Amapiano’s Branding Dilemma
The rise of Amapiano
Amapiano is the latest wave of music pumping in the streets of South Africa right now. Pioneered by revered producers and DJ’s such as Kabza de Small, DJ Maphorisa, MFR Souls, and JazziDisciples just to name a few. The term was coined by music duo MFR Souls based on the consistency of the piano used to accommodate the rest of the instruments in production. Fortunately for us it has evolved into a hard hitting dance genre with killer vocals comprising of indigenous South African languages.
Amapiano’s origins began in Gauteng, in townships like Atteridgeville, Mamelodi, Vosloorus and Thembisa. It garnered very little attention back then due its simplicity or lack of musicality as well as prominent DJ’s not respecting the genre. It had very little vocals and most significantly very little appeal to the masses.
However around 2018 the genre began picking up speed, especially after Gqom garnered international attention, it brought back a feel good factor about township life, which has been missing from South African music ever since the Kwaito days.
With its growth, amapiano music has been subdivided into streams that cater to various tastes and for different occasions. For example, gong gong amapiano typically emphasises a combination of internal-organ-rattling percussions and basslines akin to di Bacardi — a Pitori-birthed party sound that lays vocals, keys and synths over a foundation of up-tempo break beats and typically single riff baselines.
Harvard Amapiano takes influences from deep and Afro tech house, which reached its zenith in the early 2000s. Vocals were introduced later in amapiano’s development for various reasons, including making each song uniquely memorable and increasing the chances of radio airplay. In its lyrical content, amapiano’s offerings range from emotional pining in the style of crooner Ringo Madlingozi to “if I die, I die” hedonism— Setumo Thebe Muhlomi
Besides the music in itself, I believe that Amapiano’s main pull is the lifestyle behind it which includes shisa nyama’s, popping bottles, beautiful women, dressing nice, the latest dance moves and partying like its your last. Not to mention, the Ayepyep lifestyle taking centre stage in Pretoria, became the catalyst for the genre being accepted in the mainstream.
What we can learn from Amapiano
According to an article by Sashin Pillay Gonzalez in The Plug Mag he explains:
In Harvard Business Review’s 6 Ways to Build a Customer-Centric Culture, they highlight the importance of businesses doing the following:
1. Using empathy to identify customers’ needs
2. Facilitating direct interaction with customers
In line with this, I believe DJ Maphorisa and Kabza de Small have been able to fulfil South Africa’s demand for good music when it has mattered the most. Importantly, they’ve done this through their ability to use Twitter as a vehicle to listen, interact and deliver.
In other words, when consumers requested more Amapiano music, artists like DJ Maphorisa & Kabza De Small obliged. Using Twitter as the main medium for interacting with consumers. Furthermore they’ve discovered a number of new talents on Twitter as well with songs like ‘Phoyisa’ and ‘Nguwe’ coming about because of online interactions.
In the space of 7 months this duo have released 8 albums: PianoHub, Scorpion Kings, The Return of the Scorpion Kings, Pretty Girls Love Amapiano(2019 & 2020), Once Upon a Time in Lockdown, Scorpion Kings Live and I Am The King of Amapiano. All of which have been given away for free before being placed on major streaming services. This eventually created a deeper connection with their fan base because they felt they’re music needs are being met.
Instead, its success is in how it has necessitated an ecosystem that supports a sound that was and continues to develop according to what audiences want to hear and the sounds with which they identify. — Setumo Thebe Muhlomi
Where Amapiano falls short
Although Amapiano is a fairly young genre it lacks when it comes to attaching itself to some value for its audience. It may be harsh to compare Amapiano to Hip hop considering Hip-Hop has been going on for almost 50 years now. However Hip-Hop has managed to attach itself to a few human values like success, aspiration, fun, rebelliousness, community and social justice. These values are what make hip hop sellable in almost any market around the world.
Hip hop has a long history of sneaker culture that has embedded itself as part of black culture in the United States. A perfect example of that would be Nike Jordan’s, which are a cultural symbol of success and aspiration because of the man they are named after, Michael Jordan. These sort of intrinsic values allow Hip Hop to own a space in the minds of individuals and allow them to continue purchasing music, merchandise and experiences.
This is where Amapiano is failing at the moment. Outside of having fun, what does Amapiano represent? Who does it represent? What aspirations or values can we attach to the genre? What would make me want to buy merchandise associated with Amapiano 3 years from now?
The future looks bright for Amapiano and I can’t wait to see what it will bring. And it’s only fair that we give it a chance to grow and evolve into something bigger. However in this day and age trends keep changing everyday which makes it so important to own space in consumers’ hearts and minds in order for them to keep coming back. The same way we all buy from the same stores, buy the same brands and listen to the same music consistently.
