Kwaito Music Eplained

You may have heard of Kwaito and thought maybe it is another one of Africa’s many wild animals… But it is a style of South African Music that has an interesting history. The name Kwaito comes from the Afrikaans word Kwaai meaning angry. The word was also used in the Township as amakwaitosi which means gangster.

It dates back to the the early 1990′s in Johannesburg and then spread throughout South Africa. It all started in the township of Soweto which was one of the areas where non whites areas during apartheid. This style of music is often referred to as “the sounds of the Ghetto”

To simply explain it Kwaito is a fusion of western and African music. The creation of this new style of music gave young previously oppressed South Africans a chance to express themselves and creating a whole new culture and generation.

Today more than a decade after this unique sound was created the Kwaito music industry has boomed not only in South African and Africa but also the rest of the world. Kwaito is Basically traditional African music with a hip hop beat.

This style of music has been so big that they have sold millions of copies and Kwaito style music has been played at all major South African Events such as the ICC Cricket World Cup. It has become a sound that is clearly recognised as South Africa.