Kabza De Small, ‘King of amapiano’, makes Big Apple solo debut

Kabza De Small, widely regarded as the “King of amapiano”, brought the rhythms of South Africa’s townships to a sold-out crowd at the Knockdown Centre in Queens, New York, on Saturday night to huge acclaim.

Kabza (born Kabelo Motha) was the headline act in a line-up of performances that also included fellow South Africans: Afro-house DJ Caiiro from Mpumalanga and gqom QUE DJ from KwaMashu, Durban.

Performing as part of the Descendants showcase, Kabza delivered a high-energy, genre-defining set that fused his signature sounds with unreleased material from his upcoming album.

The crowd, a blend of devoted fans and new converts to the amapiano wave, danced non-stop as Kabza spun track after track of chart-toppers with deeper cuts from his extensive catalogue.

“It feels amazing and it’s such an honour,” Kabza told TimesLIVE before the show. “To be a witness to the way amapiano has catapulted into different regions of the world has been incredible. I love that the sound has been loved by people from all over.”

Amapiano, a genre rooted in South Africa’s house music scene, has found global resonance in recent years.

Artists such as Kabza have pushed it forward with innovative collaborations — with names such as DJ Maphorisa and Nobuhle, and internationally, having performed during Paris Fashion Week this past season in an exclusive Hennessy after-party with MaXhosa Africa.

“They can expect a high energy set with some of their favourite songs and some underground, unreleased music from my upcoming album,” the 32-year-old star added.

“The great thing about amapiano is that it is authentically a South African sound and the global audience has been so receptive to it. I’m feeling blessed for this moment.”