South African R&B Prince Siyabonga Mkhize, popularly called KLY (formerly Klymax) has announced that he is the latest signee under independent music distribution company, Ingrooves Africa, and that his forthcoming album is set to be released under the distribution company.
The KwaZulu-Natal, Siyabonga and Midrand raised singer who was dubbed “the next Drake of South Africa,” by a TRUE Africa article in 2017 has not quite lived up to his initial potential and has only released two projects since gaining mainstream exposure on Shane Eagle’s “Need Me” in 2017.
Th two projects are ‘KLYMAXX EP’ in 2016 and ‘Keep Love Young’ in 2018 when he was still with Ambitiouz entertainment, fans are excited about the forthcoming album and wish him all the best in his new journey with Ingrooves.
“I know Kairo is the one but I need someone to expand my legacy, a son with you the icing on the cake.” The late Kiernan Forbes rapped those words on the song ‘Dangerous’ on his posthumously released last studio album ‘Mass Country.’ The lyrics admitted his desire to have a male child with then girlfriend Nadia Nakai, to be the heir to the Supa Mega empire (IV League, Vth Season, Beam Group etc.)
Unfortunately AKA died before that could happen and that leaves Kairo Forbes, his eight year old daughter as the only surviving heir to his empire. Meet Kairo Owethu Forbes, she is from SA Music royalty; being DJ Zinhle and AKA’s daughter, even her godmother is hip hop royalty, Nadia Nakai.
Recently, on the night of Sunday, 7th May, she went on stage with her grandparents, Tony and Lynn Forbes to receive three awards at the Metro FM Music Awards on her late father’s behalf.
Kairo performed a bit of her father’s smash hit ‘Lemons (Lemonade) with the attending crowd, as the song won the Award for Best Collaboration.
Kairo has had mentions in several AKA songs including on the line “it’s just me and Ta Ka Kairo” from ’10 Fingers’ and ‘f**k a fiancé, I got a lil kid” from “Composure,” just to name a few AKA was already preparing his little princess for a life in the entertainment industry as she had hinted at her desire to go into music and modelling, in the past.
“I am ready to let go of the past and step into a brighter future,” says Khayelitsha-born femcee Dee Koala about her upcoming single ‘Anazinto’ featuring L3eopretty, to be released this Friday, May 12, 2023. The single is already up for pre-save on streaming platforms.
The South African rapper who was thrust into national limelight on Yanga Chief’s star studded posse cut ‘Utatakho remix’ with Boity and the late great Riky Rick, is also known for her smash hit ‘Spaz’ with K.Kidd and Blxckie and ‘4 the Khaltsha’ with Lookatups.
Koala is one of the brightest young emcees in SA hip hop to look out for. Pre-save ‘Anazinto’ here.
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Apple Music has kicked off her celebration of 50 years of hip-hop with the 20 episode audio series Hip-Hop DNA, hosted by Ebro ‘Old Man Ebro’ Darden, Apple Music’s global editorial head of hip-hop and R&B, and explores this chain of influence through four distinct lenses. The series flips through the crates of the genre’s rich catalogue a, tracing the artistic evolution back of today’s biggest stars to the art form’s beginnings. The platform will spotlight Hip-Hop’s influence over the decades through a series of audio specials, DJ mixes, classic records and must-hear playlists. Launched Monday, May 8, Apple Music kicks off ‘Origins’ with 9 episodes released throughout the month of May.
Dedicated to unearthing the storylines that define hip-hop’s most prominent regions (East Coast, West Coast, Midwest, and South). The audio series has kicked off with five episodes subtitled “Origins.”
The first episode, “The Intro” focuses on how rap stars learn from the greats before them. “Bronx Tale” tells the story of the legendary borough and major acts that came from it, such as Cardi B, French Montana, and KRS-One.
Then there’s “Just Wanna Rock,” titled after Lil Uzi Vert’s smash hit. That episode focuses on the relationship between rap and rock dating back to the ’80s with Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys. “NY State Of Mind” covers those who were born where the culture was birthed, namely Rakim and A$AP Rocky.
Finally, “It’s A Queens Thing, Baby” episode spotlights on the artists from the NYC borough, namely Roxane Shante, Nas, A Tribe Called Quest, and Nicki Minaj. After ‘Origins,’ Episodes 10-20 will feature explorations of the crafts of MCing, production, and DJing.
Hip-Hop DNA is designed to educate and inform listeners of every era, exposing them to connections within music that many fans never take the time to consider.
‘Hip Hop DNA,’ is just one of the numerous events that make up Apple music’s 50 year anniversary celebration of hip hop. Check out the ‘Hip Hop DNA’ series below.
50 years of shifting culture. 50 years of spine-chilling bars. 50 years of hip-hop!
