South African rapper and singer Anatii has switched up his signature hip-hop sound for a fusion of genres on his latest album, BOOM SZN, and fans are loving it.
Known for his genre-bending style, Anatii has always excelled as a producer, singer, and rapper, but this time, he takes his fans on a different journey. He dropped his lead single, “Sey’hlangene,” featuring Yumbs and AI Xapo, which incorporates the amapiano sound, something different from what he's known for." (Added a comma for clarity
Additionally, the award-winning singer and producer has partnered with Gamma, an innovative media and technology platform, for a global distribution deal.
IOL caught up with the multi-talented artist to chat about his latest single, the inspiration behind “BOOM SZN”, the surprising reaction from his fans, and his partnership with Gamma.
On “Sey’hlangene”, Anatii (real name Anathi Mnyango) delivers a hip hop, amapiano-infused track that showcases his consistently impressive vocal range. However, it's the album as a whole that's really got fans talking due to the unexpected sound from the artist.
Featuring collaborations with US rapper Busta Rhymes and fresh talent from two of amapiano’s finest vocalists, Chley and Scotts Maphuma, Mnyango reveals that the feedback for the album has been overwhelmingly positive.
“You know, I think what I've appreciated the most is that, with “BOOM SZN”, I've been able to give people shock value. From the sound, the features, the production choices, and the blending of genres,” he said.
“Not so much switching from hip-hop to amapiano, but rather infusing hip-hop with amapiano, R&B with amapiano, and Afrobeat with amapiano,” he added.
Mnyango shared that choosing the artists to collaborate with on his latest album happened organically.
“It's always interesting to see how different people pair together and create unique combinations, merging their characters and energies in the room,” he said.
He explained that when releasing the album, he didn’t have specific expectations; he just wanted the music to resonate and for people to consume it naturally.
When asked what drew him to the partnership with Gamma, he revealed that it was a combination of many factors.
They reached a point where they could present a structure that made sense to him as an artist with a vision to discover, develop, and nurture talent while putting out his own music and helping grow the South African music industry by providing a platform.
The talented artist says fans can expect to hear a lot more music and see more visuals from him, as the partnership will lead to an increase in content.
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