In the 2010s, teenagers in Durban townships reportedly using cracked copies of FruityLoops to make menacing, trance-like beats changed dance music forever. The music was a stark and welcomed contrast to the sunny house music dominating most clubs globally. It's heavy and hypnotic—a manifestation of the tension between the community's youthful desire to have fun and celebrate and the poverty, violence, and lack of opportunity pervasive in the outskirts of Durban where they live. It's a feeling that these young producers communicated beautifully and effectively through their sounds.
Gqom started in the South African underground and spread like wildfire in a labyrinthine network of music hosting sites, Facebook, WhatsApp groups, and in-person interactions via friends and taxis. In a Michigan Daily article, one of the genre's leading producers, DJ Lag is quoted saying, “If a track is being played in a taxi, you should know that your track is a hit, since taxis are a symbol of dancing mood, especially taxis that work in the heart of Durban. And taxis actually are the heart of Durban especially in promoting Gqom music.”
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This underground, DIY movement spread from the fringes of South African clubs and house parties to the mainstream around 2015 and 2016 when cleaner, more pop-friendly versions began to appear. The most credited spark to Gqom's international acclaim was in 2016 when a Babes Womdumo song (the self-described Gqom queen) appeared on the soundtrack for Marvel’s Black Panther. The featured track, "Wololo", is named for the sound people in Durban shout when dancing. Another genre leader, DJ Lag was only 17 and living in a Durban shack when he wrote the song "Ice Drop"— later the subject of a copyright claim that Lag won against will.i.am in 2021. His 2018 track "Drumming" was sampled by Beyonce in "My Power" in 2019. Some say that Gqom’s spread outside of South Africa was largely facilitated by a Rome-based DJ named Nan Kolè, who helped start a label called Gqom Oh! that released a compilation from the Durban townships.
Regardless of the genre's genesis, its influence hasn't waned. Over the last ten years, Gqom music has appeared in The Lion King, soundtracked an NBA match, shaken up festivals worldwide, and paved the way for a more melodic strand of South African club music, Amapiano, among others, to take hold.
Immerse yourself in the frenetic and addictive ear candy of Gqom and download the Ebusku Gqom Sounds sample pack by clicking the button below!