Kwaito

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkwaɪtoʊ/

Definitions

1. A musical genre emerging from South Africa that blends distinct beats with house influences to create a unique sound
2. A cultural expression rooted in urban South African youth that fuses dance, music, and hip-hop styles
3. A genre of South African music characterized by its lively, syncopated beats and a fusion of electronic and traditional sounds that reflects urban youth culture

Etymology: Kwaito is a South African music style whose name comes from the slang of Johannesburg townships. It is borrowed from Camtho, a street slang that mixes Afrikaans and other languages, and it traces back to the Afrikaans adjective "kwaai", which means "cool" in the sense of fine or excellent. Yet the literal sense of "kwaai" is "angry", and that older meaning is part of the word's history: the same root gave slang terms built on a sense of hot temper and cool composure alike. The word therefore names a genre that was itself a product of mixing. Its slang origin reflects the way township youth blended languages in everyday speech, and the music took the name of the slang that carried it. Because "kwaai" also meant "cool" in the sense of impressive, the name works as a label of style as much as of sound.