Amapiano has long shed any speculations of being fleeting, morphing instead into a sophisticated sonic movement that thrives on decadent log drum patterns, hypnotic grooves, and a communal vibe that’s cherished. The genre has shifted dramatically in the last year, consuming everything in its path; moving from township parties to global festival stages without ever losing its special sauce that made it so sweetly consumed; transforming into a more structured, high-stakes industry that directs the sound of African pop music and reshaping how global audiences engage with African dance music. Its most inventive creators understand that the genre and its scene have always been about movement, both in the literal sense of its groove-heavy rhythms and in the way its biggest artists evolve with each release. Hence, TitoM and Yuppe are not anomalies: they are two of its latest, sharpest frontrunners.

In the wake of “Tshwala Bam,” a track that bulldozed its way into the collective pop consciousness partly due to the fertile grounds of TikTok, they return with their first record of the year, “Hamba Ngedwa” this time pairing up with Ceehle and JayJayy. Having carved their initial marks with a viral record, they’ve pivoted towards something that, ostensibly, seeks to transcend the immediate gratification of their prior success.

TitoM and Yuppe are no strangers to the delicate balance required in amapiano production. While their technical proficiency remains forceful on “Hamba Ngedwa”, they positively stray from the established parameters of their sonic domain. The familiar log drum pulses remain, as do the gliding synth washes that have come to define the genre’s more meditative side, lending the track a looseness to it that makes it easy to sink into.