Amapiano takes Africa and the African Diasporas by storm

DBN Gogo

• Amapiano artists charge as much as R200 000 for a single show in Africa.
• Covid-19 international lockdowns partly to credit for their current demand.
• Amapiano has grown into a global sound, particularly because of the Southern African diaspora community in Europe and the United States.

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When DBN Gogo real name Mandisa Radebe, 28, went on stage at 02:00 on Monday at a farm resort Yacht Club on the northern outskirts of Bulawayo, the second-largest city of Zimbabwe, she couldn’t believe the electrifying audience waiting for her.

“Oh my word!” she exclaimed, making her way to the stage with a bit of fright visible in her eyes.

She had serenaded an equally hungry crowd in the capital city, Harare, just less than 24 hours prior. Her next stop could be another African city.

After almost two years of no flights because of Covid-19 induced lockdowns across the globe, the entertainment industry was one of the hardest hit. The most affected in South Africa was probably the new wave youthful sound amapiano – a somewhat offshoot of kwaito and house music.

Now the young artists are travelling the continent, cashing in on the festive season. First in Zimbabwe was the Major League duo that experienced Zimbabwean life in aristocratic fashion.

Their hosts took them to gigs in a private jet between cities, and for the love they received, they are back in Zimbabwe on 22 December.

Announcing on their Twitter account @MAJORLEAGUEDJZ, the duo has a series of shows in the first African country to gain independence, Ghana, in December.

Amapiano has grown into a global sound, particularly because of the Southern African diaspora community in Europe and the United States. Major League DJs this month have a series of gigs in the US.

Vusa Mkhaya, an Afro music producer based in Austria, told News24 that amapiano artists are reaping the fruits of hard work done during the lockdown because they created a lot of content.

“I think one of the positive things that came out of this pandemic is the way people embraced online entertainment and arts in general.

“The song Jerusalema went viral worldwide thanks to the dance challenge that came up during the pandemic when the world was on lockdown and people had time to consume art from the comfort of their homes.”

“Amapiano artists were busy creating and feeding the world new music using their social media pages. So when the world opened up, people all over the world were hungry and still are for live entertainment,” he said.

Amapiano DJs are making relatively good money. They charge between R50 000 to R200 000 per show. A music promoter who has taken some into African cities, Adias Moyo, said the artists are worth every penny they charge.

“An average amapiano artist commands a crowd of at least 2 000 revellers. People pay top dollar outside South Africa for a good time,” he said.

On Friday, he’s taking Boohle (Buhle Manyanthi), the melodious voice in Cassper Nyovest’s Siyathandana, to Bulawayo. Depending on the show, his intention is to take the artist to other SADC cities.

In 2015 at the height of xenophobic attacks in South Africa, Cassper Nyovest almost postponed his shows in Zimbabwe, fearing a backlash.

Out of love, he donated his earnings to victims of xenophobic attacks.

On 29 April next year, the Victoria Falls carnival is making a return.

Bringing people from various parts of Southern Africa, the DJ lineup has been announced, and the top acts are amapiano gods DJ Maphorisa, Kabza De Small, music producer Master KG who’s Jerusalema hit is known far and wide in Africa destinations.