Asake, DJ Maphorisa & Nigeria’s quest to adopt Amapiano
More culture vulture vibes
The first time I listened to “Dupe”, the fifth song on Nigerian singer Asake’s new album ‘Mr Money with the Vibe’, it sounded instantly familiar. In a group chat, a close friend and music industry guy Honour Aghedo described the song as “Fuji X Cele X Piano.” He was almost spot on: Asake’s delivery has owed, and will always owe, a lot to Fuji music influences, and if you’re remotely familiar with the praise and worship mode of the Celestial Church of Christ, the horns and stacked vocal chants of “Shout Halle!” will hit different.
The one thing Honour got wrong in his breakdown of the songs elements was the Amapiano part. Immediately after I read that text, it clicked in my head that the combination of the drumbeat pattern and lush keys for “Dupe” is cut from Dream House, a dance music subgenre currently spearheaded by South African producer Sun-El Musician, alongside affiliate collaborators like Claudio and Kenza. Beyond tracing its sonic origin, another song began to hum in my head: “We Were Here” by South African singer and Sun-El affiliate, Simmy.
Now, I’m not going to imply plagiarism because there’s a tiny bit of variation, but it’s impossible to ignore the percussive similarities between “Dupe” and the Sun-El-produced “We Were Here”. Full disclosure, I’d listened to ‘Mr Money with the Vibe’ two weeks before its official drop, giving it two full spins via a PR link before deciding to save further listens for release night. That feeling of familiarity crept up on me a few times during those initial listens, but only became clearer on further listen after the album’s release.
Since ‘Mr Money with the Vibe’ came out a week ago, Asake’s reverence has taken another leap forward. Already, you could define the singer’s year as an epic breakout run that’s not only impacted Nigerian pop, but also deeply influenced it. The addition of an album that many would describe as truly special has undeniably knighted Asake as a generational talent in the making. There are many reasons to praise ‘Mr Money with the Vibe’, a project packed with songs that boast infinite replay value, in large part due to Asake’s powers as a resonant lyricist and a songwriter with a gift for choruses that take up real estate space in your head the moment you hear them.
There’s also the sole producer factor: Magicsticks, the man behind all 12 songs on the album. Nigerian music has seen a couple of awe-inspiring artist-producer pairings on a single LP, from Shina Peters and Laolu Akins on the Afro-Juju classic ‘Ace’, to 9ice and ID Cabasa on street-pop classic ‘Gongo Aso’, to Dagrin and Sossick on the street rap classic ‘C.E.O’, and more. (Full disclosure: 9ice and Dagrin had one guest producer each on their album, but the point still stands.) The chemistry and splendid execution on ‘Mr Money with the Vibe’ puts Asake and Magicsticks in that same category.
Listening to Magicsticks’ work on Asake’s debut LP reminds me of the work of highly revered neo-impressionist painter, Ken Hong Leung—it’s colourful, richly layered, sometimes purposefully cluttered and always instantly captivating. The sonic canvas for this album is littered with groovy choices, none more prominent than the log drum and percussive ticks of Amapiano, so I get why the default thing to do is attribute every SA dance-influenced track to the producer’s affinity for ‘Piano tricks. Six of the twelve songs are ‘Piano-indented, and if you count “Dupe”, that’s seven tracks indebted to the influence of South African Dance Music.
Magicsticks isn’t the first producer to mine the influences of dance music from South Africa and successfully translate it into a Nigerian context. In fact, he’s definitely amongst the upper echelon of soundmen in this current Omopiano/Fujipiano/Naijapiano (or whatever you want to call it) wave, but being able to locate specific stylistic precedents on more than a few of his helmed songs, strips his craft of some of its mystery.
As soon as the “Dupe” situation clicked on release night, I realised how indebted ‘Mr Money’ penultimate song, “Sunmomi”, is to Vigro Deep’s “Slender”, and I couldn’t stop hearing direct influences of Mellow & Sleazy’s “Bopha” and Felo Le Tee and Myztro’s “66” on phenomenal lead single, “Peace Be Unto You (PBUY)”. It was heartening, though, to hear Asake reference 9umba, Mdoovar and Toss’ star-studded smash hit, “uMlando”, on album highlight “Joha”.
