly. Burna Boy, Wizkid and Tiwa Savage enlisted Amapiano producers. The genre crossed its national borders and began infusing other African sounds (afrobeats, afropop, continental hip-hop) with its irresistible DNA.
2023–2025: Amapiano as a Global African Cultural Pillar
Today, Amapiano is the most-streamed African music genre on the planet after afrobeats. In 2024, “Tshwala Bam” by TitoM & Yuppe accumulated 52 million YouTube views, making it the most-watched Amapiano video of the year. In 2025, Apple Music crowned the genre as the dominant force in South African and continental charts.
Dedicated ceremonies now celebrate its legacy: the Amapiano Africa Awards, with its inaugural edition planned for November 2025, mark the full institutionalization of a genre that has become cultural heritage.
The African Artists Who Shaped Amapiano
Kabza De Small : The King of Amapiano 👑
Born in Mpumalanga and raised in Pretoria, Kabelo Petrus Motha, known as Kabza De Small — is unanimously crowned the King of Amapiano. His touch is unmistakable: soulful piano melodies, layered production that seems to flow like water. His album I Am The King Of Amapiano: Sweet & Dust (2020), featuring Burna Boy, Wizkid, Cassper Nyovest and others, is a defining work in the genre’s history.
Kabza is the sonic architect who gave Amapiano its nobility. Under his hands, the sound of the townships becomes universal.
DJ Maphorisa : The Hit Architect
If Kabza is the king, DJ Maphorisa is the master strategist. A producer with razor-sharp instincts, he co-created with Kabza De Small the Scorpion Kings duo arguably the most influential partnership in Amapiano history. His ability to engineer crossover hits that resonate on African dancefloors and global platforms alike has been decisive in the genre’s international spread.
His long-term vision and collaborations with artists as varied as Drake and Goapele confirm his status as a true worldwide ambassador of Mzansi music.
MFR Souls : The Pioneers from Katlehong
Tumelo Nedondwe and Tumelo Mabe have formed MFR Souls since 2012, widely regarded as the artists who gave Amapiano its name. Their sound is deeply emotional, steeped in deep house and jazz, with a melodic sensitivity that transcends genre. Their single “Love You Tonight” (feat. Sha Sha, Kabza De Small and DJ Maphorisa), certified platinum in South Africa, remains one of the most moving Amapiano tracks ever made.
MFR Souls represent the soul of the genre: humble, authentic, rooted.
Sha Sha : The Queen of Amapiano 🎤
Of Zimbabwean origin, Sha Sha is Amapiano’s vocal embodiment. Her voice soft, inhabited, capable of carrying a beautiful lament as easily as a joyful anthem, gave the genre its most human dimension. Nicknamed the Queen of Amapiano, she became the bridge between the genre’s instrumental production and the broader audiences who needed a voice to hold onto.
Focalistic : Amapiano Rap and Pretoria Pride
Focalistic had the audacity to merge rap in Setswana with Amapiano production, and the result was explosive. His track Ke Star (Superstar) with Vigro Deep was the first Amapiano hit to top African charts while simultaneously going viral on TikTok across Europe and North America. He represents the genre’s evolution toward increasingly creative fusions.
Vigro Deep : The Prodigy
Rising to prominence at a very young age, Vigro Deep (Kabelo Motha) is the symbol of the next generation. His productions minimalist, powerful, meditative, opened a new stylistic era for Amapiano, one that is more introspective and emotionally nuanced. His collaborative album with Mr JazziQ, The Grass Is Greener, demonstrates a rare artistic maturity.
JazziDisciples & Samthing Soweto : The Voice of Amapiano
The duo JazziDisciples (R-Zee and Luu Nineleven) from Alexandra helped lay Amapiano’s earliest vocal foundations. Samthing Soweto, in turn, gave the genre its most iconic velvet voice. His album Isiphithiphithi (2019), co-produced with Kabza and Maphorisa, remains the definitive reference for vocal Amapiano.
