In his mission statement, he says it looks like one needs to be walking with ancestors to succeed in Joburg.
It seems that has been the case for him this year because it has been one win after another.
His opening line after the hook says that he’s always been one to follow his intuition and in his recent moves, it’s also been evident.
On Thursday afternoon, Ntokozo Mdluli, fondly known as K.O, Mr Cashtime and Skhanda god invited his loved ones and associates to a scenic garden fashion show in Northcliff, Johannesburg to showcase the latest Skhanda World Summer collection.
Dressed in all white, the guests honoured the invitation in the most fashionable way possible.
The colourful collection turned heads from the centre of the garden and around the concrete runway and right back to the centre again from a chapel house.
Every now and again, there was a familiar face rocking the summer street wear.
Moozlie, Murdah Bongz, topless Toss, and his former Teargas mate Ma-E, Nadia Nakai, the new age Shaka Lemogang Tsipe and Minnie Dlamini - who closed off the show - all came out with their best catwalks.
After seeing all of this come together as envisioned, K.O sat down with Drum to talk about the work that went into not only the show but the production of the collection.
“It’s been a long day, a long couple of months, actually a long year because in the fashion space you work a year ahead. We worked on this capsule around this time last year. And to see it come to fruition from the entire process, the samples coming in, bit by bit [to] approving and sending notes back. And then finally the final product and seeing people actually wearing it and seeing it going in stores.”
Some of the collection had already started rolling out at Studio 88 stores across the country before the show but after the show, the bulk of it will be hitting the store by the end of September.
Speaking about what inspired the collection, he says, “Since inception, we've always just been bold about colors and not shying away from just expressing positive energy. When you look at my aesthetic as an artist, and when you look at some of my visual, [you can tell that] I'm a visual artist.
“And outside of just what I do in my music, I also wanted that to translate in my designs and that's just what we wanted to just continue, you know, expressing. I know a lot of people sometimes are not as forthcoming as far as colors are concerned, but the pulse of the brand is young people and it appeals to a lot of young people, whether you're like in varsity, high school or anything of that nature,” he adds.
While he was preparing for this show though, he was also gearing up for the release of his first single with Dali Wonga titled Thatha.
Read More | K.O on his creative journey, writing hits at the gym and dealing with Nota’s ‘disrespect’
While some people’s eyebrows were raised by how Hip Hop and amapiano could potentially merge in the song, most were at ease because he had collaborated with amapiano artists before and made hits, i.e. Sete.
For Mr Cashtime, this is a trick that he likes pulling.
When someone expects one thing, he delivers a surprise.
“I enjoy tricking people, if I can put it that way. I remember last year when I announced the release of Sete and people saw me standing [beside] Blackie and [thought the song would be] most likely a piano song. Here we are yet again.”
He noticed that with Thatha which dropped the day after the show on Friday, 29 September, the conversation was pleasantly slightly different though because his supporters learned not to speak too soon.
“We managed to create something very soulful, Afropop, something I believe will resonate with a whole lot of people, whether young or old, just based on the message and just the energy of the song itself. We are celebrating life, manifesting some good fortune ahead of us, but also just taking the time to celebrate what one has achieved, myself in particular.
“Being in the game for all these years and having the opportunity to still work with like even the newer guys, you know. To me, it's just something unprecedented and I'm forever grateful and I just want to continue setting an example to fellow artists that you can do this for as long as you want, as long as the product is good, there's always going to be an audience for you,” he tells Drum.
Read More | I will continue to work with them, says K.O as SKHANDAWORLD and UMG part ways with artists
When it came to the production, the award-winning musician says that he stepped into studio, formulated the beat from scratch, one element at a time and loved seeing it come out to be exactly what he had in mind.
“A lot of times I also like pray really hard before I even go and record, because I just feel like you're a creative genius. Yeah, it's cool. You need that and your talent and whatnot, but there has to be a divine intervention to a certain degree that helps you unleash a miracle on a record.”
By praying, the Skhanda god believes that he is able to discern a hit song from the onset and usually, that is where his foresight, vision and experience meet.
“I think this record is a radio killer,” he says as we close off the conversation.
The musician will not be resting anytime soon as he will be travelling from one part of the world to the next.
He has been nominated for the Trace Africa Awards which will be taking place in Rwanda and the BET Hip Hop awards in Atlanta, both of which will be hosted next month.
