How much of a game changer is Scorpion Kings & Tresor’s ‘Rumble in the Jungle’
Wale Oloworekende and Dennis Ade Peter take a loose and somewhat critical look at the latest from the Amapiano pioneers
In the summer of 2019, Kabza De Small and DJ Maphorisa profoundly affected South African music with the release of ‘Scorpion Kings’, the debut project named after the moniker they perform under as a duo. The project further skyrocketed Amapiano into unreserved popularity, serving as a definitive mainstream moment for the House subgenre that’s now become the toast of South African music, and is currently influencing every corner of the African continent.
The critical and commercial acclaim of ‘Scorpion Kings’ wasn’t a one-off, as Kabza and Maphorisa have remained driving forces in the upward momentum of Amapiano, releasing four subsequent albums within ten months, and assisting on a long list of huge songs. The pair took a break from its prolific schedule after dropping ‘Once Upon A Time in Lockdown’ in the early days of the Coronavirus pandemic, allowing for the release of Kabza’s epoch-making debut LP, ‘I Am the King of Amapiano: Sweet & Dust’.
During that time away, they crafted ‘Rumble in the Jungle’, the recently released collaborative album with Congolese-South African singer Tresor. Breaking away from the multi-artist format of their previous albums, ‘RITJ’ was primarily curated with the multiple time SAMA award winner as its main vocal attraction. Also unlike their previous projects, ‘RITJ’ was preceded by a protracted rollout comprising singles with music videos, several release date pushbacks, and a phenomenal cover art that features a 3-headed, golden sculpture of Memmon, the mythical Ethiopian king also believed to have been based on an Egyptian Pharaoh. (Maphorisa has stated on multiple occasions that the name Scorpion Kings was picked because it reminded them of the deserts in Egypt.)
Three weeks after its release, Wale Oloworekende and I (Dennis) are taking a loose and somewhat critical look at ‘Rumble in the Jungle’, the elements that make it tick and the context surrounding it. (You can also read Wale’s 1-listen review here.)
It’s been nearly two weeks since ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ dropped. How many times have you listened front-to-back, and what’s your impression of the album’s general quality?
Wale: I’ve listened front-to-back just twice, but I’ve been playing some songs from it over the night, just on a repetitive loop. For days, just the same song, because I’m just enamoured by certain pockets of sound on there. For quality, I think it’s damn near illegal how the Scorpion Kings are able to create these stunning bodies of works in a regular five-to-six month period, some crazy stuff. ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ feels like an attempt to control the narrative of Amapiano by making it more cross-continental, good on them.
Dennis: I had this album in my email a while before it dropped officially, and I can say for a fact that I rinsed it proper with that SoundCloud link. Part of it was because it was pushed back several times – I’m guessing because of the pandemic – so each time it got close to a new release date, I’d play the album like two to three times before finding out it wasn’t coming out on that schedule, then the cycle would play out again. Like you’ve probably guessed from me listening so many times, I rate ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ highly, so much so that it might be my favourite project from the Scorpion Kings. (‘Nostalgia’ remains my pick for Tresor’s best album yet.) Like you said, it’s crazy how Kabza and Phori turn out amazing projects at a crazy, prolific clip. To me, this Scorpion Kings run is 2014-15 Future-level epic.
Prior to this, the Scorpion Kings have dropped five projects. How does this album fit into the duo’s narrative as Amapiano pioneers?
Wale: No one is really making Amapiano music as prolifically as Kabza and Maphorisa right now, and like you said about it being comparable to Future’s insane run earlier from ‘Monster’ to ‘Evol’, I think they have gotten better with each body of work; maybe not always with their sonic choices but just how they seem to sequence the music and how they dovetail with each other. This album is, for me, just the next logical destination because 2020 was truly the year of Amapiano and, with the way Nigerians are getting on the wave, they needed a body of work that just borrowed elements from different places and I heard shades of that on songs like “Folasade” and “Mali Mali,” it’s a deft way to experiment with the form while still planting that flag that, yeah, we did pioneer Amapiano. It’s such a long way from ‘Scorpion Kings’.
Dennis: Yeah, this album is way, way different from their eponymous debut, but there’s precedent for how refined and experimental it is. Their second album, ‘Piano Hub’, zoned in more into the soulful side of Amapiano, and Kabza’s own phenomenal debut album takes several sonic risks to great results. I think both these examples laid the groundwork for this album, because it positioned both producers/DJs as auteurs willing to dig and explore beyond the party-dominant ethos of Amapiano. Usually, they’d collaborate with dozens of artists on a single project, but working with a single vocalist clearly challenged them to keep things refreshing, through subtle but palpable experimentation with sounds from across the continent. I think this album proves that they’re not overly relying on being pioneers, they’re evolving in real time, which is essential to staying relevant in a genre that turns out new stars by the minute.
What did you make of Tresor as the main vocal collaborator on ‘Rumble in the Jungle’?
