Essentials: Kabza De Small reasserts his supremacy with new album, ‘KOA II Part 1’
A stellar sequel to his landmark album
The story of Kabza De Small is inextricable from the story of Amapiano’s meteoric surge to global renown, which is probably the most majestic story in African music’s recent history. South Africa’s dance with House music and adjacent genres stretches back to the 90s, but at the turn of the 2010s, a sonic revolution started brewing within the nation’s churning Afro-House scene. Iconoclastic artistes nestled in sprawling townships in and around Gauteng started tinkering about with sounds in search of a new flavour, this culminated in the birth of Amapiano: an inimitable sub-genre of Afro-House music that ropes in an eclectic gamut of sounds, from Deep House to Jazz and Kwaito.
Today, approximately a decade since its birth, the burgeoning sub-genre boasts of being one of the most popular and exhilarating variants of House Music. From its early days, through every cascade and whirlpool, Kabza has been an ever-present pillar and guiding force of the culture. He boasts of being one of the very first artists to layer vocals on an Amapiano beat and his legacy is boldly scrawled on every inch of the sub-genre’s complex tapestry.
The most seditious statement to his hegemony in the sprawling Amapiano scene came in the apogee of the lockdown in 2020, when he released sophomore solo studio album, ‘I Am the King of Amapiano: Sweet & Dust’, a brazen title that wreathed an even more profound claim. The project lived up to its name, breaking all expectations as it became the most popular South African project in Apple Music’s history. He has since become the most-streamed local musician on Spotify South Africa, a record he has held claim to for the past two years. This is the gleaming backdrop against which he served his latest solo headline full length project, ‘KOA II Part 1’.
A sequel to his seminal album, ‘King of Amapiano II’ is a sprawling, undulating ode to Amapiano’s murky past and its lurid expansive future. Traversing from primordial sounds like Kwaito and Gqom, to nascent sounds like Tech piano, he pays homage to the genre’s roots whilst wearing the hat of an explorer charting a new course for the culture. If his previous album, ‘I Am the King of Amapiano: Sweet & Dust’ was an assertion of his position as numero uno in the scene, ‘King of Amapiano II’ is him reclining into his throne and exercising his royal powers.
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(@kabelomotha_)For all its inventiveness and dynamism, at its core, the project retains Kabza’s defining sound: his knack for leaning into Soul Music and poignant African Folk sounds. This is a motif that’s snugly woven through every fiber of the album’s dynamic tapestry. The opening trifecta of the project, “Khusela”, “Ingabe” and “Eningi”, typify this in earnest. Roping in thumping African drums, anthemic chants and angelic vocals, he conjures a unique concoction of spiritual sounds. Spiritual is a common term used to describe Amapiano but these three songs and a handful of songs distributed sparsely across the project, evoke a palpable feeling of connection to our ancestors long gone.
For an 18-track album that spans over two hours, there is no boring moment on the project. Every spin feels like a swanky walk up Mount Olympus. Being the seasoned DJ that he is, he ramps up the tempo and ambience as the project progresses, it slowly morphs from the supple soulful sound that flagged it off to a gritty ominous sound that leans into Gqom and Tech Piano. Towards the last lap of the project, Kabza breaks down all barricades and leans into a concoction of experimental sounds.
On “Bayasaba”, he experiments with a stripped down production underpinned by menacingly dark percussion. “Mshini” sees him lean into a suave blend of African percussion and ominous Techno melodies. “Mutserendende” sees him at one of his finest moments, on the record, he bridges the old and the new and inadvertently conjures a sound that serves as a portal to the future of the rapidly mutating genre. Melding Gqom, Soul and Techno, he creates a boisterous otherworldly sonic monolith. It’s in these moments of unbridled experimentation that the maverick clocks some of his finest moments.
For a lengthy album with 18 tracks, it’s interesting that the finest point on the project occurs at the fourth track, “Ubumnandi.” The track, which runs for just above 6 minutes, crystallises the dazzling ethos of the tape. Over erupting percussion and sonorous chanting, Nia Pearl and MDU populate the record with poignant soulful singing. The ambience of the track lies between the soulful aura that flagged off the project and the boisterous flavour that ended it, thereby serving as the anchor point of the luxuriantly majestic tape.
Creating a sequel to a stellar project is always a precarious arc to tread but recording a sequel to a stellar project that heralded your dominance is a morbidly precarious arc to tread. Kabza De Small waltzed into nationwide renown with ‘I Am the King of Amapiano: Sweet & Dust’ but on this new sequel, he pulls a rabbit out of his hat to top his previous zenith, as he stakes new grounds and extends his tentacles out the confines of the nation that birthed him. ‘King of Amapiano II’ is not just a stellar album, it’s the resplendent crescendo of a young maverick who surged from South Africa’s townships to the most magnificent stages in the world. On ‘KOA II Part 1’, Kabza De Small unflinchingly asserts his supremacy.
Listen to ‘KOA ll Part 1’ here.