The day after ‘Mr Money with the Vibe’ was released, South African DJ and artist DBN Gogo expressed worries about the trajectory of Amapiano via a written post on her IG stories, evidently inspired by listening to Asake’s album. “We in big trouble if we don’t start moving collectively and forcing our way into the right doors,” DBN Gogo wrote, who feared that Amapiano is “gonna be taken right from us.” She even goes on to admit the excellence of Asake’s debut, but also implies the narrative reengineering that could take place by a great project from a Nigerian pop act featuring recreated inventions of an inherently South African sound.
Bandile Mbere, one half of superstar twin Amapiano DJ/producer duo Major League DJz, reposted DGN Gogo’s post to his Instagram as a way of agreeing with her sentiment, while also crowning Asake the biggest Amapiano act right now. With his album, Asake furthered the conversations about the adoption and appropriation of Amapiano across African pop, and it’s turned out some interesting takes so far.
On the Monday-premiered episode of Podcast and Chill, media personality MacG, alongside co-host Sol Phenduka and in-studio colleagues, discussed the co-opting of ‘Piano, especially with regards to its Nigerian iterations. “I don’t mind if we call it Amapiano even if it’s not from SA, if they respected the craft and the artistry of ‘Piano,” Sol says. “But they don’t, it’s watered down,”MacG quickly retorts. “We need to gate-keep Amapiano as much as we can now, so that it grows as a South African brand,” a colleague behind the camera offers.
While Sol doesn’t agree to the gatekeeping idea, citing the recent smash success of South African rapper K.O’s Afrobeats song, “SETE”, there’s a consensus agreement on authenticity and respect for what the sound is. In this situation, gatekeeping can’t work, while authenticity and respect are complex ideals. Amapiano emerged from South Africa’s township, incubated for about half a decade before its mainstream acceptance in 2019. What’s even more impressive is how the subgenre, an intoxicating and hyperlocal blend of Kwaito, Deep House and Jazz, has continued to sonically evolve and mutate into smaller dimensions. With its ongoing history and deep cultural significance to South Africans, it’s understandable that gatekeeping is an option, and those even in support of continued adoption would like respect and authenticity to be undebatable ideals.
— Madzadza Miya (@Madzadza) September 8, 2022
Recently, respected South African producer, DJ and record label executive DJ Maphorisa gave props to Asake for “Sungba”, the smash hit off the singer’s semi-eponymous debut EP from February, which received a Burna Boy-assisted remix. “Shout-out to the Nigerians who doing ‘Piano, we fuck with you niggas,” Phori said during an IG Live, a bold endorsement from one the subgenre’s key play. At that, it’s a bit ironic, considering MacG and his colleagues went on to discuss widely held sentiment that Phori is a gatekeeper within the South African Amapiano scene, in that same episode—which elicited sarcasm-tinged rebuttals from the producer/DJ on Twitter.
Yesterday, Maphorisa was again at the centre of Ampaiano appropriation talks, but this time, he was facing the ire of a Nigerian pop superstar and his stans. Seeking to set the record straight, Phori quote replied a tweet stating that “Davido brought Amapiano from South Africa two years ago and made it a successful genre in Africa”, noting Kabza De Small’s “Sponono” from the summer of 2020, which featured Wizkid, Burna Boy, and himself—as his rap alter ego Madumane. It was supposed to be an innocuous reply, but it seemed to backfire right before our eyes.
If you’re familiar with Wizkid FC and 30BG, the stan bases of Wizkid and Davido, the intent of the original tweet is clear as day. You see, Wizkid just returned with his first single in nearly two years, “Bad to Me”, and its musical dalliance with Amapiano is a big part of its appeal. Since this was Wiz’s first time dabbling into the sub-genre on a solo basis, the tweet was meant as a detraction to the singer by an ardent Stan of a rival superstar, who even expressly adds that Wizkid is benefitting from a trend Davido helped jumpstart.
