MUST HAVE: Kwaito Classics – get both of them!
Thanks to the record label What’s Phat we now have two MUST-HAVE “kwaito classic’ cd’s that will take you back, shake you up and down till you say more! The first Kwaito Cassic cd covers the early 90’s and the second the late 90’s.
We leave the official intro up to editor and journalist Siphiwe Mpye, we just say GO AND BUY BOTH cd’s and turn the Volume UP and the bass deep!
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STRONG>VOLUME 1 – THE EARLY NINETIES
Kwaito’s influence has pervaded all spheres of society and provided a platform for young talent to etch their names into music history and in the hearts of its citizens, through engaging with almost every aspect of their lives.
This music has for example spoken to the political issues of the day. When Mafokate came out with “Kaffir” in 1995, President Nelson Mandela had hardly settled into his seat as the country’s first ever democratically elected president. While some commentators called the song “controversial”, Mafokate was only reflecting a society that was still far from change. Ten years down the line, hindsight – what with lion murders and the like – has shown us the wisdom in that iconic track.
If would be remiss to downplay – on the other side of the spectrum – the role of sex appeal in this genre and Brenda Fassie topped the list when it came to openly baring ones’ sexuality on stage. Though she might not have always been kwaito in sound, she was always miles ahead in displaying the kind of attitude required to call oneself truly kwaito. Right till the end there was immense interest in her musical abilities as well as her outspoken nature and sexual exploits.
The hit “Vuvuzela” along with fashion forward styling and hot dance moves on tracks like “Ayaphanda” made Arthur, the former Mr Soweto, an instant sex symbol. His protýgýs, Aba Shante, a group comprising of a guy (Aba) and two girls (Queen and Nestum) and additional dancers oozed lively sexuality. In their hot pants and boob tubes, as a testosterone storage vessel, it was hard not to be glued to the girls of Aba Shante, while they gyrated their way into the country’s imagination and challenged what was “acceptable” on prime-time television shows like Studio Mix and Selimathunzi. Another regular on such television shows was Mdu Masilela, arguably the first graduate of the kwaito academy that is Zola, Soweto. In this era “Y Wena 4 Yena” was a standout track if there was ever one.
Being male dominated, kwaito dedicated a lot of its time to the love/hate nature of the relationship between the sexes, Joe Nina (“Ding Dong/Maria Podesta”, 1994) serenading a girl he is smitten with and Mashamplani (“Hey Kop”, 1995) decrying those that will not get with them because they are materially inept. Others like Chiskop, the boy group from Zola, Soweto, proved with “Klaimar” the quaintness of their decision to leave hip-hop for the kwaito unknown. The song was a massive hit and it is with no little thanks to the manner in which he delivered the lyrics of “Klaimar” and interpreted them with astounding energy that Mandoza is now the star that he is.
At the peak of its popularity in 1996 “Waar Was Jy?” was an infectious galvaniser of nostalgia and frenzied movement on dance floors countrywide. Nowadays, Ishmael’s first three words invoke nostalgia about the song itself; waar was jy when Skeem nedibusa?
VOLUME 2 – THE LATE NINETIES
By the mid-nineties, kwaito had gone through the experimental stage, the initial excitement had died down and musicians were now required to step up a gear in order to take this amazing journey to the next stage.
New players and those who had been in it from inception did not take lightly to this challenge and responded with sublime aplomb. The work done in this period would, for some, cement the potential they had shown in the early 90s and for others be a base for sensational bodies of work yet to come.
When we first heard the heavy bass and easily danceable rhythm of “Fester” in 1996 for example, little did we know that we were also witnessing the introduction of the voice of Bongo Maffin vocalist and acclaimed solo artist Thandiswa Mazwai. Mazwai is now, of course, one of our more accomplished performers and a shining advertisement for excellence on our continent.
Not too long after this, we saw the emergence of the EP Palafala from TKZee, a group straight from a flop debut, on their way to being multi-platinum selling kwaito royalty. The title track caused a mini-revolution and proved that genius lay in subtlety rather than over-production.
Once a mentor to TKZee’s Tokollo Tshabalala as a founding member of Mashamplani and rightfully dubbed the Godfather of kwaito, Mdu Masilela had long been in the game and came back with an appropriately massive hit with “Mazolo” in 1997. If you wanted to get a party started right, with guys swinging their t-shirts “like a helicopter” and the ladies shaking it with blissful abandon, this was the track to put on. The sexually charged “Zombo” – with its wicked beat and call and response sensibilities – had a similar effect, with its brash, cheeky rawness adding to its appeal.
In the same year, we were introduced to yet more innovation from the unassuming MaWillies, who, with hits like “Thula Mabota” and “Intwenjani”, presented a unique take to the kwaito aesthetic – Tsonga vocals and off, yet immensely, catchy beats. Another outfit which had great appeal at the time was Chiskop, who had captured the public’s imagination with hard hitting “Klaimar” in 1996. On this compilation we sample many more musical follow-ups in the form of the singles “Zikhiphani Lapho” and “Abasazi”.
The late Oupa “Makhendlas” Mafokate had his career cut short at a young age, but he had already won the hearts of kwaito faithfuls, especially with his monumental number, “Emenwe”. 999 label-mates Aba Shante were not going to be left behind and “Come and Get Me” reclaimed their place as a dynamic group that was moving with the rapid pace of development in this genre. In a similar category was the DJ Christos-produced “Free” by Boom Shaka – a group that, like Aba Shante, was comfortable with R&B, house, ragga and later Afro pop.
The relevance of this kind of versatility can never be downplayed, especially since in contemporary South African popular music there is so much more polarisation of genres, with artists venturing into specialist categories as opposed to finding a unique grasp of many, creating a signature sound which remains kwaito in its essence.
For kwaito romantics there will never quite be an era to beat the 90s in terms of pride in their recorded work and particular care when delivering a performance to an adoring audience which contained thousands upon thousands of potential CD buyers.
This compilation is but a snapshot of the good times, joy and memories this music has given us. Kwaito Classics vol. 2 is the best in mid to late 90s kwaito hits from the EMI/CCP vault and a few special cuts, graciously provided by like-minded labels. Siphiwe Mpye, 2006
