Samthing Soweto Owns Apple Music in SA with Two Number One Hits

Samthing Soweto is the first local artist to have two simultaneous hits on Apple Music – a single and an album. Samthing’ s Isphithiphithi  album can be found along with his Akulaleki single, bringing Soweto to prominence in the South African music industry.  So take a music break from your online casino for South Africans for a few minutes and check it out.

Samthing Soweto

Samkelo Mdolomba, a Soweto native, started his career as a founding member of The Soil, an acappella group.  The group’s first album, Native Rhythms, was released in 2011 and although Samthing left the group soon afterward, his efforts as group vocalist, co-writer, composer and producer, received much credit for the album’s success.

Samthing moved on to record as a solo act, releasing “This n that Without Tempo” in which he paid tribute to Mama Miriam Makeba, anti-apartheid activist and Empress of African Song. Samthing relies heavily on the uniquely South African “Pantsula” musical culture.

Samthing has served as front man for The Fridge, a Nu jazz band that records under the Motif record label and has produced and collaborated on a South African poetry album called “I Am Not Going Back to the Township.” The album discusses class, literacy and poverty as well as life as a black man in today’s South Africa.

Samthing’s distinct Afro-soul, jazz and R&B vocals make him one of the most desirable artists on the South African music scene. Samthing has collaborated with a number of other South African musicians including Black Coffee, Sun El l Musician and DJ Maphorisa.

The Charts

Now Samthing has become the first local artist to have simultaneously number one releases on the Album Charts and the Apple Music Singles in South Africa.

The single, Akulaleki, features Kabza De Small, Shasha and DJ Maphorisa is currently topping the singles chart.

At the same time, the Isphithiphithi album, which is set to officially release on 20 September, has also reached the top of the charts on Apple Music. Samthing works with top SA producers DJ Maphorisa, Kabza Da Small and Thabo Ngubane on the album which includes co-writes with  Sha Sha, Mduduzi Memela, Bongkhosi Zondo, Ali Keys and Mduduzi Mathebula.

Isphithiphithi is being anxiously anticipated by Samthing’s fans who are looking forward to the eclectic and well-curated collection of music which will showcase his writing, vocal and production skills.

Pantsula 

Akulaleki translates into “not sleepy” in Zulu while  Isphithiphithi  means “the crowded or chaotic place.” Initial reviews say that both speak to the African experience in South Africa, especially for those in the townships.

Samthing’s Pantsula musical tradition expressed black Africans’ township culture. The music accompanies wild, exuberant dance that expresses the wish that they will be set free from prejudice and parental dominance. The Pantsula dance is described as a flat footed African tap-and-glide style of dance

The Pantsula tradition originated in the apartheid era and developed into a form of social commentary. Over the years it has undergone several transformations, many of which are related to the country’s changing political tides.