PAUSE Meets: Major League DJz

There’s a big South African and Zimbabwean community here too.

Yeah, it’s crazy. I think it’s one of the biggest from Southern Africa hey?

I think so, and you see it more as you travel throughout the country. You guys were born in America before moving to South Africa. Being from Zimbabwe myself, I know personally that we take a lot of influence from the Hip-Hop scene in America and the Grime scene here. Do you think, as Africans, we’re at the point where African artists are starting to influence other countries?

We’re at that stage now. We have a genre that can influence every market and through the music we’ve done that, but also through fashion we’ve done that. Right now, for example, the label MaXhosa is huge and does good numbers with crazy sales all over the world, South African artists or the entertainment business is blooming. For example, there was a stage when Brenda Fassie was the biggest thing on the continent, there was a stage when Yvonne Chakaka was the biggest thing on the continent and there was a stage when Hugh Masekela was the biggest thing on the continent, I think it chops and changes. If we stay true to ourselves we’ll be the biggest thing.

And we’ve already seen it a few times when we’ve had genres like Kwaito, Gqom or South African Hip-Hop

And the base of AmaPiano is Kwaito

What do you think it is about AmaPiano compared to Kwaito or Gqom that’s made it stick with the masses? I mean our biggest export is music or maybe DJ’s, but other genres have come and gone so what is it about this moment that has made AmaPiano the thing?

You know what, Piano is so different because while Kwaito is the basis of AmaPiano, AmaPiano is influenced by so many different things. It can be influenced by deep house, it can be influenced by Afrotech or Afrobeats and it can be influenced by the drumline from the Bay Hip-Hop in America, like remember when Drake did that song the Motto, that drumline. There’s a lot of influences in the genre that you can pick. And it’s not just one specific sound like Gqom which has to sound one-way, you can sound different and still be AmaPiano because of the certain Log Drums and all that. So there’s a lot of influence and it can change to different things, so that’s why I think it has longevity, and we said in the beginning when people in South Africa were saying the genre will die like Gqom, and we were like ‘no, you guys have no idea.’

And because of the influences, whatever way we go, we can penetrate that space – let’s say tomorrow dancehall is the biggest thing, we can have dancehall influenced by AmaPiano because it fits into every space. Just like Afrobeats can fit into Trap Soul and can fit into any Hip-Hop beat because Afrobeats is not about the beat, but the melody.

That takes us perfectly to the debate that has been going on online. And we’ve been having this debate here in the U.K as in South Africa too about AmaPiano and AfroPiano – and artists outside of the genre being influenced to make their variation or interpretation of the genre. What’s Major League take on that?

No, they mustn’t change it to AfroPiano. We’ve never done that, we’ve never said PainoBeats, we’ve never said AfroDancehall – so don’t change the name. It’s AmaPiano.

What do you think about the influx of artists from other genres jumping onto the sound? We’ve recently seen Jorga Smith release what she said was an AmaPiano track.

We think it’s dope, and it’s growing the genre. But as we said, they shouldn’t change the narrative and they shouldn’t change the name or how it was made and the culture. Allow the music to do what it was supposed to do. AmaPiano grew not only with the sound but with the culture, the vibe, the type of dances and that’s why it’s trending.

So many people look up to Fela Kuti but no one has said it’s Afro-whatever. It was African Jazz music that Hugh Masakela and others were doing. No one changed the name, we never changed it and we respected it as that, so that’s what it is.

I think that’s always going to be an ongoing conversation

Yeah, it’s always going to be ongoing because there will always be people who want to change things to suit their narrative so they can make money off of it, which sucks if you think about it.

And we’ve seen it before, where Southern African artists maybe don’t get the credit they deserve for building certain genres. Maybe because we don’t really have the same kind of presence or size as other African nations.

One hundred per cent. We are far down there sometimes.

As the genre evolves, which we’ve already seen starting with tracks like Kokota to what artists like Aymos and Mas Musiq are making now, what do you think will be next for the sound? Especially in regards to experimenting and evolution.

It’s already started. The more we’re travelling the more we’ll be exposed to different sounds and different genres and how we mix the sounds. As Piano artists, we need to travel more so that we can filter into what is really going on in the dance scene, and understand what is happening so that we can start playing with different sounds that relate to different markets.

And we’ve seen that with artists like Black Coffee – who transcended being an Afro House DJ to playing all over the world for diverse crowds. Will ‘Piano get to that point? Will it rock Ibiza clubs?

We think it can.

No doubt it will. Switching gears slightly. South Africa and the music industry, in general, suffered a heavy loss recently with the untimely passing of Killa Kau, Mpura and Khaya. What impact will their legacies have on upcoming artists, and the AmaPiano scene in general?

