With amapiano being an internationally recognised and adapted sound, it’s interesting to hear how artists from outside South Africa approach it. On Yumbs and Soul Nativez’s latest album, ‘Amapiano: East Meets South’, South and East Africa are masterfully blended.
“We were doing a few shows outside [SA], me and Soul Nativez. In Kenya, we got introduced to Saudi Sol then worked with artists from their label, then we were like let’s shaya a ‘East Meets South’ type album to infuse the very strong amapiano sound from South Ah with melodies from East African countries,” Yumbs tells SlkourOnLife.
With some of the most sought-after South African producers and the most skilled vocalists from East Africa, the project is sure to close the gap between two rapidly expanding markets.
Led by South African producers Yumbs and the duo Soul Nativez, the project mostly features East African vocalists such as popular Kenyan Afro-pop band Sauti Sol, Nviiri The Storyteller (Kenya), Bensoul (Kenya), Jux (Tanzania), Marioo (Tanzania), and more. South Africa and Nigeria are repp’d by the likes of Costa Tich, Khanyisa and Oxlade. “The process wasn’t what people would think; sending seps and bounces. We did everything physically with every artist. It was fun; you know how artists are; we went to the club, we rocked… that kind of thing,” Yumbs says explaining how the album was created.
Stream ‘Amapiano: East Meets South’ by Yumbs & Soul Natives below:
