Bubblegum
Bubblegum is best characterized as 1980s South African township pop that evolved from Mbaqanga. A predecessor of Kwaito, the music’s biggest star was Capetown-born singer Brenda Fassie. Fassie’s sound, like much of Bubblegum, is a combination of sweet guitar-driven African melodies, digitally produced percussion tracks that move at a 110-beat-per-minute clip and saccharine lyrics sung in both English and Zulu. Other important artists include Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Condry Ziqubu, Fassie’s producer Chicco Twala, Sipho “Hotsticks” Mabuse and Lucky Dube.
