On Kwaito and Corporate (American) Hip Hop
In this episode of 'Office Conversations,' a few of us break down the blurred lines between kwaito, an indigenous South African pop genre, and hip hop.
A still from the music video for “Caracara” by K.O.
Welcome to another episode of Africa is a Country “Office Conversations.” This edition we offer up a little arm-chair pop-musicology to help you turn up on a Tuesday afternoon. Participants are Sean Jacobs, Dylan Valley, Boima Tucker, and Ts’eliso Monaheng.
Sean: I like this track . . .
Dylan: What’s interesting now is how the lines between kwaito and South African hip hop have become blurred. Really liking the hip hop that has more of a kwaito sensibility i.e ‘Caracara’
Sean: Caracara is my favorite track right now. And the remix blending it with Notorious BIG is even better.
Boima: I need to get my hands on that K.O. album! Not for sale outside of South Africa!? . . . Glad that you said it had a Kwaito sensibility. Helps me think through my defense of the “Americanization” of African Rap . . .
Perhaps the tempos and production sensibilities of currently zeitgeist-y Southern Rap are more close to the Caribbean than the Jazz and Soul influenced East Coast predecessors? Allows for a more pan-African [Black Atlantic] rhythmic stew in which kwaito, dancehall (that Burna Boy track with AKA is dope!), rap, and reggaeton can all blend.
Like how easy Nigerians are able to jump on a Bay beat (which is very clave oriented).
Ts’eliso: I actually never thought about it like that, but what you’re saying is valid. We were speaking about it the other day with someone; what dudes in South African are doing is to essentially rip off a producer like Mustard’s whole style and layer raps filled with a ton of kwaito references on top of that. Most of what’s coming out now wouldn’t pass as “hip hop” ten years ago.
Boima: And Mustard “ripped off” Bay Area teenagers.
Ts’eliso: Oh shit, didn’t know that story . . . and so it goes. There’s an interesting one here about how KO and his clique bit off their entire style from dudes in Tembisa (a hood in Joburg). Man, a whole book could be written about inter-scene biting, or whatever it’s called.
And there you have it. Join us next time for another episode of Africa is a Country “Office Conversations.”
