With a host of new releases, kwaito looks to be the holiday soundtrack this year, writes Phillip Kakaza
Jingle Bells might be blaring through the malls, but this season it’s the latest kwaito and d’gong releases that are getting party animals geared for the hot nights ahead.
If you ask anyone, from producers to DJs to party animals, what’s worth getting down to, they’ll tell you kwaito, the country’s biggest- and fastest-selling homegrown genre, or d’gong, that infectious drum ‘n’ bass rhythm influenced by Jamaican reggae.
This is a big period for the subculture that defines today’s black youth — from fashion to fast life. It’s when the latest releases head from studios to the sound systems across the nation.
Fresh on the shelves is M’du’s latest, cleverly named, album M’du or Die. M’du was one of the first to make it big on the kwaito scene and this album comes as proof that this is one star that hasn’t burnt out. Destined for chart status, M’du or Die is a hard, pumping album with a fast rhythm and rap lyrics rather than song.
Neither Mashamplani’s Neva neva nor Trompies’s Shosholoza are exceptionally gripping. The rhythm and lyrics send out the same, tired message: `It’s summer time, get your fast car, cruise to a party with babes and have fun.’
TKZee seem to be one of the few kwaito outfits that have come out with an outstanding kwaito release following on their success last year with their single Palafala which sold over 25 000 units over a few weeks.TKZee’s sound is not your usual kwaito remix stuff – it’s spiced with classical sounds and smooth vocals. And the secret lies with Zwai’s classical background as a former member of the Drakensberg Boys’ Choir.
They take their inspiration from Beethoven. And listening to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony has helped them to merge kwaito with classical music and come out with a distinctive sound. They’ve done this brilliantly on their recent release Halloween. One of the best tracks is Sikelela which bears little resemblance, apart from the name, to Boom Shaka’s controversial and cheeky Nkosi Sikelela iAfrica.
TKZee’s message is: “Lord be with us and
bless us while we have fun during this festive season. Protect us from all evil.”
O’Da Meesta’s brand new Fosholo release carries the same message. They plead with fans to leave all dangerous weapons behind whenever they go out to have fun.
So, it’s time to get over the comparison between kwaito’s fast life and the East Coast-West Coast “faction fighting” that has dogged the United States rap scene and led to the deaths of top artists Notorious BIG and Tupac Shakur.
Kwaito has come a long way since the early Nineties when Gauteng’s youth first moved out of the ghetto – from the political toyi-toying scenes and African pop made big by Brenda Fassie – and started moulding a unique homebrewed sound to party to.
Since the self-styled King of Kwaito Arthur Mafokate catapulted the genre into the mainstream market with provocative songs like Kaffir and Dangalaza (spread your legs), more groups have emerged from the dusty townships to became the driving force of kwaito.
Superstar Mafokate has founded his own independant recording company, 999, which produces solo artist Iyaya (formerly Queen of Abashante fame). He also brought his own late brother Oupa “Makhendlas” to the limelight. A new release from 999 records is Abashante’s single, Dreams. With their hit title track, the sexy girls will be injecting summer dance floors with an abundance of energy and sexy gyrations.
To ride further on the kwaito wave to the new millennium, it’s a must to tune into another major independent record company, Ghetto Ruff which has, over the years, boosted Skeem, Prophets of da City (POC) and O’Da Meesta into the spotlight.
It started by putting POC’s hip hop on the global map when they first toured Europe in late 1994 and went on to do the same with Skeem.
Back from the Africa Fethe international concert in Paris where they represented Southern Africa, Skeem has come out with a cooking single called Can’t Get, featuring the harmonic voice of E’Smile aka Ishmael Morabe.
Skeem also features on E’Smile’s new CD, My House, a smooth, but funky disc which takes its influence from a few choice US R&B balladeers, but retains its South Africanness with its lyrics that combine English, Sotho and Zulu.
Ghetto Ruff has also produced names like Kyllex, who has come out with a mix-masala album called Jamza. Though predominantly kwaito, it’s spiced with some R&B. Kyllex is no stranger to this genre. He has worked with Queen, and Lebo of Boom Shaka as well as producing E’Smile’s My House.
He also produced and wrote songs for Ghetto Luv, the new sizzlingly street-smart girls on the block.
The other big news is that Andy “Admiral” Kasrils has done it – he’s mixed kwaito and ragga on his new release Ragga Gong. This is one album with a beat as huge as Africa. With a drum ‘n’ bass rhythm like this who can keep their feet off the dance floor?
But what is the son of our deputy minister of defence doing in the music business? As he says: “It’s simply to make my people happy.” Featured on Ragga Gong is Bruce Sebitlo of Brothers of Peace as well as Appleseed and Speedy of Bongo Maffin.
So, it’s time to unplug your ears and watch out for kwaito gigs which take South Africa with a big boom this summer.