Currently Kwaicoring It Big In Mzansi

Kabelo

Big Nuz

Professor 

Doing it big Kwaicore style

Kwaito never went international, well just to its neighboring countries: Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe. It was never marketed internationally. Just to the South African youth at the time. Kwaicore now going international is easier to market because it has elements of hardcore house music. It is recognized as a original international sound. More people will be exposed to it.

Why it is what it is!

So, kwaito has become more "housey" in order to remain relevant and to keep up its name. Since the mid 2000's kwaito has been losing out to the sounds of house, so much that if you are not a hardcore music lover, musician or party animal you would think the genre has disappeared completely. House has roughly pushed all other genres and styles out of the way to become the dominant sound in Mzansi.

At times it is called afro house and dance music. Okusalayo (it still remains) it is house music. It has kwaicore elements to it, combining the two genres together. No, not just slapping random loud deep annoying beats and sounds to create a song.

Local Djs (such as Oskido) took what they learnt from kwaito and applied it to house, which means taking your basic faster tempo and adding components of kwaito that ground it.

The K in Oskido is for Kwaicore

The songs might use different harmonies or melodies from an old South African song (mostly kwaito). The lyrics will be about something that its listeners recognize, something political, humorous, etc.

It is party music, but still ties in with South African identity and history. It has meaning beyond music. It brings people together, anywhere and everywhere, whether it is at a shebeen, club, or shisa nyama. Hit singles are normally released closer to the festive season and are played throughout the festive season. That is such a Kwaicore move.

You will sometimes hear the lyrics in one of the local languages and sometimes it will just be a continuous beat with no lyrics. This makes it so Kwaicore. 

Here are some links to visit to get a feel as to what I am talking about in terms of the lyrics and the on-going beat without lyrics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXs2qbbNlM0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_epwkdbZc-k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDMBB3lAMPE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKBulntPX7Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29HUMwwkTGw

Trompies

Kwaicore

The floppy hat (spotti), all stars sneakers without socks, orange and blue overall became a fashion staple for the Kwaito generation.  Like Kwaito, kwaicore is a way of life influencing dress codes, speech and dance moves. With their brightly coloured costumes and streetwise singing and dancing. Trompies have risen to the upper hierarchy of South African music. Their records have sold more than a half million copies while their hits, including "Thalakele," sold more than 40,000 copies. Their 1997 single, "Magasman," recorded with Lebo Mathosoa of Boom Shaka, has become a national anthem and has been featured on the soundtracks of three South African. Kwaicore!

It has evolved

Music has always been a part of us. It has grown with us over the years. We can all relate to it, use it as an emotional outlet and a way to express ourselves. It never fades.

Kwaito is a music genre that hit Mzansi hard in the early 90's. It was built from the ground. It has evolved throughout the years into KWAICORE. You are probably asking yourself what kwaicore is. Kwaicore is a mix masala of kwaito and hardcore/deep house music. The slower tempo and deep bass lines meets the deep and heavier bass lines of house. It is an expression of life.

What has happened to the kings and queens of kwaito, the fashion and dance trends?

Over the years fans have had their own judgement as to whether kwaito is dead or not:

• There wasn't any talent to carry it into the 21st century
• Fans lost interest as the years went by because kwaito stars stopped producing
• New artists are/have been overshadowed by Hip Hop artists
• The music does not hold any real value anymore

There seems to be no end in sight to Kwaito’s story of success. It has a huge fan base in South Africa and beyond, which is expanding every day. On the other hand Kwaito has been exposed to a variety of accusations, since it came into existence. Recently among them is the one that almost all popular music genres had to face over time: Kwaito is said to have lost its substance due to ongoing commercialization and adaption to the western mainstream and has moved too far from its roots.

Let us not forget that Kwaito has always taken inspirations from various styles of music and will continue to do so. Like with every other musical genre, it is not easy to draw a clear line around it.

Music evolves and it continues to evolve. Kwaito is not dead, it is more hardcore that ever. It has transitioned into Kwaicore