The Iconic African Videos You Need to Watch Right Now
🎬 “Labantwana Ama Uber” — Semi Tee (2019)
The video that started it all. Shot in the raw authenticity of the townships, this track is the Big Bang of the mainstream Amapiano era. A three-note piano melody that loops endlessly in your head for days. When people talk about Amapiano’s global “ground zero,” this is the video they point to.
🎬 “Akulaleki” — Samthing Soweto ft. Sha Sha, DJ Maphorisa & Kabza De Small (2019)
A gem. Samthing Soweto’s voice soaring over Kabza’s divine keyboard work, with Sha Sha in heartbreaking counterpoint. This video introduced millions of listeners to Amapiano’s deepest emotional dimension. A cult comedy cover of the track generated millions more views on its own, proof that the song touched something universal.
🎬 “Love You Tonight” — MFR Souls ft. Sha Sha, Kabza De Small & DJ Maphorisa (2019)
Platinum-certified, nominated at the South African Music Awards, this track is a musical love letter to the African continent. The video warm, luminous, captures the joy of township life without erasing its depth. Probably the most-played Amapiano track at weddings and celebrations across sub-Saharan Africa for six consecutive years.
🎬 “Phoyisa” — Kabza De Small & DJ Maphorisa (2020)
With over 13 million accumulated views at the time of release, Phoyisa is a statement of power from Amapiano in the age of social media. The video overflows with energy, dancing and colour. This is Amapiano at its most festive a celebration of life against all odds.
🎬 “Tshwala Bam” — TitoM & Yuppe ft. S.N.E & EeQue (2024)
The 2024 global phenomenon. Fifty-two million YouTube views make this the most-watched Amapiano video of the year and one of the most viral African clips of the decade. Its visuals capture the energy of South African street culture with a polished production that stands up against anything coming out of London or New York.
🎬 “Imithandazo” — Kabza De Small ft. Mthunzi (2023–2024)
Number one on South African charts and Billboard South Africa in 2024. Imithandazo (the prayers) is a spiritual, almost mystical track that reveals Amapiano’s meditative and sacred side. Kabza De Small confirms here that he doesn’t just produce hits, he creates works that last.
Amapiano Across Africa: A Continental Pollination
One of the most beautiful things about Amapiano is its generosity. It didn’t simply conquer South Africa, it crossed borders and positively infected music scenes across the entire continent.
In Nigeria, afrobeats producers have adopted Amapiano’s log drums and synths, creating electrifying fusions. Burna Boy has openly collaborated with Kabza De Small. In Ghana, hiplife artists are embedding Amapiano elements into their productions. Across Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal, local DJs now host entire nights dedicated to the Mzansi sound.
In East Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Amapiano has blended into bongo flava and gengetone scenes. Across the continent, it plays the unifying role that only great African music can: it belongs to everyone.
The African diaspora in London, Paris, Brussels, Toronto, Montreal, Dubai, has become its most enthusiastic ambassador. African clubs worldwide host their Amapiano nights. The genre knows no borders.
Why Amapiano Moves Us So Deeply
It would be easy to say Amapiano succeeded because of TikTok, or because streaming platforms finally looked toward Africa. But the truth runs deeper than that.
Amapiano resonates because it is unapologetically African. It never tried to sound like European or American electronic music in order to be accepted. It kept its log drums, its local languages, its slow groove, its township soul. It said to the world: this is our sound and if you want to dance, you come to us.
It also resonates because it carries a collective memory that of kwaito’s post-apartheid generation, of young Black South Africans who wanted financial and cultural independence, alongside a promise of the future. Amapiano is living proof that Africa doesn’t need anyone’s permission to create work that changes the world.
Amapiano on Afro Video: Explore the Best of the Mzansi Sound
On Afro Video, discover the finest Amapiano music videos curated by our passionate editorial team — from the genre’s founding pioneers to its newest wave of artists, from foundational classics to the freshest releases. Whether you’re a longtime fan or hearing this magic sound for the first time, our African video collection gives you the best possible entry point into the world of Amapiano.
Explore. Dance. Share. Africa is sounding off. Listen up.
🎵 Watch all Amapiano videos and explore many more African music genres on Afro Video — your dedicated platform for the best African music videos.
