Kabza De Small has never had a problem shouldering the responsibilities that come with being at the forefront of amapiano’s global explosion. It was his third solo studio album, back in 2020 in fact, where he declared, I Am the King of Amapiano: Sweet & Dust. In the five years since, Kabza continued to operate at the cutting edge of South African music, even in detours to celebrate kwaito on 2022’s Speak N Vrostaan (with Kwesta) and his teamup with Mthunzi for 2023’s soul-stirring Isimo. The ever-inventive producer follows that last statement with Bab’Motha, a propulsive album that embraces amapiano’s evolution without losing sight of its spiritual origins. Vocalists Nobuhle, Nkosazana Daughter, and Sykes, set the stage for the album’s shapeshifting soundscape on dreamy opener, “Kabza Chant 2.0,” teeing up the funky punch of “Abalozi.” Keen to showcase all the ways that South African house has evolved, Kabza pays homage to 3-step, the frenetic fusion of Afro-house, and amapiano that’s soundtracking parties across the country. Therein, Dlala Thukzin joins for a blockbuster dance-floor summons on “Ngyozama,” while the immersive “Siyabonga” shows off Kabza’s curatorial instincts thanks to an inspired pairing of Mthunzi and Nontokozo Mkhize. In all, Bab’Motha is a project bound together by the obdurate vision of Kabza De Small, a man whose beguiling basslines, wavy synths, and multilayered instrumentation have been—and will continue to be—integral to the direction of amapiano and South African dance music at large.