Kwaito
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Kwaito is a South African form of house music that originated in Johannesburg in the mid 1990's.
The beat in Kwaito is slower than that usually found in house music and contains melodius African loops, deep bass and often vocals. Charactaristicly the vocals are male and shouted or chanted and for the most part not sung.
The lyrics are a blend of indigenous South African languages and English, often found in the same song. More recently, Kwaito artists like Zola rap their lyrics American style, while others such as BOP and Oskido have sped up their beats to create African house. Prominent Kwaito artists include Arthur, Zola and Mandoza.
Arthur put Kwaito on the map in South Africa with his hit, "Don't call me a Kaffir". It is however only after 2001 that Kwaito artists and music have found their way to Europe and the US.
Kwaito is derived from the Afrikaans slang word Kwaai, meaning cool or mean.