Two hours after Maphorisa sent out his tweet, Davido hopped on Phori’s tweet to accuse the producer of “never” liking him, indirectly validating the sentiments of his Stan. Immediately, a large side of Nigerian Twitter went into a frenzy, with takes on which Nigerian artist jumped on ‘Piano first or made it popular in Nigeria and West Africa. To be candid and definitely dismissive, the entire topic and its motives are downright asinine. To demonstrate, during the heat of the inane conversation, Nigerian singer May D restated a claim he made three months ago, that he was the first Nigerian artist to tap into Amapiano, clearly referring to “Get Down”, his Oskido-assisted HOUSE song from years ago.
"I was the first Nigerian artiste to do Amapiano sound"
– Mr May D pic.twitter.com/FpaOqBav7Y
—
♡
@OneJoblessBoy (@OneJoblessBoy) June 2, 2022
In the last two-plus years, a lot has been said about the influence of Amapiano on Nigerian pop, how the widespread adoption of another South African Dance music sub-genre is a repetition of recent history, and Nigerian music’s penchant to cannibalise influence or, even worse, rewrite the narrative. I even wrote an essay detailing why Nigeria shouldn’t be aiming to own Amapiano. A lot of that essay revolved around consistently giving credit to its originators and finding wholesome ways to adopt, but this conversation on who popularised ‘Piano is a damning plot twist I didn’t see coming.
One of the pillars of urban Nigerian music is co-opting sounds from near and far, and turning them into distinct iterations that the local audience can enjoy and identify with. A downside of this that rears its head too often is, it turns into appropriation and stealing. It’s already happened with highlife-indented pop, which has roots in Ghana and is the basis of the “Afrobeats” sound, making this current conversation a potential catalyst for Nigerian pop’s cannibalisation of Amapiano.
This time, though, instead of claiming wholesale ownership of the sound, it is uncannily readjusting the narrative framework through which Amapiano should be viewed. It’s no longer about who originated the sound and continues to push it forward musically, it’s about who’s at its commercial forefront. Afropop revolves around Nigeria, so we know how that will go.
Just a matter of time before Nigerians give themselves credit for the air that we breath. https://t.co/BrawSW56Tf
— Xolani-Njabulo
(@maxola1) September 14, 2022
I have a theory: Nigerians have fully accepted “Afrobeats” as the descriptive tag for the music that comes out of the country, a catch-all term that ignores all nuances and sacrifices cultural integrity for commercial prominence, which means many of listeners and even artists can’t fathom fully respecting Amapiano as a cultural lodestar and not a sound to just rip, take advantage of, or score points of off. How else do you explain Afropiano? What, even, is Afropiano?
Perhaps an investigation into what Nigerian artist helped start the Amapiano craze—whether it was Mayorkun’s “Of Lagos” or Niniola’s “Addicted” or Rema’s “Woman”. Maybe it would be an avenue to figure out which Amapiano-fuelled Nigerian songs have been the most impactful—whether it’s Rexxie’s “KPK”, Goya Menor’s “Ameno” or Davido’s “Champion Sound”. But even dignifying those ideas would be neatly laying out the Nigerian pop’s standing as something of a culture vulture, a bully hell-bent on imposing its will just because it can.
Those accusations won’t go away until Nigerian artists and music listeners start treating its musical and cultural imports with respect. As this whole Amapiano thing goes to show, that may not be happening anytime soon.
Editors note: The original version of this article included the word colonise which has now been changed to adopted
READ OUR DIGITAL COVER, SOUNDS FROM THIS SIDE: AMAPIANO
Shekhinah Returns With Surprise Album, ‘Less Trouble’
The South African R&B star is at her most assertive on her first album in four years.
South African R&B and Pop singer Shekhinah has released a new surprise album titled ‘Less Trouble.’ The Durban star, who had been quiet for most of the year, took to social media shortly before midnight to share the new album’s cover, synopsis, and tracklist, simply stating, ‘If you’re seeing this my album LESS TROUBLE is out now at Midnight,’ in an Instagram caption.
