South African Maskandi band Ama Target teams up with traditional music performer Shenge Wasehlalankosi on “Izinkinga Zomjolo,” a culturally rooted single that tackles the problems of modern relationships.
The title translates to “Relationship Problems” in Zulu — and Ama Target doesn’t shy away from tackling it with the directness that Maskandi storytelling demands. No sugar-coating of the theme here. The writing plunges right into the messy business of love and communication, which is what the genre is best at when it’s at its most honest.
Shenge Wasehlalankosi offers a traditional music identity that takes the partnership beyond than a normal Maskandi feature. His participation gives “Izinkinga Zomjolo” a textured cultural layering – two artists from the same broad traditional South African music world converging on a similar emotional subject. So the LP sounds less like an assemblage and more like a coherent effort. They are both speaking the same cultural language and the chemistry is there.
However, the indigenous string instrumentation and passionate vocal performances keep the production in line with the Maskandi tradition throughout. But the subject matter – interpersonal struggles that every generation relates to – lends the record a timeless appeal that keeps it accessible beyond Maskandi aficionados. Because the best traditional music, to communicate something universal, usually uses a distinct cultural context.
For South African music fans who keep up with the Maskandi scene and enjoy music that combines traditional storytelling to speak to everyday emotional realities, “Izinkinga Zomjolo” is exactly the type of release that gets played over and over.
Listen to Izinkinga Zomjolo on YouTube Music. Tell us if Ama Target and Shenge Wasehlalankosi just dropped Maskandi’s most relatable tune of the week!
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