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188:, which had since the 1930s offered a black urban lifestyle. Sophiatown and Alexandra were rare "freehold" areas where blacks could own property. Its proximity to Johannesburg's downtown area made Sophiatown attractive to performers eager to explore new avenues of music. The area became an important seed-bed for the rapidly developing black musical culture. But when Sophiatown's residents were forcibly removed to newly formed townships such as
109:, one of the most well-known mbaqanga singers (and arguably the most famous mbaqanga "groaner", nicknamed the "lion of Soweto"), died a poor man. This was partly due to the exploitation of black South African musicians at home and abroad as Mahlathini pointed out. Mbaqanga groups of the 1960s also found it difficult to get air time on local radio stations, and had to perform outside record stores to attract audiences.
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Mbaqanga's popularity faded during the 1970s because of the influence of
Western pop, soul and disco into South Africa. Public performances declined because labour migrants no longer wanted to be in the spotlight. Additionally, audiences sought more urbanised language, vocal, and instrumental styles.
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tourist website sponsored by the government describes mbaqanga as "the cyclic structure of marabi . . . with a heavy dollop of
American big band swing thrown on top." Mbaqanga also provided a very early forum for black and white interaction in a segregated country. As a result, the "white Nationalist
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Mbaqanga was fully replaced as the dominant music genre in the 1980s by a new urban genre called 'bubblegum.' An Afro-dance pop, Bubblegum was mainly influenced by mbaqanga and other popular
African styles. With the introduction of television in 1976, this musical genre was promoted as music across
199:, a group comprising five domestic workers from Pretoria – Marks Mankwane (lead guitar), Joseph Makwela (bass guitar), Vivian Ngubane (rhythm guitar), Lucky Monama (drums) and West Nkosi (saxophone). Mbaqanga, a Zulu word for steamed cornbread, fused
160:. Mbaqanga maintained its popularity until the 1980s when it was replaced by South African pop music known as bubblegum. Bubblegum is a genre highly influenced by mbaqanga. One of the few remaining mbaqanga bands is
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album (1986) and subsequent tour. Mahlathini and the
Mahotella Queens' appearances at festivals in France and at Nelson Mandela's 70th birthday concert in Wembley Stadium, London in 1988 (featuring "white Zulu"
340:
Several mbaqanga acts are still recording and performing today, including the
Mahotella Queens and the Soul Brothers. Mbaqanga also continues to influence musicians worldwide. For example, the Norwegian group
218:, combined with big band swing. The indlamu input developed into the "African stomp" style, giving a notably African rhythmic impulse to the music and making it quite irresistible to its new audiences.
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roots that continues to influence musicians worldwide today. The style originated in the early 1960s, and blends traditional
African vocal styles and melodies with European and American popular music.
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By the middle of the 1950s, the evolving indigenous South
African music exploded in popularity given its increased reach to a massively growing urban population. A typical area was the township of
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all ethnic groups. Characterized as a representation of a move towards music that was more urban than traditional, the
Bubblegum genre had many successful musicians, including Chico Twala,
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124:. Musically, the sound indicated a mix between western instrumentation and South African vocal style. Many mbaqanga scholars consider it to be the result of a coalition between
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enthusiasts. Many of them were not permitted to establish themselves in the city, but they were unable to sustain themselves in the rural country.
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to be their
African production manager, brought together the musicians of the Makgona Tsohle Band with Mahlathini and a new female chorus, the
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Coplan, David B. "Sounds of the 'Third Way:' Identity and the
African Renaissance in Contemporary South African Popular Traditional Music"
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government brought this vital era to an end" by razing the townships that supported mbaqanga such as
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229:. This was when mbaqanga really took off – or more specifically, "vocal mbaqanga" (later nicknamed
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gave them a staple form of musical and spiritual sustenance; it was their "musical daily bread."
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However, it was revived between 1983 and 1986. The reversal of fortunes was in part due to
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included a tribute track, "All the Way Back (Shades of Mbaqanga)", on their 2003 album
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during the 1960s. Its use of western instruments allowed mbaqanga to develop into a
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The genre gained popularity as a result of radio play by stations under the
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452:. Journal of the Musical Arts in Africa. pp. 116–127. Archived from
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394:"Simon Mahlathini Page in Fuller Up, The Dead Musicians Directory"
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Martin, Lydia. "1950s Township Jazz or Mbaqanga." 12 April 2007.
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450:"'Kwaitofabulous': The Study of a South African urban genre"
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Mbaqanga musicians received little money. For example,
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aficionados were mostly plebeian, metropolitan African
195:One of the earliest innovators of mbaqanga was the
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211:melded with traditional dance styles such as the
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74:) is a style of South African music with rural
294:incorporation of South African music into his
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309:. Veteran Afrikaans piano accordion player
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372:Vol. 21, No. 1 (Spring 2001). pp. 107–124.