Dennis: Absolutely stunning! Tresor has one of the most distinct voices in the world, it’s not wildly rangy but the range of emotions he can evoke with it is amazing. For me, the hallmark of a great singer is not necessarily how great your voice is, but what you do with it. Since I found out about Tresor with his sophomore album, ‘My Beautiful Madness’, I’ve been intrigued by his voice, because it’s kinda folksy on the surface, but it’s also a swiss army knife that can convey ecstasy, mournfulness, longing, pensiveness and many more emotions with near equal effectiveness. ‘RITJ’ benefits from this ability to switch moods, which I rate highly because I’m a big fan of Scorpion Kings albums being stuffed to the ear with a variety of different voices. Like the internet would say, Tresor understood the assignment as the main vocalist on this album.
Wale: I think, for me, going into this, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’d be lying if I said I was familiar with Tresor’s catalogue, but I thought it interesting that the Scorpion Kings were willing to trust one vocalist over the stretch of one album; I’m more used to the different voices on their albums. But Tresor should just add “The Magnificent” to his stage name because that was such a breathtaking performance. As you said, it’s not the range of his voice, it’s the depth that he has that makes him a standout. There’s a stretch in the middle of “Soro” where the beat just gets straight out jaunty and Tresor’s voice just goes full-on ethereal, it’s so thin. I think I understood why he was trusted to carry so much weight.
Dennis: There’s more where that vocal magic came from. Consider this as me putting you (and any other interested readers) on, Tresor’s albums are loaded with great vocal performances.
Wale: I’ve actually been checking out some of his stuff. He has a new album coming out soon, so that should be great.
There seemed to be a calculated attempt at positioning this album as a momentous release for Amapiano, with the protracted rollout, and international distribution (PLATOON). Do you think its legacy will match this intent?
Wale: It’s hard to forecast legacy, seeing as we are physically removed from the project’s primary market. But just based on the strength of the music, I suppose so. There’s none of those standout party anthems but it’s so cohesive, so I think it will get everywhere people want to have a great time. I’ve already seen it get looks at different places, it would be interesting to see how much further it goes.
Dennis: Yeah, I agree with the album not really having a standout party anthem, which really isn’t an Achilles heel because it’s such a strong statement as a body of work. As much as I know about Amapiano, being a genre for and by South African townships, there’s an emphasis on percussive knock when it comes to songs that become really huge. ‘RITJ’ has great percussion use and the songs will make it unto club sets, but I don’t really hear anything with the potential smash effect of, say, Focalistic’s “Ke Star”, JazziQ & Busta 929’s “VSOP”, or even “Lorch” and “eMcibini” by the Scorpion Kings. From a global crossover standpoint, I can hear songs like “Folasade” and “Angelina” doing well in Dance festival settings, hopefully Ibiza comes calling soon. From a pan-African perspective, the album could probably have also benefited from a few features, kind of like how Kabza brought in Wizkid, Burna Boy and Cassper Nyovest for “Sponono” (which I believe could’ve been bigger if the promo was a bit more aggressive). I get the pan-African ethos but I think those calibre of features would have driven it further home, especially for casual listeners across the continent who are already hearing adaptations of the sound from their local artists.
What’s your personal favourites on the album?
Dennis: My favourite part of this project is the three song run that includes “La Vie Est Belle”, “Folasade” and “Soro”. I think this part epitomises how ‘RITJ’ is well-rooted in Amapiano, and also adventurous in the way that shows how truly collaborative the album is. Across all three tracks, Tresor is in different vocal elements but it’s all sublime; “La Vie Est Belle” is vividly introspective, “Folasade” captures the scary excitement of falling for someone and laying all your cards on the table, while “Soro”, like you’ve already mentioned, is just loaded with ethereal beauty. Also, this part features some of the most lustrous piano chords in the Scorpion Kings cannon, and the breakdowns encapsulate why Amapiano is an apex Dance subgenre – it’s impossible to not be viscerally affected by them.
Wale: I keep hearing different songs off the album and my preferences keep changing. I love “Starry Night” because it has this echoey feeling that makes Tresor’s voice achingly beautiful. It’s also one of the songs where the shakers are literally at par with the rest of the instrumentation – another mark of how experimental this album is — but the shakers just give me good vibes. Tresor doesn’t have to shout or contort his voice, it just spurts out and that’s what I love about the sub-genre: that sense of ease. Then the last song, “Love like a Weapon.” It’s just so potent. I love the percussion here, it has that knock-on effect you talked about. It’s so jolting in fact because I don’t understand how it’s an album closer. The urgency will literally have you shaking your head, the message is still not for me sha, say no to toxicity.
Listen to ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ here.
@walenchi Is A Lagos-Based Writer Interested In The Intersection Of Popular Culture, Music, And Youth Lifestyle.
@dennisadepeter is a staff writer at the NATIVE
ICYMI: WHY NIGERIA CAN’T & SHOULDN’T BE AIMING TO ‘OWN’ 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.
Keep reading...
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.
Keep reading...
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.
Keep reading...
