Before we get into it, I’ll admit something: I had to Google amapiano. If you’re more used to boom bap and breakbeats than log drums and jazzy pads, you’re probably in the same boat. Turns out, amapiano is a South African genre that blends deep house, jazz, and kwaito, anchored by airy melodies and unmistakably infectious rhythms. It’s dancefloor music, but it’s also richly emotional and built for groove rather than spectacle. Now enter Proklaim, an artist who heard that and thought “What if I fused this with classic hip-hop and made it into something that actually works?”
That’s where CREEPIN/FURTHER (2 IN 1) comes in. It’s a two-for-one track plays like an audio trust fall; starting with familiar foundations, then flipping the table halfway through and daring you to follow. It’s the kind of project that doesn’t announce its ambition with fireworks, but shows its hand slowly and deliberately. And the longer you sit with it, the more you realize it’s doing something really clever with structure, mood, and genre-blending.
Let’s start with the first half entitled CREEPIN, which opens like it’s entering a cipher with something to prove. It’s rooted in boom bap, but it doesn’t feel nostalgic or museum-pieced. Proklaim isn’t doing throwback cosplay here. He’s taking the bones of old-school hip-hop and breathing new urgency into them. His delivery is focused and tight, walking that perfect line between laid-back confidence and absolute lyrical control. You get the sense he’s not here to posture; he’s here to build something.
And then comes the pivot: FURTHER. Where the first half is all grit and grounded poise, FURTHER lifts off into something way looser and more melodic. The amapiano influence hits immediately: airy keys, log drum basslines that slide like syrup, and a vibe that feels like sunlight after a storm. But here’s the kicker; Proklaim doesn’t just hop on a club beat and shout platitudes. He adapts. The delivery softens, the cadence breathes, and suddenly you’re dancing in the same story you were once marching through.
Then there’s that sample, taken from the Shaka Zulu miniseries and woven in like a spectral thread. It’s unexpected, but not in a gimmicky way. It roots the track in something mythic, historical, and specific. It’s a bold move, but it works. In a world where cultural referencing often feels hollow, this feels like homage with real teeth.
Ultimately, CREEPIN/FURTHER (2 IN 1) is a dual-track statement on motion, on heritage, on pushing the form without shouting about it. Proklaim isn’t genre-hopping to chase trends; he’s building a space where both these sounds make sense together, and maybe more importantly, where he makes sense within them. Is it polished to radio-ready shine? No. Is it supposed to be? Also no. This is music with a heartbeat, stitched together with care and curiosity. And that, frankly, is more interesting than perfection.
Follow Proklaim
About the Author
A tenured media critic known working as a ghost writer, freelance critic for various publications around the world, the former lead writer of review blogspace Atop The Treehouse and content creator for Manila Bulletin.
