5 Amapiano Queens Making Headlines Right Now. The second coming of kwaito. That is how amapiano has been dubbed by the streets. The thick basslines, the slow tempo that yearns for pantsula moves, the kwaito style of rapping and deep connection to the kasi lifestyle, are some of the traits the two genres
Check out the top 5 amapiano queens making headlines right now:
Kamo Mphela
Kamo Mphela’s impact on the South African entertainment industry wasn’t fully appreciated. Having entered the industry as a popular social media personality and a highly in-demand dancer at events across Soweto, breaking into the musical industry has not been easy. Her voice on the mic is unremarkable – a hoarse, low-pitched drawl better suited to MC’ing and hosting – but Mphela made the bold decision that she wanted to be true superstar.
Uncle Waffles
Uncle Waffles went viral in late October thanks to a video in which she danced while behind the ones and twos. She managed to get more than 4-million views and a follow from Drake. There was no stopping her from that point as she got booked and busy — locally and internationally — and made sure everyone knew who Uncle Waffles is.
DBN Gogo
DBN Gogo and Lady Du’s Dakiwe was an essential for any urban event held in South Africa in 2021. Driven by the infectious Dakiwe Challenge, which saw revellers swaying from side to side while bobbing their heads, Dakiwe became a viral hit off the back of DBN Gogo’s inventiveness and acute understanding of virility. She followed Dakiwe up with two consecutive platinum-selling smash hits, ‘Possible’ and ‘Khuza Gogo’, securing her spot as one of the top DJs in SA, male or female.
Earlier in the year, DBN Gogo was among the six African artists who were enlisted for Spotify’s global batch of RADAR artists, which set the stage for her to receive significant support from the streaming giant who are now punting her to new fan audiences globally. Her two latest singles, Bambelela and Bells, have extended her run and are both among the most streamed amapiano songs released this year.
Pabi Cooper
Pabi Cooper drew public attention way before she started releasing chart-topping singles. She became popular just off of her looks and her superstar aura. So when she released her breakthrough single ‘Isiphithiphithi’ featuring Reece Madlisa, Joocy and Busta 929 last August, her brand is making a mark and she solidified her place as a bona-fide star.
Boohle
Vosloorus-hailing Buhle Manyati, known fondly as Boohle, is responsible for writing some of the biggest songs amapiano has had on offer, from the Cassper Nyovest and Abidoza accented “Siyathandana” (which has just surpassed 6 million views on Youtube), to the Josiah De Disciple-produced “Mama”, which recently got a powerful remix by Afro-house master Da Capo.