When the Snippet of the Hallelujah first surfaced online, there were a lot of views on what is to be expected. However, if there is something the record has made clear now, it will be that both stars now understand what they both need to contribute to making a record.
CKay is without any doubt one of the most successful Afrobeat record holders, his hit single “LoveNwantiti” was so big that it seems his personality is yet to catch up with the popularity the record received.
However, on Hallelujah, Blaqbonez showcased something that really worked, “Simplicity“. His verse on the record is probably the simplest he has dropped in a long time, I mean I grasped the whole thing from my first listen, Knowing Blaqbonez that is something that almost never happens.
The record which was rumoured to have also featured BujuBNXN who a lot of people believe killed his verse and questioned CKay for removing from the song seems to be just perfect the way it is.
There have been videos of Hallelujah getting airplay in clubs, another crazy fit.
What do you think a project of simple verses from Blaqbonez will sound like? It is easy and very clear to say Blaqbonez’s simplicity on Hallelujah worked excellently.
Hallelujah also proves that the two stars will be doing something good for the culture if they give us a joint project of classics.
The Ghanaian Hip Hop scene was the center of it all at the 24th Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMAs), with some of the country’s leading hip hop acts gracing the stage with quality performances and taking home awards. From Black Sherif, Medikal to Sarkodie’s performance. HipHop Africa explores the winners and biggest moments from the awards show, from a hiphop view.
Realistically, a Blacko sweep was expected, what a run he has had over the last two years, it’s still crazy to believe as at a point in April 2022, his “KKT” song was the most shazamed song in the world. Debuting at number 1 on the Nigeria Top 100, the first Ghanaian song to make that record. A successful debut, most played album on Boomplay, ties with Burna Boy, meeting with the Vice President of the United States of America, guest feature on Popcorn’s Album Deluxe edition and another on Creed 3 soundtrack album with Dreamville’s Bas, coming into this Award show, he was the hottest artist out there and the favorite for it all. He had a smooth night, with yet another statement performance. Sarkodie’s legacy had a bit of a re-up too, with the Jamz album doing good, especially with the record with Blacko, overall the hiphop community had a good run too and it was only going to get better.
Black Sherif held the highest nomination with 11 coming into the show, winning 5 overall. “KKT” won the Hip-Hop song of the year, after debuting at number 5 on the billboard U.S Afrobeats songs chart. The song has over 14.6 million Boomplay streams, charting on 8 different platforms. Another part of his craft that seem to have upgraded is his visuals. Konongo Zongo’s serene shots and textured color grading by Babs won the video of the year. It was no surprise when KKT grabbed the most popular song of the year, the internet challenges and all. From a production point of view, hip hop producer Altra Nova won Sound Engineer of the year, with his production skills for “Gyakie’s Far Away”. For the performances, the Hiphop acts stole the show, starting with a daring performance from Medikal. The rapper was in a set that looked like a press conference, with bodyguards next to him whilst he rapped his way to the stage in a glittering mask. Amerado also took home the Best Rap performance of the year while Sarkodie’s joint with Black Sherif knocked the Best Collaboration of the year.
RBA’s frontman was back again with his win for Most Popular song of the year with Kwaku The Traveler, another expected win for him, the controversies took a turn when his debut album lost to King Promise’s “5 stars”, with viewers disagreeing with the winner. Black Sherif took over the stage shortly after to bring some of his tunes to Live with quality performance that lasted for over ten minutes. The Landlord (Sarkodie) reminded Ghana who he was with an epic performance, dripped out in a $1,319 white Casablanca suit, the icing on the cake for the hiphop community came when Black Sherif was crowned Artiste of the Year, taking home the most prestigious award of the night. Overall, it was a good night for the hiphop community as their reps took home the awards, summing up a successful night.
Nigerian Afrobeat Super Star, Ayobami Balogun, popularly referred to as Wizkid has scored another RIAA-certified Platinum record following his 2017 hit single “Come Closer” which featured Canadian Rapper Drake getting certified by the RIAA.
Come Closer is a mellowed exciting Afrobeat record, which showcases Wizkid as a lover boy in his Caribbean holiday bag.
The song which was released in 2017 has now been certified Platinum in the United state, although a lot of people believe it came late, however, it is still a much-deserved fit for the record, which kept us on our feet and rocked the whole of 2017.
This record also proves what Drake, who recently announced he might be Nigerian, has contributed to the globalization of Afrobeat.
Drake first worked with Wizkid on “OneDance” which has now been certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The two then proceeded to work on Come Closer.
NEWS 💿🎉 @wizkidayo’s “Come Closer” feat. @drake is now certified PLATINUM in the United States for sales of over 1 million units! 🦅
It is Wizkid’s third song to be certified platinum or higher in the country — second as lead artist. pic.twitter.com/zD12ELfDIK
However. in 2019, Tekno also worked with Drake and SwaeLee on a record titled “Won’t be late” as a producer. Drake has also gone ahead to work with Nigerian superstar vocalist and songwriter Tems, on two records.