The soulful singer first began teasing ‘Less Trouble,’ her first album in over four years, about a year ago when she released its lead single “Risk,” a bouncy Afropop-inspired collab with Ghanaian star MOLIY. A few months after the release of “Risk,” she put out “Steady,” a dreamy pop number that suggested that something bigger was on the horizon. But then it was largely radio silence about a project until its surprise arrival at midnight.
If 2021’s ‘Trouble In Paradise’ represented a coming-of-age for Shekhinah, subsisting some of the dreamy, youthful exuberance of her debut album for more measured musings on themes like heartbreak and grief, ‘Less Trouble’ finds her at her most assertive, writing and singing with the acuity of someone who is grown, decisive and discerning. The delicate opener “Break Up Season” sets the tone for the rest of the album as she shows little tolerance for shady behaviour and toxic patterns.
Other standout cuts on the album like “Bare Minimum,” a sombre collab with fellow South African award-winning singer lordkez, the ethereal, in-your-face interlude “New Casanova,” and the percussive “What Are We,” where Shekhinah contemplates the nature of a relationship but ultimately demands all or nothing, all drive home a part of the album’s synopsis, which reads ‘A BOOK ON MORE HEARTBREAK BUT LESS HEARTACHE.’
Shekhinah invites a couple of new collaborators on ‘Less Trouble,’ featuring the aforementioned MOLIY and lordkez as well as multi-instrumentalist Mars Baby and Young Stunna across the album’s 11 tracks. Mpilo Shabangu handled the majority of the album’s production, while other producers like Michael Morare, her longtime collaborator, Mthintheki Mzizi, and Vuyo also contributed to the album.
Listen to ‘Less Trouble’ here.
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The NATIVE’s First Impressions Of Amaarae’s ‘Black Star’
‘Black Star’ marks another evolutionary arc for Amaarae, and The NATIVE team offer our thoughts after a...
Change has always been a constant theme in any discussion about the career of Ghanaian-American star, Amaarae. Since she emerged as a singular voice in the late 2010s, she has evolved from a sirenic Afropop-adjacent singer into a Punk-Pop firestarter with minimal fuss. ‘Fountain Baby,’ her 2023 sophomore album, was a sweeping departure from the lilting melodies and shapeshifing cadences of the hypnotic ‘The Angel You Don’t Know,’ emphasizing her commitment to charting new courses with her music.
In the lead-up to her new album, ‘Black Star,’ she has wholly embraced a Pop aesthetic and sheen that was reflected on the album’s promotional singles, “S.M.O.” and “Girlie-Pop!.” Now that the album has arrived, the singer has advised listeners not to go in expecting a continuation of the soundscape on ‘Fountain Baby.’ As keen followers of Amaarae’s career from its start, we are sure that ‘Black Star’ marks another evolutionary arc for her, and we offer our thoughts after a few listens.
WHAT WERE YOUR EXPECTATIONS OF AMAARAE GOING INTO THIS ALBUM?
Kemnachi: I had zero doubts that she would impress me again. Amaarae always comes correct. She is audacious with her choices, taking creative risks most artists would not dare to imagine, and somehow rendering them seamless, deliberate, and effortless. Her music has a way of enveloping me: it’s fluid, slightly dangerous, and yet irresistibly sensual. Every project feels like an immersive world she has curated down to the finest detail. With ‘Black Star,’ I knew it was not going to be a mere collection of songs but another meticulously constructed realm.
Bamise: I expected something fun, genre-bending, and sonically diverse in the fashion that Amaarae’s music typically is. I may have taken the album title a bit too literally, though, because listening made me realise I had an eye out for some Pan-African statements or something to spark discourse on African identity, but I didn’t quite catch any of that.
