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The new hybrid sound shaking up SA music
The Star
|October 14, 2025
KWAPI EXPLAINED
KWAITO legends have long echoed the phrase, “Kwaito will never die”.
That statement continues to ring true as new sounds like kwapi emerge, not as replacements, but as extensions that preserve kwaito's legacy.
While South African music has evolved through genres such as amapiano, Lekompo and 3-Step, kwapi now stands out as a sound that carries kwaito's DNA into the present.
To understand kwapi, it is important to first know where kwaito and amapiano come from.
Kwaito was born in the early 1990s, primarily in the townships of Johannesburg, during the post-apartheid era. Artists like Arthur Mafokate, Mdu Masilela, Trompies and Mandoza played a key role in shaping the genre.
This story is from the October 14, 2025 edition of The Star.
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