Watch! Scorpion Kings Drop ‘Hello’ Music Video. Two authorities on the movement are DJ Maphorisa – who has built a huge profile in South African music over the last 10 years – and Kabza de Small, often referred to as the king of amapiano.
Prestigious South African Scorpion Kings duo made of Kabza De Small and DJ Maphorisa have finally dropped the music video of their hit song titled “Hello”. The duo teased the music video on their social media before announcing it’s official release.
Since the two started working together, they have changed the Amapiano game forever. Speaking on how he met Kabza for the first time, Maphorisa said: “Live gigs helped me evolve and stay on top of things on the streets. Before organising a gig, I would always ask: “Who’s popping? What’s going on? What’s new on the scene?” Once in 2018, before doing a show in Soweto, I asked, “Who’s upcoming?” And the streets responded with a conclusive, “Stokie and Kabza”. So I booked them. Kabza had a hot single at the time, “Umshove,” and I immediately suggested that we work together. His friend also told me how he’d been a huge fan of my music from the Uhuru era. But with amapiano, I didn’t want to interfere much by introducing too many new elements. I was already a fan of the sound. Back at the studio with Kabza, I would study him while he did his thing and then step in where I’m mostly good at — songwriting and recording vocals. We had two different chemistries that benefitted from each other. We really vibed in studio, and as a result, composed a lot of music and experimented with new sounds.During that period when we were releasing a lot of music, I feel like South Africa started switching up and getting influenced by what we were doing — and our sound, too, started evolving. There are certain sub-genres within amapiano that started emerging — such as instrumentals that didn’t work in studio, but were a hit in the club.”
“With my experience, I was able to share a lot of knowledge with Kabza. I’ve seen a lot of loopholes in how people run record labels and treat artists, so it was important that I pass on that information! Travelling also opened my eyes to how best to navigate the music industry. In LA, for example, I realised that you can be a big artist and not write your own songs. In South Africa, most musicians think they have to write, produce and engineer their own tracks. Travelling has also taught me that we need to introduce some major changes, soon, because the music game has long changed. First up, don’t sign with a major label — you can own your masters and get a distribution deal. Plus, social media and streaming platforms are good tools for growing music. Technology is moving us forward. I helped Kabza apply a lot of the lessons I was teaching him — they worked and I’m really proud of him. Going forward, the music business will be easier for the next generation of artists,” he added.
