INTRODUCTION

Amapiano music and dance have played a significant role in expressing the culture and bringing people together. In South Africa, Amapiano, a subgenre of house music, emerged in the mid-2010s and has since become a sensation worldwide. Amapiano is a blend of deep house, jazz, lounge music, and kwaito, characterized by synths, wide percussive basslines, and unique synergy.

BACKGROUND OF AMAPIANO

Amapiano was started by Tumelo Nedondwe and Tumelo Mabe, who call themselves (MFR souls). They came up with the name ‘Amapiano’ and popularized it. The genre used to be called ‘number’. Eventually, Kabza De Small also played the music. The rise of Amapiano is attributed to local stars who gave the subgenre life and expanded it throughout the nation, from the streets of townships such as Soweto, Mamelodi, Attredgivelle, Katlehong, Alexandra, and Vosloorus. Today, artists like Uncle Waffles take Amapiano to the world with their popular catchphrase, “Piano to the world.”

IMPACT OF AMAPIANO ON SOUTH AFRICAN YOUTH

The Amapiano expresses enjoyment, struggles, and the true essence of youth. The genre has encouraged them to be their authentic selves and has made so much room for them in the music entertainment industry and the rest of the world as the genre gains global attention. The relatability of Amapiano artists such as Kabza de Small and Maphorisa to the youth has made their music a source of inspiration and motivation. It has provided young artists a new means of self-expression and communication, particularly in impoverished black communities. It has given them hope and opportunities to break free from various socioeconomic challenges such as mental illness, unemployment, etc. 

AMAPIANO DRESS WEAR AND ADVANTAGES

Generally speaking, men’s style is mostly an ode to the old school, comprising bucket hats, beanies, canvas, jeans, and chinos. Woman’s style One of the main strengths of Amapiano is an undiluted love of the groove, the role of good times, and physical dissolution in the transports of rhythm. This trait was common to all Black music until the alarming turn contemporary hip hop took. 

CONCLUSION

Amapiano has introduced a new way of life among South Africans It provides a means to express themselves, communicate, and integrate into their environment. It continues to break down societal norms and limits for South Africans while providing another available method of using rhythm to express oneself. As Bantu Stephen Biko once said, “Nothing dramatizes the eagerness of the Africans to communicate with each other more than their love for song and rhythm.”