2022 has once again been a year of sheer amapiano dominance.
But amidst this there’s been signs of life from hip hop, with the likes of K.O and Blxckie flying the flag high for the genre.
Several albums have grabbed our attention in a year in which many of the stars who did not deliver in 2021, finally released a body of work. Here are the five biggest albums of the year:
Kabza De Small - KOA II Pt 1
Kabza De Small was in uncharted territory when he released his latest album, “KOA II Pt 1” in June.
After three years of sheer dominance as unarguably the leading DJ and producer in the land, the amapiano pioneer was facing stiff competition for the first time as the likes of Mellow & Sleazy and Felo Le Tee came to the fore.
Questions were starting to be asked: was Kabza still the top dog? The simple answer is, yes. He proved that emphatically with arguably his best album to date, “KOA II Pt 1”.
Not only was the album a sonically cohesive body of work, it also gave rise to a number of stunning singles, most notably “Xola”, “Khusela” and “Eningi”.
K.O - SR3
If you bet against K.O before, you’d better not bet against him again. The Skhanda God has once again shown that he’s never really down and out.
After a relatively quiet few years since his anthemic single, “Supa Dupa”, which marked his previous comeback magic trick, K.O came out of nowhere with the record-breaking “Sete” featuring Young Stunna and Blxckie.
It was the perfect play: two mercurial young artist features, a blend of hip hop and afrobeats, and a timely summertime release.
He quickly followed that up with his third studio album, “SR3”. Having just released a new video for the album’s second single, “Moshito”, he may well continue this winning streak well into 2023. I wouldn’t bet against that.
Focalistic - Ghetto Gospel
Focalistic has made waves over the past two years without an album. The amapiano star from Pretoria has been so prolific since he released “Ke Star” in 2020 that it’s easy to forget that since then, he’s just peppered us with hit single after hit single while he took his time to craft his album, “Ghetto Gospel”.
The, which was finally released in November, was rolled out with one of the most spectacular album listening sessions in recent memory.
Propelled by lead single “Sjepa” as well as follow up singles “Tabela Hape” and “Tsela Tse Nyane”, this album is definitely his best yet.
Sha Sha - I’m Alive
Sha Sha is a BET Award winner. That’s no small achievement and, after the quiet few years she’s had, it’s easy to forget that she’s a bona fide star with international acclaim.
But in the music industry you’re often judged by your most recent work, and Sha Sha only had one single out before she rolled out the appropriately titled “I’m Alive” album in September.
The amapiano vocalist came guns blazing with an all star cast of features that includes Musa Keys, DJ Maphorisa, Focalistic, Kabza De Small, Blxckie and Ami Faku. A solid comeback from a truly talented artist. More where that came from next year, please.
Kelvin Momo - Amukelani
In an industry that’s characterised by hype and flashiness, the understated Kelvin Momo has somehow managed to become as popular as some of the industry’s flashiest stars.
But Momo’s success isn’t defined by his growing popularity. It’s defined by the sheer quality of his music.
The revered amapiano DJ and producer recently released his eagerly anticipated third solo album “Amukelani” to unprecedented fanfare for an amapiano album.
At the time of writing, Momo has unseated K.O mega hit, “Sete”, as the biggest song on Apple Music South Africa. Oh, and he also occupies nine of the top ten spots on the chart, which is updated daily.