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Kabza De Small/DJ Maphorisa & Friends

Twenty-six tracks from the two producers who invented a genre, most of them recorded in a burst of activity that changed South African music entirely.

DJ Maphorisa spark beef rumor with Kabza De Small | Fakaza News

Kabza De Small, DJ Maphorisa & Friends

Kabza De Small and DJ Maphorisa — working together as the Scorpion Kings — are the central figures in amapiano, the South African genre that emerged from the townships around Pretoria in the mid-2010s and became the dominant dance music of the continent.

The sound is specific and easy to identify once you know it: a slow tempo, usually between 110 and 115 beats per minute; deep, resonant bass often produced by the log drum, a percussive bass patch that slides between notes; sparse, jazz-derived keyboard chords; and shakers doing most of the rhythmic work. It descends from kwaito and from deep house, and it is unusually patient — tracks take minutes to arrive anywhere.

Their working method matters too. Both are prolific to an almost unreasonable degree, releasing albums in quick succession and treating collaboration as the default rather than the exception, which is why the credits on this playlist run so long.

What to listen for

"eMcimbini" is the one to hear first — a full ensemble performance with Samthing Soweto, Aymos and Mas Musiq that shows what the genre sounds like when everybody is in the room.

"Akulaleki" with Samthing Soweto and Sha Sha is the standard, and probably the single most important amapiano record of its year.

"We'Mama" with Sha Sha is the emotional one, and "Sing It Back" is the unexpected house cover.

"Qoqoqo" and "Idliwe" with Mlindo The Vocalist are where the songwriting is strongest.

"London Roots" with Louie Vega is the meeting with New York house royalty, and it is a genuine conversation rather than a guest spot.

"Vula Vala" and "Lerato" are the pop peaks, and "Korobela" with Njelic is the deepest groove on the set.

Go deeper

Scorpion Kings and its sequels are the essential releases; Kabza De Small's I Am the King of Amapiano is the solo statement.

Samthing Soweto's Isiphithiphithi is the album that took the sound to people who do not usually listen to dance music, and Sha Sha, Aymos and Njelic are the vocalists to follow from here.

Listening note: the log drum is the sound to learn. Once you can pick out that sliding bass patch — pitched, percussive, moving between notes rather than sitting on them — amapiano stops being a vague mood and becomes a specific technique, and you will hear it everywhere from Lagos to London.

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