AKA — THE RINGMASTER
Great artists often polarize and divide people’s opinions. As much as they are celebrated, they are equally vilified, but it’s the truly great ones that make us feel anything at all. Art in itself, in its purest form, is about expression. Sometimes what’s expressed is a deep emotion that resonates with you, other times its an idea that excites and inspires others to action. With regards to music, performance is paramount to how your art is received. The ability to entertain and captivate an audience consistently is what separates the good from the unforgettable. With that in mind, there are few that would doubt AKA is one the top performers on the continent. His stage presence and ability to ignite a crowd is clear for all to see but it doesn’t stop there. His performances off stage are equally as enthralling.
AKA thrives off the energy he receives from his audience, whether it’s positive or negative. He throws himself into every situation with gusto. He’s created a persona that is larger than life, part superhero, part villain. A bit like an antihero but more akin to a heel from wrestling. In the world of sports and entertainment, the heel is positioned as the antagonist. They carry themselves in a way that makes them easy to hate and garner jeers from the crowd, but at times those jeers turn to cheers and they become the face, the hero. Think of WWE superstars like the The Rock & John Cena. They initially gained infamy by goading the crowd. Their one-liners and monologues in between matches, aimed at the crowd and their in-ring foes were undeniably entertaining and would eventually lead them to superstardom. AKA adopts a similar approach. On stage he is a hero, the people’s champion but at times on social media because of his confidence and cocky persona people paint him as the villain. The man himself is well aware of how he is perceived and plays to it in a not so subtle manner.
These days he can be seen carrying around a retro WWE Championship belt parading offstage and on similar to a wrestler approaching the ring, he’s even dubbed himself and Anatii the Tag Team champions. His Top Boyz attire which he wore for The Red Bull Culture Clash was a throwback to WWE “RAW is WAR” from the 90s Attitude era. Add to that he now enters his shows to The Undertaker’s theme music. Going back through his captions on Instagram he’s referenced renowned heels turned faces such as Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair and DX. At the Jozi Day concert he had visuals of The Punisher, a comic book character who can be best described as an antihero.
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If you dig a little deeper you find this theme of duality, good versus evil, continues through his artwork. His debut album “Altar Ego” finds him in a church altar but his eyes are red as if inside he’s waging a silent war with the demons fame and success have awoken within. On the intro he even says this album is about exploring what happens when a normal guy is thrown into this celebrity lifestyle.
On “Levels” the subject matter deals with rising up to a higher level and reaching new heights in terms of success and wealth. The Intro by Tumi Molekane sets the tone for the album. Within the moments of triumph though are again tales of caution and dealing with the temptations this life provides on tracks like “Daddy Issues.” It takes a lot to reach these “Levels.”
What I find interesting with the “Be Careful What You Wish For” cover art is the fact that an old television is the focal point. If you look at his recent reference points a lot of it is 90s inspired, from wrestling as mentioned, his single art for tracks like “Dreamwork” and “Baddest,” plus elements of his current sound are reminiscent of the mid 90s sound popularized by Diddy, fusing Hip-Hop with RnB. You can hear it on some of his biggest hits like “All Eyes On Me”, “Baddest” and more recently, “Thixo”. But when juxtaposed with the title, “Be Careful What You Wish For” it comes across as someone who sought to emulate this figures he saw growing up and having reached that level he’s weary. This game will turn you into someone you never though you’d become and throw things your way that will test the strength of your character. The subject matter also speaks more of redemption and searching for inner piece, as he offers a warning with regards to the wicked ways of the industry.
Anatii surely helped to set the tone with his own calm and spiritual demeanor, but there is no denying that the industry and burden of super stardom have at times weighed heavily on AKA, combined with his raw, youthful passion and desire to be speak his truth has coerced him into his role as the bad guy. It’s very reminiscent of Kanye West.
Looking back on his career, he may be the main man now, but there was a time when the odd were stacked against him. Yes he comes from what may seem a place of privilege, having attended private school but from my own experience I can tell you with that comes a feeling of being an outsider. For him I can imagine being coloured and rapping in English with a very westernized sound doesn’t make you as appealing as you would think. He also comes from an era before Datafilehost, when Hip Hop wasn’t the force it is now. The era if Siz & Sccoop on YFM and Kamza on 5FM. A time where Hip hop heads were looked down upon and with that we all developed a “Me against The World” attitude. It was a community and a sanctuary for many of us. I can see how that would lead to him eventually befriending Da LES, his one-time nemesis, as the Northern Joburg aesthetic speaks to a lot of contemporary 90s and early 2000s Hip Hop ideals, think Kanye West & Jay-Z. A lot of private school kids grew up with Hip Hop being their escape, a place of zero judgement. They were exposed to everything from Pharcyde and Souls of Mischief to Bad Boy’s era of “jiggy” rap. And there wasn’t a language barrier to hold him back.
Let’s also not short change the man with regards to everything he has done for English rap in SA and Hip Hop in general. “Victory Lap” was a massive single that went to the top of the Metro FM charts, no small feat at the time. The “Jealousy” video was a game changer and the track ushered in his new sound direction with regards to sampling popular house and kwaito songs, a style that would lead Kwesta to the top with “Ngud.” He’s a trailblazer, not afraid to take risks.
As he continues to works on his new album where AKA goes next is anybody’s guess, but one thing is for sure. We’ll all be watching. Some cheering, others booing, but either way it’s All Eyes on AKA.
