Renowned artist Swae Lee found himself embroiled in controversy after announcing his forthcoming Amapiano track, triggering a heated response from South African and Nigerian Twitter users.
Swae Lee attempts to clean up mess after misplacing Amapiano origins
The Sunflower hitmaker’s attempt to generate excitement among fans took an unexpected turn when he mistakenly associated Amapiano with Nigeria, sparking accusations of misrepresentation.
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Twitter users swiftly expressed their discontent, emphasising that Amapiano is an authentic South African genre, pioneered by the likes of DJ Maphorisa, Kabza De Small and Makwa.
One user commented,
“Amapiano belongs to South Africans, fam. This is the second international artist making this mistake. Give the right people their props.”
Swae Lee defended himself, stating,
“I didn’t say it belonged to anyone. I’m Nigerian, that’s why I put it.”
He further acknowledged South Africans for creating Amapiano but failed to grasp the significance of his misrepresentation.
The incident fueled a contentious debate among fans from both nations regarding the appropriateness of non-South African artists adopting the Amapiano label.
Swae Lee’s statements exposed an underlying issue of division, prompting him to call for unity and mutual support within the diaspora.
Despite the backlash, he remained determined, promising to deliver “Amapiano bangers” in the future while expressing his admiration for South Africans as the originators of the genre.
“I never discredited nobody sorry y’all read it that way I never said anything about it’s origins in that tweet I was just letting my fans know I’m tapped in and been cooking some amapiano style songs salute to the history of amapiano and the first creators of it I’m not taking that away from anybody much love and stay tuned,” he wrote in one tweet reply.
Following the uproar, Swae Lee released a video response clarifying his intentions and expressing regret for unintentionally causing division.
He attributed his introduction to Amapiano to Nigerians while emphasising his Nigerian heritage as a point of connection.
Was Amapiano pioneered in South Africa?
Amapiano is a popular music genre that originated in South Africa, particularly in the townships of Gauteng province, around the mid-2010s. The term “amapiano” loosely translates to “the pianos” in Zulu, and it refers to the prominent use of piano melodies in the music style.
The roots of Amapiano can be traced back to various musical influences in South Africa, including kwaito, deep house, jazz, and traditional South African rhythms. In the early 2010s, a group of young producers and DJs from the townships of Pretoria and Johannesburg started experimenting with a fusion of these genres, giving rise to the sound that eventually became known as Amapiano.
Initially, Amapiano gained popularity through mixtapes and underground parties in the townships, where DJs and producers would showcase their tracks and remixes. The genre quickly gained momentum, capturing the attention of music lovers across South Africa and eventually spreading to other parts of the continent.
One of the key figures credited with popularising Amapiano is DJ Stokie, who released a series of mixtapes in 2015 that helped establish the genre’s distinct sound. Other prominent artists and groups such as Kabza De Small, Mfr Souls, DJ Maphorisa, Vigro Deep, and many more have contributed to the growth and evolution of Amapiano.