On the 11^th of July, American singer and rapper Swae Lee caused quite a stir on social media when he tweeted “Wait till y’all hear me on Amapiano” with a Nigerian flag next to it. The rapper got a lot of backlash from South Africans, who stated that Amapiano emerged from South Africa and while the genre has reached the international stage, it is important to remember Amapiano as a South African genre and credit pioneers like Kabza de Small, KWiiSH SA, DJ Stokie, Josiah De Disciple, Major League, DBN Gogo, Maphorisa and MFR Souls, amongst many others. 

The genre gained a lot of popularity in the South African music scene in 2019. With hit songs like Shesha by De Mthuda and Njelic, Kokota by KayGee Daking ft. Bizizi and the late Killa Kau, Nana Thula by DJ Maphorisa and Kabza de Small ft. Njelic, and more songs topping the music charts. The genre continued to grow over the years and produced hit songs like Waga Bietjie by Pabi Cooper, Khuza Gogo by DBN Gogo, and Adiwele by Young Stunna. And more recently, the Tyler ICU hit Mnike has taken the internet by storm, not only has it dominated the local radio charts, but it has turned into a global hit single with thousands of videos created on TikTok using the sound. The genre’s exponential growth led to the establishment of its own music awards ceremony in 2021, and it has also expanded its influence beyond the confines of South Africa.

Artists including Davido have stepped into the genre, collaborating with South African artists such as Focalistic on the Ke Star Remix and Champion Sounds, Musa Keys on Unavailable, and Sho Madjozi on I Got a Friend ft. Mayorkun. Marioo, a Tanzanian artist also released a song featuring Sho Madjozi called Mama Amina. More international artists continue to jump on the Amapiano wave, like Goya Meno and Nektunes with the popular Amapiano song titled Ameno-Amapiano Remix.  

The genre continues to grow and it has given us stars like Uncle Waffles, Musa Keys, Tyler ICU, Boohle, Kamo Mphela, Soa Mattrix, Lady Du, Daliwonga, Mr and more. And while the genre has grown and is being embraced internationally, it is still important for South Africa to be mentioned in conversations surrounding Amapiano because it is a genre that emerged from South Africa, and it is important for it to be remembered that way so that South Africa’s impact is not erased from the musical history of Amapiano.