A.K.As track by track journey to S.A’s Rap Royalty


6. Learn, build, grow – Essential to his foundation as somebody in the game and a consolation to an otherwise disappointing album, this song didn’t necessarily pin point AKA as South Africa’s next star; but was necessary for us not to see Entity as a complete musical failure. The song was massive, with an equally captivating video to compliment it, it was more Entity than any one individual but it gave AKA a leg to stand on in beginning to make a name for himself.

5. Tsak Stick ‘em – This song introduced AKA the beat maker. Produced by IV League yes, but the face we knew was his and this earned him real respect as a hit beat maker.  He followed this track with many more hit hip-hop and house beats and earned him respect from industry cats and the public who knew who IV league was. But ofcourse he was not content with this, he knew he had much more to offer.

4. I Want It All – One of the best hip-hop collaborations to hit S.A; AKA, Pro & Khuli Chana killed the game with this one. Khuli rocking the chorus, PRO and AKA anchoring the song with their verses. And though the song was a major success, it was still backed by 2 S.A greats which probably made him question if he could stand on his own or not. He needed a standalone song that signified his independence and the ability to carry a hit by himself.

3. Victory Lap – And so came victory lap, the song that made him more than just a former member of Entity, more than just a beat maker, more than a dope collaborative artist but a standalone star that can carry his own career and gain a big following. Victory Lap and L-Tido’s  “We Rollin’” were equally as big at the same time and we were still undecided on who the better emcee was. So AKA pulled another trick up his sleeve with his follow up track.

2.   All I know – This song set AKA apart from L-Tido and who-ever else was trying to claim the rap throne, he took the risk of toning it down and adding a personal story to his music and it paid off. The song proved AKA’s consistency in releasing hit after hit and earned him his many awards, his money and all his haters. So he decided to reflect and let us know what’s going on in his life at the peak of his career with his next song.

1. Jealousy – A product of all his hard work paying off. When his hype is/was at its greatest he released Jealousy, a statement to all who love or hate him highlighting his achievements and celebrating his current position at the top of the food chain. Quirky and distinct, AKA gave the song to his fans first before he brought it to the radio stations, and after the social media networks certified it a hit; the song moved on to radio and then television for which he paid a reasonable amount to say to all of us “I’m ballin’ now b*%#@/s.

What’s next? We’ll wait and see…

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