SOUNDS FROM THIS SIDE: AMAPIANO
Asake Links With Tiakola On Gritty “BADMAN GANSTA”
Another step towards ‘Money,’ his fourth
Street-pop star, Asake, has released a surprise new single titled “BADMAN GANSTA.” Produced by super producer, P.Priime, the single, Asake’s second of the year, arrives with a crisp black and white feature and a stellar guest verse from French rapper and singer Tiakola.
The singer posted the full music video–a monochromatic montage of dazzling shots and scenes of his opulent lifestyle–across his different social media handles on Thursday evening, July 24, with a caption that read, ‘The World Of Money.’
Earlier in June, the ex-YBNL star announced a new album titled ‘Money.’ A few months before that, he released a loosie titled “Military” and then “WHY LOVE,” his first official single under his new imprint Giran Republic. “Military” served as a bookend to the first arc of his impressive career as much as an announcement of a new era, while “WHY LOVE” officially kicked off season two.
Following the release of “WHY LOVE,” Asake has also featured on songs like Olamide’s “99,” J Hus’ “Gold”, and Young Jonn’s “Che Che,” delivering standout verses that favour a melodious, laid-back approach as opposed to the spirited, fast-paced style that earned him success early on. “BADMAN GANSTA” also excels with this approach, as Asake’s melodious musings about his current lifestyle dovetail nicely with Tiakola’s equally sturdy verse over a plush beat that samples Amerie’s 2005 classic “1 Thing.”
With Asake releasing three albums in as many years, it’s not unreasonable to assume ‘Money’ might arrive before the end of the year. There’s also the possibility that he might be willing to take his time a little more now, seeing as he his under his imprint now.
Whatever the case may be, ‘Money’ is likely to arrive sooner rather than later, and it will be fascinating to see what other aces Asake has up his sleeves.
Listen to “BADMAN GANSTA” here.
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Ayra Starr Releases Her Sizzling Anthem, “Hot Body”
An 11th-hour summer anthem for the
Ayra Starr has released her highly anticipated single “Hot Body.”
The Mavin popstar has been teasing the new single for a few weeks now, posting multiple promotional videos across social media that built up significant excitement for her third official release of the year. The release of “Hot Body” comes on the heels of recent reports that confirmed the Grammy-nominated singer had officially joined Roc Nation’s roster, the American music label, entertainment, and sports services company founded by rapper and business mogul JAY-Z.
Earlier in February, Ayra Starr shared “All The Love,” a sumptuous Afropop ballad produced by labelmate Johnny Drille and Teemode, before releasing the sleek and sensual Wizkid-assisted “Gimmie Dat” about months later. In that time period, the singer picked up two awards at the 2025 MOBO Awards for Best African Music Act and Best International Act before also clinching her first BET award for Best International Act in June.
It was recently announced that the pop singer would be joining Coldplay on the UK leg of their Music Of The Spheres World Tour between August to September, and her impressive year continues with the release of “Hot Body.” Once again, teaming up with close collaborator Ragee and UK production duo The Elements, Ayra Starr manages to deliver a sweetly erotic summer jam that’s sure to elicit plenty lip-biting, hip gyrating, and flirty winks. “Look what a hot body can do,” she sings repeatedly, almost like an enchantress performing a magic trick.
With her current deal with Mavin and Universal Music still running and the recent confirmation of her management deal with Roc Nation, it’s safe to assume that “Hot Body” might garner significant momentum both at home and abroad. Outside of her music, the singer recently wrapped up the shooting of the film adaptation of Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone which is reportedly set for release in early 2027.
Listen to “Hot Body” here.
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Zulo Details His Evolution On New ‘Z’ EP
Packed with his reflections on faith, love, and cultural pride, ‘Z’ distills ZULO’s thoughts into a...
ZULO is no stranger to reinvention. Formerly known as Lil Trix, the rapper rose through the ranks with a series of gritty mixtapes that chronicled his upbringing, thrills, and connection to the community. Since his rebrand, he’s steadily grown into a renowned voice in South African Hip-Hop, regarded for his storytelling, cultural homage, and genre fusion.
Three years after the release of ‘Talk To Me Naace,’ his reintroduction to the scene, ZULO has returned with ‘Z,’ a three-track EP that shows a glimpse of his evolution as an artist and human. Packed with his reflections on faith, love, and cultural pride, ‘Z’ distills ZULO’s thoughts into a refined sound that’s bold, emotional, and distinctly South African.
The three-tracker opens with “God’s Armour,” a gospel-inflected protest anthem layered with brass and trap drums. It is followed by “Sweeter Success,” an infectious Afropop-inspired groove built around a nostalgic sample of UPZ’s iconic “Pure Surprise”. Beneath its shine lies a darker message: the emotional cost of ambition, the toll of always pushing for more. ZULO produced the track himself, with additional production from Miglow and SpiceDrums.
‘Z’ closes with “Spaan”, a gritty street anthem that samples Kamazu and confronts addiction, poverty, and the lingering scars of apartheid through the lens of coloured identity. “These songs are battle cries and war journals,” ZULO says. “‘Z’ is everything I’ve fought through to stand where I am. The EP follows a strong run of 2024 singles, including “Adawise,” “JOL,” “Garden,” and “Smaak To Love (Lamza).”
Listen to ‘Z’ here.
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