In South Africa’s much hyped-up hip hop scene, it is always cool to hear a fresh new voice with a brand new perspective. These days, there’s one dude who seems to be on everybody’s lips. He goes by the name of AKA. Formerly part of the teen rap group Entity, which released a single album through Creative Kingdom Records, AKA has grown as an artist and has his eyes set on the local hip hop throne.
As a member of the prolific production ensemble IV League, AKA is well-positioned to achieve exactly that. We sat down with this Cape Town-born lad to get the 411 on his career, his dreams and everything in between.
Whats up my dude, how are you living?
I’m easy man, life is looking up. You know what they say, “live progressively”.
How’s the first half of the year treated you?
The first half of the year has been fresh. My goal for the year was to get everybody buzzin’ bout my music, and so far, im not doing too bad.
You’ve created an incredible buzz with your hit single “Do it, do it”. How did the song come about?
Well, the song is really just about taking control of you and your surroundings and making something happen for yourself. When we finished the beat, we were like,”ok, let’s roll with this” because we knew we had something special. I’m just happy people enjoy it when they hear it.
You’ve also released a remix featuring Maggz, JR and Slikour. How has that version been received?
The remix has done exceptionally well. YFM up in here in Jozi played the s**t out of the original, and 5fm picked up on the remix and ran with it just as hard, and that’s national baby!
Lets take it back a bit… give us a little background on yourself.
I was born and raised in CPT until I was about 6 years old, then my family moved to Jozi. I guess I consider myself more from JHB now than CPT, but I always know where home is…
How did you end up in the music business?
In 2002 I started my first year of high school at St Johns College, and that’s how my friends and I formed a group called “Entity”. We were signed to Creative Kingdom Records in 2004, and we released our debut album. The group ended up disbanding and I formed IV League with my two colleagues and decided to, excuse the pun, “do it” on my own, Lol!
Tell us about IV League. The crew is known as the country’s most prolific hip-hop production outfit. How do you fit into the whole scheme of things and what’s the working relationship like?
Me, Kamza and Buks have great chemistry when it comes to making music, and that makes our working relationship real easy. We all produce together, but I also double up as an artist. We really haven’t even hit our peak yet, so watch this space.
The music industry is paved with many challenges… tell us about the ones that you’ve faced.
The biggest problem I’ve faced is the fact that there is not enough food for everybody to go around when you doing things independently. We can’t just shoot video after video like artists with majors behind them can. Another thing working against me is that doing Hip Hop in English can be a real challenge, but I guess the only way to overcome these circumstances is by making undeniable music, and that’s what we do.
The local hip hop industry has evolved a lot since the early days….. What’s your take on it and do you see a South African artist/crew breaking into the international scene anytime soon?
Firstly, let me say that there has been a considerable amount of growth, but we need to realise that we are far from where we need to be when it comes to competing on an international level. There are only a handful of artists who one can safely say are ready to grace the international scene and make us proud.
The streets are talking and word is you’re working on your debut album. What can we expect from it and when is it dropping?
It’s dropping next year, and it’s going to be the best Hip Hop album of the year, quote me on that.
No doubt! How do you “Live Progressively”?
By making sure that when I go to sleep tonight I’m closer to living my dream than I was yesterday. Hustle Hard, Hustle Large.
Please finish the following sentences for us:
Joburg is in its own bubble.
Local celebs are just that, local.
My dream is being wealthy beyond my years
“Do it, do it” is the tip of the iceberg
My idol is Michael Jackson because he’s the greatest of all time
Head Honcho is for people who lead, not follow.
Haters are the best publicists.
Groupies are one of the many perks of the job
My favourite album is The Blueprint (the first one) because it made me want to rap.
My favourite verse is 3rd verse from Jay-Z’s”U Don’t Know”…Give it a listen.
Respect! Check out AKA’s hit remix “Do it, do it” featuring Maggz, Slikour and JR on 5FM nationwide and look out for him performing at a club near you!
Do it, Do it! thats a fresh joint….. keep it up homie.
I need the remix hit track in every music gadget i own, please tell me how do i get the album…………I only collect South African hip-hop especially when its in Setswana.
must say bigg ups 2 AKA heard 2 tracks do it n mistake 2nyc hey