Apple Music’s Africa Now Radio with Dadaboy Ehiz this Friday – A Tribute To AKA
This week, Dadaboy Ehiz hosts a special tribute to prolific South African rapper and producer, Kiernan “AKA” Forbes, who tragically passed away on February 10, 2023. To celebrate his life and legacy, some of AKA’s most frequent collaborators, including Musa Keys, K.O, and Nasty C, reflect on his impact on hip-hop in South Africa and across the continent.
“AKA’s impact on South African hip-hop was like no other,” fellow rapper Nasty C—and AKA’s collaborator on “Lemons (Lemonade)”—tells Apple Music 1. “He’s one of the guys that commercialised rapping in English. He paved the way for people like me here in South Africa as far as hip-hop goes. He’d always been a big brother to me; he’d just always been caring; he always gave me tips and advice on how to elevate my game. He will live forever in my heart.”
“AKA is one of the people that really took showmanship to the next level,” rapper and “Run Jozi (Godly)” collaborator K.O tells Apple Music 1. “When you listen to his catalogue, and [consider] how he created his music, he created it for big stages. He was the first person to actually fully immerse himself in to being a ‘pop’ act. Yes, he was an MC, but you know, he wanted to be a ‘pop’ artist and you can hear it in the music, the texture, the tone and the energy, and I think he successfully executed that.”
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