Frank Casino Shares His Opinion On SA Rappers Jumping On The Amapiano Wave. Even during the pandemic, amapiano, a bright, jazzy dance music culled from local house flavors and global R&B, has persisted as the country’s top genre, according to prominent South African artists and DJs. This came after COVID-19-mandated lockdown, saw Amapiano, a subgenre of Afro-House tear through the cracks to become Africa’s most trendy dance rhythm. The genre also witnessed artists from other genres transitioning towards amapiano.
Frank Casino said he has no problem with amapiano nor rappers jumping into amapiano. “I actually don’t have a problem with amapiano at all. I think we needed it in the country. I always my friends ‘I can imagine other countries going through this pandemic without amapiano. The pandemic is bad, but with amapiano it wasn’t that bad. I don’t have any issue with amapiano, anybody can do whatever it is they wanna do,” he said.
The likes of Cassper Nyovest, Reason, Khuli Chana, Blxckie, and many other Hip Hop artists have jumped into amapiano. When asked if whether he would jump on amapiano, Frank Casino said absolutely. “Yeah, if I find something that makes sense I would,” Frank Casino added.
Between 2017 and now, the genre’s popularity has moved well past South Africa’s borders. When the amapiano sound was crawling its way into the township chillas (pubs) and clambering onto cellphones, it did so mostly without a voice. Early amapiano was almost exclusively instrumental electronic music that led with drums and percussions reminiscent of di Bacardi and a bassline derived from altered kick drums.
Major record labels are also signing amapiano producers. For instance, DJ Sumbody’s label, Sum Sounds, recently signed with Sony Music – bringing with it a cohort of producers with strong followings both on and off the mainstream radar.
Watch the full interview here:
