Summary

A variant of South African house music with sophisticated percussion rhythm and high-pitched piano melodies.

JosplayExplore Amapiano on Josplay Music
HistoryAmapiano is another musical genre with strong roots in the streets and township of South Africa after Kwaito, Gqom, and Bacardi. It is a subgenre of South African House music. Although its origins cannot be traced back to any one individual, Amapiano started in townships in Johannesburg and Pretoria, where creative music producers experimented with the new sound and shared their works through WhatsApp groups, repeating the process again and again until it caught on internationally in 2019.  The genre, previously called "Numba", was renamed 'Amapiano' which means 'the pianos' by the South African duo MFR Souls. “Ama” is a Zulu plural article used as a prefix before singular words or nouns to make them plural. 
 Some of the South African artists who helped shape the Amapiano sound into what it became before its global spread include Kabza De Small, Sha Sha, Samthing Soweto, MFR Souls, JazziDisciples, Dj Stokie, Virgo Deep, Semi Tee. 
In 2020, Amapiano left the borders of the Southern part of Africa, as artists and producers from other parts of Africa began to lay their creative hands on the genre. Nods from Mayorkun (Of Lagos), Niniola (Addicted, Oh Sharp, Look Like Me), Patoranking (Nobody), Rema (Woman), Rexxie (KPK), Juls (Soweto Blues) amongst many others are sufficient enough to convey the popularity of Amapiano. Although deeply rooted in South Africa, Amapiano is not just a South African culture, it is an African culture now.
For many years, Amapiano was considered inferior and low quality because it was not properly mixed down, but it started gaining traction when South African OAP Da Kruk, introduced 'The Amapiano Hour' on his YFM radio show. He gave Amapiano its first airplay after receives many submissions from artists on his social media.

BBC DOCUMENTARY : https://youtu.be/ou0luMrf1mU
Elements 
Form and Style

The central organizing rhythm is led by the Log drum and Shakers. A piano chord compliments the percussions with a soft and high valence rhythm.

Singing Style

The lead vocals in Amapiano music can be murmured, yelled, chanted, sang, or spoken. The lead vocals are sometimes harmonized in the chorus and at other times within the verses.

Theme

Some of the common themes in Amapiano music include: Freedom Happiness Dance Celebration of Youth

Culture

Amapiano is mostly feel-good music. It is always present at parties and clubs. South African Producers began the genre as a means of expressing their musical thoughts.

Timbre

Amapiano music is mostly polyphonic in nature with at least a couple of different rhythms going at the same time.

Arrangement

The shaker establishes the foundational rhythm with an alternating strong and weak beat - usually built on a 4/4 time signature. The log drum is overlayed on the shaker. Log drum rhythm comes in various forms depending on the artist. Piano chords are added to accentuate the melody with a soft high valence feel.