Penny Penny — Amarumasi

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The rags-to-riches chronicle of Penny Penny’s life would be remarkable if he had only released his smash debut Shaka Bundu and packed houses for a few years. But the inimitable South African singer and dancer known for his trademark top ponytail and emphatic anthems was no one-hit wonder. In the aftermath of Shaka Bundu’s nationwide explosion, far beyond his country the album resonated with ever bigger audiences.

He performed up and down the continent, building fanbases in more than a dozen countries. So his sophomore album Yogo Yogo—released in 1996—solidified Penny Penny’s standing in pop music nationally and provided new energy to his pan-African stadium-filling adventures.

“I was very busy between Shaka Bundu and Yogo Yogo. Shows every week, local and outside the country. There was no relaxing from 1995 until 1999.”

The album also reflects the era in which it emerged. If Shaka Bundu arrived triumphantly amid newfound political freedom in South Africa with the end of Apartheid and Nelson Mandela’s election, Yogo Yogo was a next level expression for the maturing artist.

He wanted to get a message out. Composed with Joe Shirimani, who also produced the album, the sound and compositional style echoes the earlier recording but the topical nature of the lyrics became more deliberate, more didactic.

In the song “Ingani” Penny proclaims, we are all one people even though we may speak different languages, we are all Nguni—a larger historical grouping that includes many of the ethnic groups in modern South Africa.
“Kulani Kulani,” which means grow up, urges young people to say no to drugs and yes to education. Ama Owners, referring to the public transport drivers involved in violent rumbles, asks the nation’s drivers to relax because we need them for our safe arrival.

Penny’s success as a Xitsonga artist should not be under-estimated in the context of popular music at the time in South Africa. “When I started with my own style and image, first time in Shangaan we had artist like me,” Penny explains. “Our music was traditional before. But I brought a mix of rock and disco and it became the bomb. Every star won’t be popular without your own style.”

It took them eight days to finish album, writing the songs in the studio. Penny says, “The songs just happened. Joe is very good at listening and producing, he has lots of patience. When he played the keyboard I would sing, standing behind him once he finished the rhythm, I would sing it all in one take, non-stop. We were not using computers to record, we were singing live. And we pressed the music on cassette and vinyl—not CD—back then."

Fast-forward to 2020, Penny Penny is deep in the political game and appears on television 6 times a week as the star of his own reality TV show, “Papa Penny Ahee!”. He is setting up an avocado farm and provides fifty families in his region with food every month via his charitable foundation. Penny still plays huge shows around South Africa and will appear at some Europe’s biggest festivals in 2021.
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This songs brings our people together after the 11 years brutal war in Sierra Leone 🇸🇱 😢 i was just a young bby. Respect to shaka bundu and team for job well done 👏

IbrahimGbla-sv
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Am from ethiopia children's are fallen in love with this music

dinkinehsirachew
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Around the later part of 1998 my dad never stopped playing this song during his relaxation period.
What a memory!
Rest on dad!!!
Love from Nigeria 🇳🇬

jaytricks
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The most beloved song ever among Ethiopians even though we don't know what is was about

alazarmekonen
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Me and my brother's stole the cassette from our elder sisters and till date 2022 almost 30years my best jam I still have the radio cassette tape.

abdulrahmanzakariahmadu
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Jamming with this masterpiece in 2023 from 🇪🇷

ermiastewelde
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Brings back childhood memories.... memories of my late Mom when I went to visit her me and my sister I got to hear the song from her people and I fell Inlove with the song 1997 from Nigeria....may your soul rest in peace Mom!

naallahjoshua
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I'm a Ghanian but always like his music and I don't understand The language

NantomahIshaw
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Big love from Ethiopa!!!This use to play in every corner of Addis Abeba!!!

shinfelabet
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Am from ethiopia we use to listen it in 19s

juneidnuzha
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Long before he met mama Nomy 😂 gone are those days... This song brings back good memories

OrapelengTawana
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I remember jamming to these songs on cassette with big "Omega" speakers, must have been around 1994 in a small mining Zimbabwe 🇿🇼 town called Zvishavane / Shabanie... Remember Girlie Mafura had also released a Swahili song "Kucheza Nawewe"... great memories

tellymas
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Penny music sounds too sweet on my ears my childhood till now and even though I don’t know the language I repeatedly listened at all times. Colossal love ❤from my country, Ethiopia 🇪🇹 esp. my city, Jigjiga. 🇪🇹 🇪🇹❤🇪🇹 🇪🇹

mukhtarjamma
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You have no idea how I screamed when I heard this song in my car. My dad used to play it for us in Nigeria in the late 90s.

emmaaudu
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My child hood ill never forget Penny Penny ... he speakes my mother tang Changane... Mozambique 🇲🇿🇲🇿🇲🇿

rufinochambissojrchambisso
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my childhood memory second track peny peny
adama nazreth 🇪🇹Ethiopia ❤

titaabe
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Because of this song we used to call the whole genre “” 😀 Good old times

henokbelayneh
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The beat drives crazy stl hits in 2024

nyashachipato
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Oh my god!!!... I can't tell how much i love penny's musics!!!... He disserve all of african even world music award!!!... Thank you very much baba penny 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏👍👍👍👍you are the best

ELIYASHUSSAIN-ju
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Penny Penny songs remind me of my grandfather. He used to play it around the 90s

khensanibaloyi