Kabza De Small, ‘King of amapiano', makes Big Apple solo debut
Kabza De Small, widely regarded as the 'King of amapiano', brought the rhythms of South Africa's townships to a sold-out crowd at the Knockdown Centre in Queens, New York, on Saturday night to huge acclaim.
Kabza (born Kabelo Motha) was the headline act in a line-up of performances that also included fellow South Africans: Afro-house DJ Caiiro from Mpumalanga and gqom QUE DJ from KwaMashu, Durban.
Performing as part of the Descendants showcase, Kabza delivered a high-energy, genre-defining set that fused his signature sounds with unreleased material from his upcoming album.
The crowd, a blend of devoted fans and new converts to the amapiano wave, danced non-stop as Kabza spun track after track of chart-toppers with deeper cuts from his extensive catalogue.
'It feels amazing and it's such an honour,' Kabza told TimesLIVE before the show. 'To be a witness to the way amapiano has catapulted into different regions of the world has been incredible. I love that the sound has been loved by people from all over.'
Amapiano, a genre rooted in South Africa's house music scene, has found global resonance in recent years.
Artists such as Kabza have pushed it forward with innovative collaborations — with names such as DJ Maphorisa and Nobuhle, and internationally, having performed during Paris Fashion Week this past season in an exclusive Hennessy after-party with MaXhosa Africa.
'They can expect a high energy set with some of their favourite songs and some underground, unreleased music from my upcoming album,' the 32-year-old star added.
'The great thing about amapiano is that it is authentically a South African sound and the global audience has been so receptive to it. I'm feeling blessed for this moment.'
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