The impact is hectic because we knew all the guys personally, very personally. AmaPiano was a genre that gave a lot of artists opportunities, previously a lot of artists didn’t have opportunities because with Hip-Hop it’s either you’re hot or not. AmaPiano gave them a chance to play around and experiment in different ways. These are artists that have come out of that, artists that have really proved themselves. Mpura was an amazing artist and did a lot, a lot of big songs in the past 6 months. Killer Kau was also very dope, actually, Themba also known as Euphonik, is the one that actually gave South Africa Killer Kau and he went into a different space – and the contribution he brought to the game has been amazing. Khaya was a guy who was just about the culture and how to push the culture. He was also a DJ but he was very much about the culture; how we as young people should lead this culture. Most of these guys were Hip-Hop guys that changed to be AmaPiano guys and I don’t think the AmaPiano pioneers knew how to lead the genre the way that it has been led. Hip Hop artists and Urban guys are the ones that put on AmaPiano and took it to the level it’s at. This is a big loss for the country.

And the fact that it’s young people that are dying, it’s just sad. We’ve already had a lot of people dying due to covid and now young people are dying when their careers are just about to blow up.

One of the big hits that have come for you Balcony Mixes has been Uncle Vinny.

There’s a lot of them! There are so many people that have come out of that Balcony Mix. It’s a platform that’s bigger than us, we just lead it, but it’s put on a lot of culture kids like Uncle Vinny.

And what is it about those kids that makes them so enthralling, would you say? And what does it mean for you to be able to put on people like Uncle Vinny and others, especially with the lack of opportunities for youth in South Africa?

For us, we get happy about it because this platform that we created from home is actually doing its thing and is bigger than us. At the end of the day, you guys watch the mixes but there are so many other people who see these guys and will say ‘oh I like that kid’ and offer them something. You take what you like and Vinny was one of those guys where everybody was like ‘I like that kid, I’m going to take him.’ It’s an opportunity where we can bring these young guys together, and be like ‘here’s an opportunity – if you make it, you make it.’

Do you know many kids hit me up every day just to be on the Balcony Mix. It’s mind-blowing. Dancers, girls, everything.

I guess everyone wants to have their shot at fame. We’ve got to talk about fashion. Fashion and music are that couple that cannot be separated. For you guys as DJ’s, how much do your wardrobe and fashion play a factor in what you do?

It’s super important. For us, it’s culture, fashion and music – and these things work hand in hand. You’ve got to understand that sometimes you can be the freshest guy and your album might be okay but the whole culture will be pushing your album because you support them on the culture side. Like I would support someone based on culture, maybe their album isn’t really my thing but based on their fashion and culture, I’ll support. Culture is very important and I think that’s where a lot of people lose it. Culture can actually save a lot of careers because culture always supports it.

For example, Hip-Hop is the biggest thing for artists because they have a culture behind it.

But then what do you think happens when someone moves away from the hip-hop perceived culture in music, say someone like Sjava who will go to the B.E.T Awards in his traditional garb?

That’s South African culture. There was actually a Hip Hop vs Maskandi soccer game yesterday and he was playing on the Hip-Hop side. He knows how to play it safe. Culture is the glue that keeps it all together. That’s how we present the package.

When it comes to fashion, clearly, you guys are into designer pieces?

Exactly, when you’re connected to the culture side the fashion comes with it. Because you know what the culture likes and what they want to see.

I know this personally, but for someone who isn’t up to speed – how big are the streetwear and fashion scenes in South Africa?

Streetwear is quite big, but luxury fashion is still growing. I don’t think a lot of people have the money to afford it but it’s all big. AmaPiano draws a lot of inspiration from Hip-Hop culture so you know a lot of AmaPiano artists will wear Gucci in South Africa. Also being tapped into that scene makes you accessible because when you’re talking to someone who dresses the way you dress, it’s easier to speak to him.

Do you think that being tapped into luxury brands like Gucci and others helps South African artists be able to relate to the Western scene? Because we’ve evolved from the Pantsula style worn by artists like Tkzee – Dickies two-piece with the Converse All Star Chuck Taylor to what we see guys like Kabza and Maphorisa wearing now?

Yes, it happens. And it’s something people don’t think about a lot. It’s harder to relate. That’s why we’re saying people like ASAP Rocky, their careers are supported by their fashion. They don’t have to drop music every year, same as Riky Rick. You have to understand that culture, it builds you. So when you drop something you’ll have support from the fashion people too, even Kanye.

Is that the route you guys see for yourselves, venturing into fashion?

We can play in that route, we think it’s possible. It’s just how you do it, what you’re going to be selling. We were speaking about it today because it’s a great space to be in. Kanye West just dropped his GAP jacket and he did like forty thousand orders in one night and they’ve never seen that at GAP. Online, and that was pre-order. It’s so crazy.