Amapiano has done some border hopping over the last eight months or so – and the fresh-outta-Africa genre has taken the London underground scene by storm. Riding the curve, Nigerian hot-shot Davido has taken the pontification of it into his own hands and teamed up with South African Amapiano heavyweight Focalistic too.
Off the back of their hit remix collaboration “ Ke Star”, which dropped earlier this year to effervescent praise – Time Magazine even listed it as one the Best Songs of 2021 So Far – the two premiered “Champion Sound” via an Instagram live which promptly spawned a viral leak. Hype ensued, the track spiralled up the proverbial charts, and then they dropped a music video.
Packed with the sort of enigmatic, forward-thinking initiative that Davido has channeled throughout his decade-long career, “Champion Sound” is just that: a minimalistic, vibrantly textured amapiano banger which brings south and west Africa together in a delightful marriage of sound. They trade the mic with fluidity – Focalistic in SiPitori and Davido in Pidgin English – while synth samples and an overriding beat fills it out at the edges.
The video, directected by Dalia Dias paints a glossy, colour-soaked picture of the beating heart of London’s underground scene. Iconic skylines meet street-side jams. Davido, Focalistic and co. cut shapes, drop bars, and flex urban pizazz – and that they pretty much solidify amapiano as the sound of the upcoming decade.
Feature pic supplied by artist
