Asake and Zinoleesky are the two leaders of the Nigerian amapiano sound.
In recent years, almost all popular Nigerian musicians have used samples of the Amapiano sound, however, Zinoleesky and Asake appear to fit the sound better.
First and foremost what is the Amapiano sound and its origin? Amapiano is a style of house music that emerged in South Africa in 2012.
It is a hybrid of deep house, jazz and lounge music characterized by synths, airy pads and wide percussive basslines.
It is distinguished by high-pitched Electric/Rhodes piano melodies, Kwaito basslines, a unique bass sound from the DAW FL Studio called the Log-Drum, and a 90’s South African house music-inspired tempo from 90 BPM to 120 BPM (Typically from 108 to 115 BPM) Shakers play the main role as they are present through the tracks along with percussion from another local sub-genre of the house known as Bacardi.
The amapiano beat first appeared in South Africa in 2019, but it has since gained popularity in Nigeria’s music business.
The Amapiano sounds were present in some of Nigeria’s biggest singles in 2021, such as Reekado Banks’ “Ozumba Mbadiwe.” Davido’s “Champions sound,” Rema’s “Woman,” Burna Boy’s “Yaba Buluku,” Adekunle Gold’s “High,” and many more.
Even P-first square’s song to be released after their return, “Jaiye,” was an amapiano.
Recently, hit songs produced with the amapiano beat were released back-to-back by Zinoleesky and Asake.
Without the amapiano sound, it appears we can never again appreciate Zinoleesky. His fans can’t get enough of the way he has reinterpreted it.
Songs by Zino like “Gone Far,” “Blessings,” “Rocking,” “Kilofeshe,” and “Naira Marley” all outperform the recently released “Loving You” in terms of popularity.
Since his followers are not dissatisfied and the amapiano beat suits him, Zino might not feel the need to abandon it for the time being.
Unless we want to cap, Asake is currently the hottest artist in Nigeria. From “Sungba” to “PBUY,” all of his songs have an amapiano beat.
The fact that his songs consistently top the charts in spite of criticisms that they are similar proves that Nigerians simply want to dance.
With all the Lamba samples Asake drops and how fantastic he sounds on the Amapiano rhythm, this song is really awesome.
By this point, it is undeniable that Zinoleesky and Asake are The Dons of the amapiano beat.