It’s a bittersweet day for the megacy as we welcome the much anticipated Mass Country in AKA’s absence.
Following his tragic passing, Kiernan Forbes’ friends, family, and fans have kept his spirit alive and prepared for the album’s release after about 2 years of production. Ahead of the drop, we were given a taste of what Mass Country would sound like with the Nasty-C-assisted Lemons (Lemonade) that was released last year to critical acclaim.
AKA followed up months later with Prada featuring Motswako trailblazer, Khuli Chana, slowly shaping listeners’ perception of the project but it was Company with Kiddominant that made Mass Country an album to look forward to.
The project is sample-rich, with the Supa Mega effortlessly switching between rapping and his popular auto-tuned singing style. The album’s opener, Last Time, which was used in the Mass Country trailer, helps set the tone for the album. The subsequent songs are upbeat club bangers where AKA and the diverse mixture of featured artists bring life to the project.
A missing A-Reece appearance sparked some controversy between the slimes and the megacy, with many blaming arrogance and poor management on the Paradise rapper’s part which ultimately lead to a missed opportunity.
Despite Reece’s absence, Thato Saul represented Pretoria in Mbuzi (Freestyle) and was praised for being part of the project.
Crown, with Emtee and Manana, was a certified hit in everybody’s minds the moment the album’s tracklist was revealed and rings true to possibly being the next single. In between flexing his bands and designer threads, AKA shows off his love interest in Sponono, Paradise, and the r-rated Blxckie and Nadia Nakai-assisted Dangerous where the two lovers trade verses about their romance and intimate moments.
A song that’ll have many people talking is Diary (Anxiety) where the vulnerable rapper speaks of his relationship with his late fiancé, Anele Tembe. The couple’s tumultuous relationship was short-lived, AKA unveils some of their highs and lows, including Tembe’s untimely passing and the aftermath thereof. “How you gon’ cap and not even make one phone call to my mom and my dad after we poured the sand on the casket?”
Overall, the album is worth listening to and has some notable highlights that we’ll surely be hearing all around us soon. Be sure to give it a listen and tell us what you think.
