The genre has grown to take different styles within itself. A number of the political stakeholders did not welcome the idea warmly. Kwaito band Boom Shaka, similarly, faced criticism after they released a rendition of the South African national anthem. SABC radio station banned the song forcing the artist to reproduce it. Some of the fans criticized the singer citing that the song was too explicit to be played on air. In 2005, singer Arthur sparked a huge debate after he released ‘Sika Lekhekhe’. Kwaito music on several occasions has been a subject of debate among various stakeholders following controversial content that was expressed by some of the artists. The collaboration of Kwaito musicians with other music stars strengthened the genre on a global scale. Its close association with house music made it easier for people to relate to it. With time, the genre’s popularity crossed the borders and spread to the rest of the world. Among the pioneer artists of the genre were Arthur Mafokate, Oskido, Boom Shaka, and Mdu Masilela. One of the first successful Kwaito hit songs was ‘Kaffir’ by Arthur Mafokate.įollowing the popularity of the genre, a good number of South African artists ventured into it. The music genre was used to exercise freedom of expression. It gained popularity after South Africa got independence with its democratically elected president. The beats were developed by fusing house music beats with those from African music. The genre is characterized by slowed-tempo beats that sound similar to those of house music, with a sequential kick drum on each beat. "When house music got popular, people from the ghetto called it Kwaito after the Afrikaans slang word kwai, meaning those house tracks were hot, that they were kicking," he stated.
He further expounded on the close relationship between Kwaito music and house music. Celebrated musician Mdu Masilela once explained how the word developed into a music genre. The word Kwaito stems from the Afrikaans language and translates to ‘hot’ in English. It is, however, distinguished by its unique style of presentation. The genre borrows most of its features from Hip Hop and house music. Kwaito is a South African music genre that emerged in the 1990s during Nelson Mandela’s reign as the country’s first elected black president.
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