Kabza De Small
Kabelo Petrus Motha, born in eMalahleni and raised in Pretoria, started out listening to kwaito and old-school Afropop artists like Chicco Twala before turning to DJing and production; his breakout 2018 single "Umshove" and his chart-topping Scorpion Kings partnership with DJ Maphorisa helped push amapiano from township parties into the South African mainstream. Billing himself "King of Amapiano," he has since built one of the genre's most prolific catalogs, from 2020's I Am the King of Amapiano: Sweet & Dust to his own Piano Hub label.
Kabza De Small has said he grew up listening to kwaito and old-school Afropop artists, naming Chicco Twala specifically — a formative bubblegum-into-kwaito thread that runs under his own genre-blurring amapiano productions.
listen forPlay Chicco Twala's synth-driven 'We Miss You Manelow' then Kabza's 'Sponono' — both build a whole track around one insistent, danceable keyboard hook.
Oskido is widely credited as one of kwaito's founding DJs and, decades later, as one of the scene elders who opened doors for amapiano — pairing his signature Afro-house sound with Kabza De Small himself on 2019's Akhiwe album. That direct generational handoff sits underneath Kabza's own house-rooted production style.
listen forPlay Oskido's 'Umenyiwe,' from the Akhiwe album he built alongside amapiano's rising generation, then Kabza's 'eMcimbini' — both stretch a warm, vocal-led house groove out for a communal, wedding-and-party singalong.
Kabza has spoken broadly about kwaito's direct influence on amapiano's rhythm and attitude; Arthur Mafokate's run of 1990s kwaito hits as the genre's self-styled "King" helped define the slowed-down, township-rooted house sound amapiano later stretched out and modernized.
listen forPlay Mafokate's club-filling 'Oyi Oyi' then Kabza's Scorpion Kings-era 'Amantombazane' — both are built around a patient, repetitive groove designed to hypnotize a dancefloor rather than rush it.