Boluwatife: Amaarae has largely delivered throughout her career, so I knew she was going to come correct again. She’s one of those forward-thinking artists who take the kind of risks most others wouldn’t, but she always manages to make it work. She’s proven to be a musical omnivore who constantly meshes her wide-ranging influences into something new, fluid, icy, and more often than not, sensual. I knew ‘Black Star’ wasn’t going to be any different.
WHAT SONGS STOOD OUT ON THE FIRST LISTEN?
Wale: I liked “Girlie-Pop!.” I feel like it captures Amaarae’s vision of pushing Afropop into the future. She’s also really grown comfortable with music and lyricism and will not dumb down her message for anybody. The instrumental for “Girlie-Pop!” is also a wonder; it’s so dense, but there are pockets for Amaarae to be emotive about her feelings. Top song!
Daniel Akins: I need to hear “B2B” at the next rave I’m at. Amaarae is in her Dance era, and I’m here for it. Kiss Me Thru The Phone pt 2” with PinkPantheress is the collaboration I knew I needed, and I’m glad they finally linked up. It’s a clear standout on the project; their ethereal style complements each other.
Shina: “B2B” was the one that did it for me. That is my favourite track on the project. The number of times I ran it back was unhealthy for a first listen. It was also really fun to catch the Don Toliver “Best You Had” sample. I need to hear this outside!
HOW WELL YOU THINK THE GUEST APPEARANCES ENHANCED THE LISTENING EXPERIENCE?
Israel: The guest features on Black Star aren’t mere flexes. They’re strategic, theatrical, and sometimes emotionally resonant. They enhance, yes, but they do so on Amaarae’s terms. A standout for me was PinkPantheress on “Kiss Me Thru The Phone pt 2.” The tradeoff is that a few songs feel like dazzling cameos rather than an integrated conversation, yet overall they enhance the album’s drama, texture, and bravado with precision.
Daniel Banjoko: Everyone showed up and delivered, no weak links here. Instead of just guest spots, they felt like vital pieces of a bigger puzzle. Charlie Wilson on “Dream Scenario” nailed his part especially, making the track sound exactly like its name promises.
Moore: The guest appearances on ‘Black Star’ feel very intentional; each one enhances the album’s world without overshadowing Amaarae’s vision. PinkPantheress’s signature airy delivery meshes with Amaarae’s experimental pop sound. Naomi Campbell’s commanding voice on “ms60” is an unexpected but powerful addition, adding drama to the track. Each feature feels carefully chosen.
WHAT SONG IS THE BIGGEST SKIP?
Bamise: Not to be a party pooper, but I don’t get the PinkPantheress collab, “Kiss Me Thru The Phone pt 2.” It feels like a PinkPantheress song with less pop in it, and just borrows the title of the iconic Soulja Boy song but has no other similarities. It’s between that and “ms60.” For me, the chorus of that sounds like something I’ve heard from Amaarae before, and I doubt its absence would have diminished the album.
Shina: I feel like biggest skip is a strong word for a solid project, but if I have to pick a song to skip, it’ll be “ms60.” I think it’s easily forgettable.
Wale: It’s hard to single out a song that stuck out to me, but hearing Naomi Campbell on “ms60” threw me off. It’s just too contrived to bear for me.
WHAT SONG HAS THE BIGGEST HIT POTENTIAL?
Boluwatife: My gut answer would probably be “She Is My Drug,” just because of how she beautifully reworks the melodies from Cher’s “Believe.” DJ remixes of this song could go crazy. But if I were to think a bit more logically, TikTok would probably lap up “Kiss Me Thru The Phone pt 2.”
Daniel Banjoko: “Kiss Me Thru the Phone pt 2” goes crazy. Amaarae and PinkPantheress are the perfect match. This collab feels like it was destined to happen, and it delivers in full. Honestly, I can’t believe it took this long, and now I just need more tracks from these two, ASAP.
Moore: “Kiss Me Thru The Phone pt 2” has the biggest hit potential on the album. The song has a nostalgic, sad party girl vibe that makes it appealing, and it’s also catchy and well-produced. PinkPantheress consistently performs well on platforms like TikTok, and her fanbase overlaps in a really interesting way with Amaarae’s. The collaboration feels organic and exciting, and will likely create a lot of buzz.
