Walk into most clubs, scroll through streaming playlists or spend a few minutes on social media and you'll hear the same thing, Amapiano dominates the speakers.
There is nothing wrong with that, South Africa deserves credit for creating one of the continent's biggest musical exports.
But as Tanzanian artistes increasingly embrace the sound, one question keeps coming back, are we slowly forgetting what made Bongo Flava special?
This is not a call to reject musical evolution, music has always borrowed ideas and crossed borders.
The problem begins when influence replaces identity that is why the recent comments by British-Nigerian trio Shiikane stood out. The sisters Shay, Annamay and Kay encouraged Tanzanian artistes to preserve the sounds that define their cultures instead of constantly following whichever genre is trending.
Their message was simple: originality is what makes music travel.
The same concern has been raised before. South African artiste Sho Madjozi once spoke about missing the earlier sound of Bongo Flava, praising its originality and distinctive identity.
It says something when people outside Tanzania recognise the value of our music before we do.
Bongo Flava became one of East Africa's biggest genres because it sounded proudly Tanzanian.
It told local stories in Kiswahili, reflected everyday life and blended different influences without losing its own character.
Artistes did not become successful by sounding like someone else, they became successful because they sounded like themselves.
That confidence is what seems to be missing today. Ironically, the best example of protecting identity comes from another Tanzanian genre Singeli.
For years, Singeli was dismissed as street music. Today, it is performed at international festivals and embraced by global audiences.
It did not achieve that by sounding Nigerian or South African. It succeeded because it remained unapologetically Tanzanian.
Nigeria exported Afrobeats because it invested in its own sound. South Africa gave the world Amapiano because it developed a genre with its own identity.
Tanzania already has Bongo Flava and Singeli, two sounds capable of carrying the country's culture far beyond its borders.
Protecting that identity should not be left to artists alone. Producers, DJs, radio stations, streaming platforms and event organisers all have a responsibility to ensure Tanzanian music remains at the centre of its own industry.
Bongo Flava doesn't need to stop evolving. It should continue experimenting, collaborating and embracing new influences.
The next global hit from Tanzania should not leave listeners wondering whether it came from somewhere else.
It should leave them with only one conclusion, this could only be Bongo Flava.
