MajorSteez: ‘Amapiano Didn’t Kill SA Hip-Hop, It Raised the Ceiling’
MajorSteez: ‘Amapiano Didn’t Kill SA Hip-Hop, It Raised the Ceiling.’ In a thought-provoking discussion on the Up Close Podcast, South African music duo MajorSteez offered a refreshing perspective on the impact of Amapiano on the country’s hip-hop scene. The conversation, which initially framed Amapiano as a potential disruptor to SA Hip-Hop, quickly shifted into an analysis of its broader influence on the South African music industry as a whole.
When asked how things have changed since the rise of Amapiano, MajorSteez acknowledged the common perception that the genre had overshadowed hip-hop. However, they argued that rather than diminishing the genre, Amapiano had expanded the possibilities for South African artists on a global scale.
“I think lowkey at first if you look at it at face value, you say Piano killed SA Hip-Hop,” they admitted. “But what it actually did was raise the ceiling of the South African music industry and raised the ceiling of how far South African artists can take their careers internationally.”
For years, Cassper Nyovest’s Fill Up series was viewed as the pinnacle of success for an artist in South Africa. “Before Amapiano, the ceiling was quite low,” MajorSteez explained. “The ceiling was Fill Up the Dome, Fill Up the FNB – everything that Cassper did was the highest level of what could be thought could be done. And that was the peak of being a South African artist.”
But then came Amapiano, and with it, a new frontier of success that extended far beyond South Africa’s borders. “We have a Pop Piano superstar internationally; we have Tyla, we have Major League DJs – they are international superstars. They do Fill Up The Dome levels outside of Africa.”
Rather than seeing Amapiano as a threat to Hip-Hop, MajorSteez emphasized its transformative power. “So the fact of the matter is, Piano saved the South African music industry. It liberated the industry. It dimmed the light of Hip-Hop, yes, but it liberated the industry as a whole. Genres aside, it elevated the industry.”
Their insight challenges the common narrative that Amapiano’s meteoric rise came at the expense of Hip-Hop. Instead, MajorSteez suggests that the genre’s success should be seen as a catalyst that has shattered previous limitations, inspiring all South African artists to think beyond the borders of the nation and aim for a global stage.
As the debate around Amapiano and SA Hip-Hop continues, one thing remains clear: South African music is no longer bound by the old ceilings. The industry is rising, and it’s up to the artists to decide how high they want to go.