OVERALL FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Wale: There is a very visceral quality to how Amaarae expresses desire that I don’t hear very often in a lot of music. It’s abstracted and warped in futuristic textures, but it’s very profoundly human, and it’s always great to hear that even as she advances the sonics of her delivery. I do, however, have an issue with the thematic scope of ‘Black Star.’ I thought there would be overt references to her experiences of navigating her Ghanaian identity, but those references are limited to samples and interpolations. It’s still an incisive listen and a triumph for finding ways to advance music from Africa.
Bamise: It’s Amaarae; she can never go wrong. But for me, this is the album that excites me the least from her catalogue. Other than how bass-heavy some songs on the album are, like “S.M.O.” and “She Is My Drug” among others, it feels similar to other projects I’ve heard from her in a way that’s not exactly refreshing or mind-bending. I may have gotten spoiled by how diverse and eclectic Amaarae’s music tends to be, but I wanted more from her. I expected more gangster, Hip-Hop Amaarae. Thematically, I didn’t get anything that gives the Black Star of Ghana, or black stars are ruling the world. Will I listen again and enjoy every bit of it still, though? Yes, I will.
Shina: So first off, this is a solid body of work. I love the fact that Amaarae stuck with the Dance, Electro-Pop route she was going with throughout the album. The features also played their part, adding their unique touches to each record. I would say, though, a feature I would’ve loved to hear on this project is 070Shake. I think she would have been perfect on “100DRUM,” but we don’t always get what we want, do we? Thematically, I think Amaarae could’ve leaned heavily on her Ghanaian heritage, seeing as the title and cover of the album are a nod to that. Maybe Amaarae just wants us to dance, and that’s what I’m just gonna do, and you should too.
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Tems Partners With Hennessy For Leading Vibe Initiative
Launching in Lagos, Nigeria, this event pioneered by Tems marks the beginning of a continent-wide movement to...
In July, Tems announced the Leading Vibe Initiative (LVI) to support women in music and the creative space on their journey to make a mark in their fields and create space for other women in those industries. Born from Tems’ journey as a self-taught artist with a focus on driving change, the initiative offers training, mentorship, industry access, and community for women in music in Africa.
After a rigorous selection process for its inaugural cohort, Hennessy will join the two-time Grammy Award-winning star to celebrate the launch of the Leading Vibe (LVI) Initiative in Lagos, Nigeria. Held from August 8 to 9, 2025, the two-day event is the beginning of a bold new chapter in Hennessy’s long-standing commitment to music and culture in Africa.
“I’m excited to partner with Hennessy in bringing this initiative to life, supporting talented young women in music as they find their voices, embrace their power, and shape the future of the industry across Africa and beyond,” Tems said about the partnership.
The Leading Vibe Initiative aims to champion the next generation of female artists, producers, songwriters, and music professionals, increasing representation within all areas of music across the continent and beyond.
With Hennessy as lead partner, this ambitious program kicks off with an immersive event in Lagos featuring curated workshops, networking moments, and panel discussions led by top-tier talent from across the global and African music industries.
“Her vision, talent, and purpose align deeply with Hennessy’s legacy of championing those who push boundaries and redefine the world around them. We’re honored to support the Leading Vibe Initiative and to continue empowering African communities and cultures,” said Vincent Montalescot, Hennessy Global Chief Marketing Officer.
Hennessy’s partnership with Tems builds on the brand’s decades-long history of supporting music and artistic expression globally and on the continent. From Hip-Hop to Afrobeats, Hennessy continues to stand beside the artists and communities that shape culture.
In Africa, the Maison has deepened its commitment through meaningful initiatives like In the Paint and now, with the Leading Vibe Initiative, is taking a focused step toward amplifying women’s voices in music. With the Lagos launch as a powerful first step, the Leading Vibe Initiative will expand across Africa and globally, creating a cross-continental network of empowered women ready to shape the future of African music.
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