Kwaito

Style de musique sud-africaine née à Soweto dans les années 1990

Kwaito

Kwaito is a South African music style born in Soweto in the 1990s, after the end of apartheid. A fusion of house music, gqom, Zulu twins, and afrobeat, kwaito is characterized by a slow tempo (≈110-120 BPM), low beats, vocal samples, and a « township » aesthetic. It is the music of post-apartheid youth, played during parties and in townships.

Founding artists include Arthur Mafokate (the father of kwaito), Prophet Soul Son Of Darkness, Madtroop (composed of DJ Black, Big Nick, Lucky Dube — no, Lucky Dube is reggae) and later Driftwood, Brenda Fassie (reconversion to kwaito), Toya Delazy, and the current Black Coffee (afro house, closer to kwaito than gqom). Kwaito has profoundly influenced amapiano.

Brenda Fassie, with Weekend Special (1983) and her kwaito album No Easy Life, was an icon of the genre. Arthur Mafokate and Memeza popularized the style in the 1990s.