It has been almost a year since the horrific shooting.
The Supa Mega was known for captivating crowds with his vibey music, and on a fateful evening in February of 2023, his light was snuffed unexpectedly.
His catalogue remains, however, and is probably more appreciated now than it has ever been as is the case when an artist perishes before their time.
AKA was an avid collaborator whether it was with artists appearing on songs with him, collaborative albums of which he had two and of course his ability to pull in beat smiths to sharpen his offerings.
The record, Company, is arguably the best song on the posthumous anthology Mass Country (2023), a song that features KDDO a producer and singer from Nigeria who also helped craft Chris Brown’s sultry ballad, Under the Influence.
AKA has a catalogue littered with heaters and one song that remains a crowd pleaser is Dreamwork-a block buster that features AKA’s long-time creative confidant and friend Yanga Chief. This is one of AKA's best performing songs surpassing diamond status (1 700 000 units sold) five times over as far as sales go.
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The video was equally as rugged as the beat and chorus which made this single off Rebirth (Remix) in 2016, hard to ignore.
Kj Conteh is responsible for creating this beat that remains a timeless track and testament to the uninhibited energy of South African rap music.
A rhythmic lineage
Kj is an American of Congolese and Gambian descent with a fascination for forging beats in the fires of collaboration. Having this intention interwoven into his creativity has seen him work with some of the biggest names in global music including Drake, Snoop Dogg, T.I., 50 Cent and Dr. Dre among others.
“My love for music started at a very young age, it’s the only thing I can remember ever wanting to do. As a child I fell in love with music while hearing my mother’s Motown music around the house and being in her car while she would play French oldies such as Charles Aznavour,” he says casting his mind back to his innocence.
His father would play Congolese Rumba, with artists like Franco, Pepe Kalle, and Papa Wemba. He would also listen to West African music losing himself to the sounds of Youssou N’Dour and Salif Keita.
“My Grandmother listens to old Congolese music from artists like Tabu Ley Rochereau, and Nico Kasanda. All those musical influences made me fall in love with music," says the talent who is based in Los Angeles California but was raised in Johannesburg.
Making music is a very personal process for this virtuoso and this has led to him sharing intimate moments with some of the heavyweights he has worked alongside.
“One of the most memorable moments I’ve had was with Snoop in South Africa back in 2013. I went to meet him at the Piazza Hotel after his performance in Johannesburg. He wanted to work on some music and record, so I brought my compute and all the recording equipment. While we were setting up, we realised we did not have a pop filter and it was like 11pm so there was no way we were going to locate one at that time.
“I had to think quickly. When I was a kid, I used to make my pop filters with a wire hanger and women's stockings. So, I asked his staff if they had a wire hanger and his security gave me one, but the problem was that no one had women's stockings. I told them to give me one minute so I could go downstairs to the reception area to see whether any shops were still open.”
Once Kj got downstairs, he realised everything was closed. He saw a young lady working at the reception desk,” I went over and asked her whether she knew of anywhere I could get women's stockings. Unfortunately, she let me know that there were no such stores open at that time. She then asked me what I needed it for. I then explained it to her. Very hesitantly she responded, “I have some on, but I don’t know if you want to use them because I’m wearing them”.
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He was so desperate at this point that anything would work and so he gratefully accepted them from her and quickly ran back upstairs.
"Snoop got a kick out of seeing what we were about to use. We set up the pop filter and started recording," he chuckles.
"We recorded a song he later went on to release called It’s Bedtime."
Recollections of a friend and creative confidant
His sound is eclectic, and he enjoys stretching his artistry and adapting to new approaches. Authentic South African sounds lured him in from as early on as the golden era of kwaito.
”I grew up listening to kwaito and I love the evolution of amapiano. I’ve always been a big fan of West African Afro Beats/Afro-pop music. I love to hear what’s coming out of Congo with artists like Innoss’B. I also love Eastern African artists like Diamond Platnumz from Tanzania. I love to see the African content as a whole, taking over and inspiring the sound of music around the world.”
This experienced producer also enjoyed more than a few close moments with the late AKA.
“AKA was a true genius. Every time I worked with him I knew we were about to make a classic. When we did Dreamwork he told me 'This is going to be Big' and it was. Seeing how much South Africa supported that record was truly amazing and humbling.”
When Kj heard the news of AKA’s passing, he was truly heartbroken.
“Honestly it didn’t feel real. I kept thinking I was going to get a call saying it wasn’t true. I had just seen him a month prior, and when he came to LA with his girlfriend Nadia Nakai they stopped by my place. We went to get some In n Out burgers and we drove around in my car while he played me his album. The crazy part is, he recorded himself listening to his album on my phone and I didn’t even realise it until after his devastating passing.
"He always wanted my musical opinion. Anytime he was in LA he would come to see me, and honestly, all he wanted to do was grab some food and work on music at my house, he was very down to earth."
Whenever Kj came to South Africa AKA never failed to pick him up. Together they would drive around Bryanston and listen to music that AKA had been working on.
“We had a real friendship. He is truly missed. I’m just glad he got to meet my daughter and I got to see him for the last time before his tragic passing. South Africa took a big loss, and I don’t know if there will ever be another AKA.”
The work continues however and for the time being Kj is focused on releasing singles that will eventually be packaged into an album.
“For now, I want people to hear my diversity and I’m going to show it with every single I’m going to be releasing. My sound is extremely diverse. I strive to create timeless music and 2024 for me is the year I will unleash my sound to the world."
