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The late South African rapper, AKA, has left a lasting legacy with the release of his posthumous fourth studio album, 'Mass Country'.
Despite his untimely death, his team at Sony Music Entertainment Africa, T-Effect and Vth Season, continued the album's roll-out with his family's blessings.
The album comes out on the back of unprecedented public attention and support, which is a testament to AKA's undeniable impact in the rap scene in the continent.
Nhlanhla Ndimande, co-CEO of T-Effect and AKA’s co-manager, shared some insight on the making of the album.
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“It’s been a two-year process working on this album from him giving us the vision and just telling us what exactly he wanted to do. It was tough in the beginning because we were like, Wait, you want to mix country music, maskandi and hip-hop? How does that even make sense? But as the music began to take shape, AKA’s grand vision became clearer and clearer," Ndimande said.
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AKA's vision was to create an album that would resonate with the people of South Africa. He wanted to create an album that sounded like home, an album for the 'masses of the country'.
The last song recorded on the project was 'Company' featuring Nigerian pop and afrobeats star KDDO. AKA flew out to the U.S. and finished the song with KDDO in Los Angeles.
The album features collaborations with Blxckie and Nadia Nakai, with whom AKA was able to bring out the best in their performances. 'Dangerous' and 'Ease' are two standout tracks on the album that showcase their energy and talent.
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READ: Nadia Nakai shares emotional tribute to late boyfriend AKA after burial
AKA's rare musicality and storied background as a producer enabled him to bring out the best in his collaborators.
'Mass Country' is more than just an album it's a celebration of South African unity through music.