From township jive in the shebeens to the piercing sounds of Kwaito and house music across taverns and pubs, Amapiano comes from a long legacy of underground music that has made its mark across South Africa — and now the world.
Mamelodi, Pretoria
Rising artists in the genre:
THIRD STOP
FIRST STOP
It’s credited as a birthplace for Kwaito and Kasi rap, both of which preceded Amapiano.
SECOND STOP
Most of the songs have dance routines that mimic the lyrics or extend the story of the song, contributing to their viral popularity as fans look to recreate or show off the dances.
Now, diBarcadi dance challenges dominate social media. It was with the emergence of diBacardi that Amapiano surfaced. It walked so Amapiano could run.
Soweto is short for South Western Townships.
Mr JazziQMFR SoulsDe MthudaMajor League DJzLady DuMusa Keys
The clubbing culture in South Africa is headlined by Gen Zs, who make the call for which spots to go to and when.
Soweto
It’s all in the beat: Within two seconds, the songs call you to the dance floor.
Some of the most popular current artists:
Amapiano was preceded by a subgenre of house music known as diBarcadi, which made its mark before social media and streaming. When diBacardi first emerged, it traveled underground quickly in Mamelodi and other Pretoria townships like Shoshanguve.
Much like with Amapiano’s predecessors, its artists stayed underground until the early 2010s, when the sound was exported to other parts of South Africa.
Johannesburg
Amapiano dominates DJ sets at clubs from Pretoria to Johannesburg.
Now, Spotify listeners around the world can find Amapiano on playlists like Piano to the World and Amapiano 101, which are both focused on bringing the genre to audiences beyond South Africa.
Mamelodi is a Sepedi word which can be directly translated to Mother of Melodies, which is perfectly fitting seeing as though it is one of the places where Amapiano has its roots.
FOURTH STOP
We’ve also made investments in education with our Spotify for Artists masterclasses, equipping the Amapiano creator community with insights and tools to help them bring their music farther than ever before.
From township jive in the shebeens to the piercing sounds of Kwaito and house music across taverns and pubs, Amapiano comes from a long legacy of underground music that has made its mark across South Africa—and now the world.
After South Africa, Great Britain, the U.S, and Nigeria are the top markets for Amapiano streaming. There are over 10M user-generated playlists featuring an Amapiano track.
Notable Amapiano artists hailing from Pretoria include:
Notable Amapiano artists from the area:
Streams of the genre grew more than 563% between 2019 and May 2022 on Spotify.
Pabi CooperKamo MphelaYoung Stunna
DJ MaphorisaFocalisticCh’ccoPabi CooperBongo BeatsJay SaxMyztroVigro Deep
TOSSKamo MphelaSamthing SowetoNjelicSemi TeeJay SaxDaliwongaDJ Stokkie
In 2019, Amapiano had a breakout year and became a global export.
Nightclubs
Now, Spotify listeners around the world can find Amapiano on playlists like Piano to the World and Amapiano 101, which are both focused on bringing the genre to audiences beyond South Africa.
After South Africa, Great Britain, the U.S, and Nigeria are the top markets for Amapiano streaming. There are over 10M user-generated playlists featuring an Amapiano track.
Amapiano was preceded by a subgenre of house music known as diBarcadi, which made its mark before social media and streaming. When diBacardi first emerged, it traveled underground quickly in Mamelodi and other Pretoria townships like Shoshanguve.
Streams of the genre grew more than 563% between 2019 and May 2022 on Spotify.
Mamelodi is a Sepedi word which can be directly translated to Mother of Melodies, which is perfectly fitting seeing as though it is one of the places where Amapiano has its roots.
Much like with Amapiano’s predecessors, its artists stayed underground until the early 2010s, when the sound was exported to other parts of South Africa.
It’s credited as a birthplace for Kwaito and Kasi rap, both of which preceded Amapiano.
The clubbing culture in South Africa is headlined by Gen Zs, who make the call for which spots to go to and when.
Amapiano dominates DJ sets at clubs from Pretoria to Johannesburg.
Most of the songs have dance routines that mimic the lyrics or extend the story of the song, contributing to their viral popularity as fans look to recreate or show off the dances.
We’ve also made investments in education with our Spotify for Artists masterclasses, equipping the Amapiano creator community with insights and tools to help them bring their music farther than ever before.
In 2019, Amapiano had a breakout year and became a global export.
Now, diBarcadi dance challenges dominate social media. It was with the emergence of diBacardi that Amapiano surfaced. It walked so Amapiano could run.
From township jive in the shebeens to the piercing sounds of Kwaito and house music across taverns and pubs, Amapiano comes from a long legacy of underground music that has made its mark across South Africa—and now the world.
It’s all in the beat: Within two seconds, the songs call you to the dance floor.
Soweto is short for South Western Townships.
Notable Amapiano artists from the area:
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