This without a doubt is proof of what the Canadian rapper, Drake has contributed to Afrobeat.
In a time where local music has soared to new heights and South Africa becoming the new hub for all things art, be it music or fashion, I still think there’s much more to explore in this country many of us call home.
I recently went down a rabbit hole where I discovered artists I’d never heard of and believed it was my duty to introduce readers to new music makers they may or may not be familiar with. This was when I found 19-year-old ZRi. (pronounced Zuu-Ree) who makes Alternative music and whose sound captivated my eardrums.
Admittedly, I haven’t been listening to ZRi. for long. However, though I can’t recall my first encounter, I was locked in from the jump and have been counting down the days to his debut album release. SAMO is finally here.
There is a whole different space of music being made right under our noses and ZRi. seems to have grown a loyal and supportive fan base.
In his new project, ZRi. expanded his reach and worked with a variety of artists. The likes of Oxii Moron and Tyson Sybateli, with whom ZRi. has worked, as well as many others offered a great deal of their creativity to make SAMO what it is today.
SAMO
Sitting at 10 tracks long, a 17-minute run throughout, ZRi. proclaimed this album as one of the best to drop this year. “Not the type of artist to talk about my music but I can confidently say that SAMO top 5 projects of this year,” he tweeted, “this is something I’ll stand for 4L.”
The album is a work of art where ZRi. explores his artistry through experimenting with flows, production (from boom-bap to lofi to electro-pop), as well as his sonic relationship with his featured accomplices.
“The closest thing to Basquiat”
Drawing the inspiration behind his art cover from Jean-Michel Basquiat, ZRi. sees himself as “the closest thing” to the famous Neo-expressitionalist.
SAMO (originally pronounced “Same-Oh” i.e. “Same Old Shit) is a graffiti tag primarily used between the 1970s and 80s in the streets of New York City by Basquiat and collaborator, Albert “Al” Diaz. This project is also a collaborative effort between ZRi and Steveisfrench who was instrumental in bringing SAMO to life.
He delves into the various facets of his being; love, art, his vices, and much more, where he further tips his hat to Jean-Michel through skits and acknowledging SAMO.
Thoroughly enjoyed listening to and dissecting this body of work, kudos to ZRi. and his team for their efforts in producing a masterpiece.
XLVI K is a pioneer Gospel Drill artist in Kenya. Having started his career in 2022 with his debut single “Afande Ati?”. He has followed that up with over ten singles and a four track EP dubbed DRIP. He is currently working on an Album to be released by the end of 2023. Thrilling, unapologetic and Christ-centered best describes this showstopper performer.
Breaking News (UFO) is meant to officially introduce XLVI K to drill listeners,in the song he explains why his face is hidden making him unidentified andthat he is from Zion which is a foreign place ie not of this world. These two combined makes Him an unidentified foreign object (UFO). The song isinspired by John 17:16 “I have given them thy word; and the world hathhated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. The Audio produced by Rayp mastertouch and Lyric video done by tomato entertainment is set to take the Kenyan Drill industry by storm.
Rapper Nyashinski headlined the Walker Town Concert circuit held at the Rift Valley Sports Club in Nakuru last Saturday for yet another exciting experience.
This was the latest in a series of Walker Town events that have taken place in several counties in Kenya since its launch in 2022.
Nyashinski on stage entertaining fans at the Walker Town Concert in Nakuru
The star-studded Johnny Walker event brought a massive crowd of fans for a thrilling experience. The revellers enjoyed an immersive concert experience with alternative fun activities, including art, fashion and local cuisine.
The series of events aims to connect artists to their fans through live performances and meet and greets. It has grown to become a fan favorite with good attendance.
Gates were open by 3 PM, and mixes from Kenyan deejays among the DJ Protege and DJ Pierra Makena warmed up the crowd.
Radio personality Kwambox electrified fans with her set, inviting guest artist Joeboy to wow the crowd. He showcased an amazing performance with his catalogue of hit songs.
Kenya’s most celebrated rapper, Nyashinski, took to the stage at half past two in the morning to a rousing welcome from his fans. His band accompanied him in delivering an electrifying set.
The rapper’s popular jams ensured partygoers stayed on their feet and sang along. He performed some of his most loved songs, among them Malaika, Free, Hapo Tu, Hello and properly, among many others.
The Walker Town Concert, Nakuru in pictures
Interestingly, he had some advice for upcoming artists considering his long career.
He said,
‘If there is any upcoming Kenyan artist listening to me right now, I want to tell you one thing, Do not give up,’
He then left the stage, allowing Dj Joe Mfalme to end the night with his thrilling mix.
The Nakuru edition proved how successful the Walker Town concerts have been. The consistency and uniqueness exhibited by the event organizers have set it apart.
