Hip hop music has been popular in Africa since the early 1980s due to widespread African American influence. In 1985, hip hop reached Senegal, a French-speaking country in West Africa. Some of the first Senegalese rappers were Munyaradzi Nhidza Lida, M.C. Solaar, and Positive Black Soul.
Kwaito is a music genre that emerged in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa, during the 1990s. It is a variant of house music that features the use of African sounds and samples. Kwaito songs occur at a slower tempo range than other styles of house music and often contains catchy melodic and percussive loop samples, deep bass lines, and vocals. Despite its similarities to hip hop music, kwaito has a distinctive manner in which the lyrics are sung, rapped and shouted.
Bongo Flava is a nickname for Tanzanian music. The genre developed in the 1990s, mainly as a derivative of American hip hop and traditional Tanzanian styles such as taarab and dansi, with additional influences from reggae, R&B, and afrobeats, to form a unique style of music. Lyrics are usually in Swahili or English, although increasingly from mid 2000s there has been limited use of words from Sub-Saharan African music traditions due to the influence of Afrobeats and Kwaito with their dynamics usage of West African Pidgin English, Nigerian Pidgin or other Creole language.
Mduduzi ThembinkosiEdmund Tshabalala, also known as Mandoza, was a South African kwaito recording artist. He was known for his contributions to the Kwaito genre and his numerous hit singles, including "Nkalakatha", Uzoyithola Kanjani, Tornado, "Sgelekeqe", "Ngalabesi", "Godoba", "Tsotsi Yase Zola" and "Indoda", which topped the charts in South Africa and all over the African continent. His second album Nkalakatha, released in 2000, became the biggest selling album of his career, selling 350 000 units.
The Zulu people are a South African ethnic group. Many Zulu musicians have become a major part of South African music, creating a huge influence in the music industry. A number of Zulu-folk derived styles have become well known across South Africa and abroad. Zulu music has dominated many genres in South Africa, especially House music, Folk music, Acapella, Choral music and gospel. In fact, some of the most popular songs from South Africa are in Zulu.
SAfm is a national, English-language public radio station in South Africa. It has been operated by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) since its founding in 1936.
Tsotsitaal is a vernacular derived from a variety of mixed languages mainly spoken in the townships of Gauteng province, but also in other agglomerations all over South Africa. Tsotsi is a Sesotho, Pedi or Tswana slang word for a "thug" or "robber" or "criminal", possibly from the verb "ho lotsa" "to sharpen", whose meaning has been modified in modern times to include "to con"; or from the tsetse fly, as the language was first known as Flytaal, although flaai also means "cool" or "street smart". The word taal in Afrikaans means "language".
Munghana Lonene FM is an SABC radio station broadcasting in Tsonga language in South Africa. In Tsonga, "Munghana Lonene" means "a true friend." Munghana Lonene FM is geared to listeners who understand Xitsonga. Munghana Lonene FM is branded as an "infotainment" radio station with a 50% split of music and talk. It offers an environment interactive with its listeners, providing a mixture of news, music, current affairs, talk shows, education, sport, weather and traffic. The music repertoire consists of Jazz, R&B, Kwaito, House, Gospel music and African music.
Boom Shaka was a pioneering South African kwaito music group consisting of Junior Sokhela, Lebo Mathosa, Theo Nhlengethwa and Thembi Seete. They released their first single "It's About Time" in 1993, and subsequently released their debut LP, titled "Kwere Kwere" in 1994. Boom Shaka is one of the most successful bands of the mid-1990s in South Africa and their music became the soundtrack for many young people in the newly democratic South Africa. Boom Shaka was able to break into the international music scene and achieve success outside of South Africa, such as in London among other places.
UJFM 95.4 is a Community Radio Station, based at the University of Johannesburg, Bunting Road Campus. Previously known as RAU Radio, the station obtained a four-year community broadcasting licence in February 2004 on the frequency 95.4fm broadcasting under a new name. Broadcasting over a 50 km radius from the campus, the station employs registered students as well as outside presenters. The station aims to allow all staff members to learn and operate within a commercial station environment. Many ex-UJFM staff members have gone on to achieve success on radio and on other various media platforms.
Ukhozi FM is a South African national radio station & owned by SABC, based in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal that caters to the needs of the Zulu-speaking community. Founded in 1960, it is the largest radio station in South Africa and Africa. The station has a broadcasting licence from ICASA.
Metro FM is a national radio station in South Africa owned by the South African Broadcasting Corporation. The station broadcasts on FM Stereo as well as the DStv Bouquet Channel 801. Telephone :
Y-Mag is a South African magazine established in 1998 from a joint partnership between Studentwise, publishers of white youth targeted SL Magazine, and black youth targeted Johannesburg radio station YFM.
Capricorn FM is a commercial radio station in the Limpopo province of South Africa.
Jozi FM is a local radio station that started in 1995 as Soweto Community Radio. In 1999–2000, Soweto Community Radio and Buwa Radio merged to form Jozi FM, to form the largest community radio station in South Africa, broadcasting in several languages including: English, isiZulu, Sesotho, Sepedi, Setswana and Xitsonga. The station's radio format is 50 percent music and 50 percent discussion. The studios are based at Khaya Centre in Dube, Soweto in South Africa and covers regions all across Soweto, Kagiso, Lenasia, Krugersdorp, Randfontein, Kempton Park, Germiston and Alberton.
Tofo Tofo Dance Group is made up of three Mozambican men who integrated kwaito music and pantsula dance, which originates from South Africa, to create their own unique type of dance that has become internationally celebrated. This new form of movement has brought local African dance onto a global stage.
Qhubani Ndlovu, also known as DJ Qness, is a Zimbabwean-born South African DJ. He is a Music executive, Songwriter and Television producer.
Oscar Sibonginkosi Mdlongwa is a South African recording artist, DJ, record producer and businessman. Having been in the music industry for over 26 years, Oskido has reached a prominent status in the South African music industry, more-so in popular youth culture. He is undoubtedly one of the pioneering artists that popularised the Kwaito genre of music outside of the townships of South Africa, and he's been central to the rise of Afro-house and opened doors for the new genre known as amapiano. Oskido is the co-founder of Kalawa Jazmee Records, a record label that is home to musical acts like Mafikizolo, Bongo Maffin, and many other foremost groups.
Thato Sikwane, better known by his stage name DJ Fresh, is a Motswana disk jockey, producer and entrepreneur based in Johannesburg, South Africa. He is most well-known for his career on 5FM and Metro FM.
Steve Dang better known by his stage name Yung Swiss, is a Cameroonian-born South African hip hop recording artist, singer, songwriter and performer from Rosettenville, Johannesburg.