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221:Rupert Bopape, enticed by the successful
112:Mbaqanga developed in the South African
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146:South African Broadcasting Corporation
90:means an everyday cornmeal porridge.
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261:. Other mbaqanga musicians included
207:influences. The cyclic structure of
170:The Golden Delicious Rhythm Crooners
239:Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens
422:. Southafrica.info. Archived from
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396:. Elvispelvis.com. Archived from
1:
1152:South African styles of music
370:Black Music Research Journal.
485:"SA ROCK DIGEST ISSUE #200"
448:Mhlambi, Thokozani (2004).
107:Simon "Mahlathini" Nkabinde
16:South African musical genre
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148:. Early artists included
46:Early 1960s, South Africa
273:International popularity
241:, singing stars such as
1086:Sudanese popular music
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1177:African popular music
538:African popular music
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400:on 14 September 2000
223:Gallo Record Company
71:[mɓaˈǃáːŋga]
706:African heavy metal
426:on 28 November 2006
197:Makgona Tsohle Band
67:Zulu pronunciation:
1167:Culture of Lesotho
490:. Sarockdigest.com
327:Yvonne Chaka Chaka
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263:Simon Baba Mokoena
237:). In addition to
86:In Zulu, the term
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259:The Soul Brothers
255:Dark City Sisters
162:The Cool Crooners
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29:Stylistic origins
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561:African hip hop
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987:Moroccan pop
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882:Isicathamiya
825:Coupé-décalé
684:Zimdancehall
554:desert blues
492:. Retrieved
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454:the original
428:. Retrieved
424:the original
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402:. Retrieved
398:the original
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303:Johnny Clegg
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1182:Dance music
733:Ambasse bey
650:Zenji flava
645:Bongo Flava
494:29 November
460:29 November
430:29 November
404:29 November
319:Viva Madiba
313:produced a
251:Letta Mbulu
158:Letta Mbulu
120:version of
1157:Zulu music
1141:Categories
1111:Ziglibithy
957:Marrabenta
942:Mahraganat
805:Chimurenga
662:Zimbabwean
628:Senegalese
536:Genres of
353:References
315:boereqanga
307:Robin Auld
281:The group
267:West Nkosi
182:Sophiatown
139:Sophiatown
1101:Wassoulou
1017:Palm-wine
907:Kidandali
815:Coladeira
783:Cape jazz
768:Bend-skin
758:Bantowbol
718:Afro-soul
701:Afro-rock
696:Afrobeats
640:Tanzanian
613:Mauritian
343:Real Ones
317:hit with
297:Graceland
235:mgqashiyo
176:Formation
1147:Mbaqanga
1002:Ndombolo
992:Motswako
972:Mbaqanga
855:Highlife
830:Edo Funk
798:Moroccan
793:Algerian
753:Bajourou
728:Amapiano
691:Afrobeat
657:Togolese
623:Nigerien
618:Nigerian
608:Moroccan
603:Malawian
576:Ghanaian
566:Algerian
114:shebeens
100:Mbaqanga
92:Mbaqanga
88:mbaqanga
63:Mbaqanga
24:Mbaqanga
1126:Zouglou
1121:Zoblazo
1096:Tabanka
1081:Soukous
1076:Singeli
1027:Raï'n'B
1012:Odi Pop
947:Makossa
937:Madiaba
912:Kizomba
877:Hiplife
778:Bikutsi
763:Batuque
711:Zamrock
581:Ivorian
571:Gambian
216:indlamu
184:, near
82:History
1091:Taarab
1066:Shaabi
1054:Seggae
1039:Salegy
1034:Sakara
967:Mbalax
962:Maloya
952:Marabi
932:Logobi
922:Kwaito
917:Kuduro
840:Funaná
788:Chaabi
748:Azonto
743:Assiko
679:Seggae
591:Boomba
586:Kenyan
335:kwaito
209:marabi
201:marabi
190:Soweto
126:marabi
33:Marabi
1106:Zaley
1061:Semba
1007:Njuup
982:Morna
977:Mbube
927:Kwela
887:Jaiva
872:Hipco
845:Gnawa
773:Benga
738:Apala
596:Genge
488:(TXT)
205:kwela
130:kwela
37:kwela
1049:Sega
897:Jùjú
850:Gqom
835:Fuji
810:Colá
723:Alté
496:2014
462:2014
432:2014
406:2014
329:and
265:and
257:and
249:and
213:Zulu
203:and
168:and
156:and
132:. A
128:and
122:jazz
96:jazz
76:Zulu
1022:Raï
892:Jit
233:or
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