The wait is finally over, late rapper AKA’s album “Mass Country” is out, and has been receiving rave reviews from the “Megacy” since its release.
The album, which is currently available on all digital platforms, is a celebration of South Africa with AKA rapping about its musicians, food and overall culture.
While AKA’s untimely death has been a bitter pill to swallow for the nation at large, his memory and legacy live on, more so through this album.
In a press statement sent to IOL Entertainment, the team at Sony Music Entertainment, who continued with the roll-out of the album with the Forbes’s family blessing, said the genesis of this album started in 2019, even before he put out “Bhovamania”.
They described “Mass Country” as a project that the late rapper wanted to have as a “thesis on music originating from South Africa” in hopes that the world would enjoy the songs as South Africans do.
He wanted it to be an album that the people of South Africa could embrace and cherish. An album for the “masses of the country”.
In the statement issued to media, T-Effect co-CEO and AKA’s co-manager, Nhlanhla “Nivo” Ndimande, shared some insight on the making of the album.
He said: “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.
In the intro, AKA makes several references to some legendary South African moments like Sphiwe Tshabalala’s opening goal at the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
He also pays homage to iconic local musical pioneers like Zakes Bantwini, Johnny Clegg, Skwatta Kamp, Khuli Chana, and refers to proudly South African beverage Oros and the truly South African dish, potjiekos.
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The first session for the album was with award-winning rapper Sjava and “Mass Country” co-executive producer, Zadok.
The statement said: “It was during these sessions that the team started to understand the sonic direction that would come to life during countless recording sessions across the country over the past two years.
Throughout this process, producers like Oriah, Fdeeezus and Christer helped make this grand vision concise and cohesive.”
It explained how AKA continuously said that he “was trying to do something that he’s never done before”.
Other big camp sessions were done in Mooi River, his Johannesburg base and a recording camp in Vanderbijlpark with the last song on the album, “Company”, being recorded in Los Angeles last month.
“AKA flew out to the US, met up with KDDO in LA and finished it there,” it read.
“Dangerous” and “Ease” features rap star Blxckie. According to the statement AKA reached out to Blxckie on his own accord at a later point and got his girlfriend Nadia Nakai to lace a verse too.
“The result is an infectious, melodious cut that combines AKA and Nakai’s rap smarts with Blxckie’s unique vocal range.”
The two songs that came out ahead of the release of the full album were “Prada” and “Lemonade” had fans raving about them, with many dubbing Nasty C’s verse as “the most outstanding of his career to date”.
Ndimande credits this to AKA’s rare musicality and storied background as a producer.
“I remember with Emtee, half of that verse Kiernan wrote with him. Kiernan’s pushing him through the session like, ‘No, do it this way, do it that way’. He’s always had a vision. He always knew what he wanted, and he was able to get that out of people,” said Ndimande.
Another song, “Everest”, was one of the first songs AKA started working on with the project.
Ndimande recalls how, two weeks after Anele Tembe’s funeral, as he was walking to AKA’s house in the estate, he was surprised to hear music.
“I’m like what’s going on, has this guy finally connected his studio? As I walk, I look and see that Kiernan had his studio set up in the garden and he was busy chopping up that sample repeatedly,” said Ndimande.
Later a session was set up to enhance the skeleton AKA had put together.
“That song to me was capturing Kiernan at his lowest emotionally but showing his creativity the most,” said Ndimande.
“Mass Country” currently has the masses talking, and as the statement expresses, it is “undeniably one of the best of AKA’s sprawling career and sets a new benchmark for South African music. Poetically, in true Supa Mega style, AKA went out with a bang.”
Ndimande said: “It’s crazy for me to say this, but I think spiritually, Kiernan knew that this was his last project.
“Him adding ‘Last Time’ and making it the first song on the album speaks volumes. His dad used to play the original last time that he referenced. So, it was like a ‘Let’s do this thing one more time guys’.
“That’s why I’m like spiritually he kind of knew. Kiernan’s never submitted an album so early in his life. ‘Bhovamania’ was submitted at 9pm for a midnight drop. Spiritually, he knew, even if he didn’t know consciously,” ended Ndimande.