It’d been two years since AKA had radiated such joy.
Not since the early days of his relationship with his late fiancée, Anele Tembe, had we seen the 35-year-old at the peak of his powers, professionally and, seemingly, in his personal life.
Next Friday, February 24, AKA would have been celebrating the release of his long-awaited and eagerly anticipated fourth solo studio album “Mass Country”.
On the day of his death, the hype and excitement was reaching a fever pitch as AKA shared a new WhatsApp hotline to connect with his fans ahead of the album’s release.
“Ⓜ️EGACY. I’ve set up this Whatsapp hotline so we can all stay updated on the latest album news, tours & everything Mass Country,” he tweeted.
“Let’s go! Save this number, shoot me a text and let’s take it to the next level. Might just have an exclusive on Whatsapp: +27 78 757 6165.”
Later, he added: “Looking forward to interacting with you on the Ⓜ️EGACY HOTLINE as we roll out MASS COUNTRY. I’ll be doing video calls, chats, exclusive snippets and all things great as we move towards the 24th of Feb. Chat soon!”
That same day, he shared a video of all the messages of support that were flooding in as fans added him on WhatsApp.
Just a few hours later, AKA was gunned down outside Wish restaurant on Florida Road, Durban, a few moments after he gave his long-time friend and former manager Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane the warmest hug. Tibz died too.
AKA’s comeback over the past year had been a sight to behold. After the devastating loss of his fiancée, he seemed to have found true love again in rapper Nadia Nakai.
The couple even got matching tattoos a few months ago. Pictured everywhere together, they appeared to be inseparable.
“Lemons (Lemonade)”, which was the lead single to his upcoming album, was an instant hit last September and its huge success since had seen AKA find his confidence again.
After his previous project “Bhovamania” was deemed below par by fans and critics alike, the stakes seemed higher than ever and AKA appeared to be up for the task as he sought to re-establish himself as a force.
During interviews over the past few months, he’d spoken on how he’d found strength in God and how he felt more content than ever before.
He said he no longer felt the need to rub his success in people’s faces and wanted to enjoy this next phase with his fans, friends and family.
His latest release, “Prada” featuring Khuli Chana, was him having fun with his long-time mentor and collaborator.
This week, K.O said he and AKA, a winning combo whose first collaboration came exactly 10 years ago, were working on a collaborative project.
It seemed the Supa Mega was going back to basics and purring at just the right time.
But all that momentum has been ground to a halt. It remains to be seen whether “Mass Country” will be released as planned.
It should be. That’d be the perfect send-off for a true icon of South African music.