South African Hip-Hop Artist, AKA, in this Exclusive Telephone interview with olorisupergal.com opens up on the forthcoming Loud N Proud Live INTERNATIONAL EDITION performance as the headline act in Lagos, His Music, his alleged diss track COMPOSURE, the Xenophobic attacks in South Africa, his MOBO Awards Nomination and why he’d loved to be Nigerian amongst others.
Read excerpts .
- What do you think about the African music industry?
” I think African music is now bigger than it has ever been, we are seeing more collaborations between artists from all over the continent more than anytime in history especially between Nigerian and South African Artists. I am a big fan of Nigerian Music and I have done quite a number of collaborations with Nigerian artists like Burna Boy, Wande Coal, Ice Prince and Davido. So I am happy to see how much collaborations we are doing and how the music industry in Africa is growing”.
- On his MOBO Nomination
“Well I have been nominated for the MOBO Awards, Best African Act, alongside great African acts like Wizkid, Davido, Shatta Wale and Fuse ODG, and you know MOBO is probably the biggest black entertainment award, it will be a great honour to win the award, so I am looking forward to going to England and hopefully pick up that award”.
- The forthcoming Loud N Proud Live International Edition in Lagos
” I was in Nigeria this year for the Industry Night, One MIC Naija and the Remy Martin shows and they were all great shows, I think before all these shows most people might have been seeing me for the first time but I think people are now more familiar with my music, me as a performer, so i expect more people to be at the show which will come up on Thursday, 29th October, 2015 at the EKO HOTEL, Victoria Island, Lagos, and I will be performing with my Live Band, other artists like , UK/Nigerian Rap sensation Aina Moore #Girlskillingit, DJ Jimmy Jatt and UK’s/Ghana DJ Abrantee will also be performing, so I am very happy to be coming down to thrill my Nigerian fans”.
- Hip Hop and Live Band Performance
” There is no much difference for me because when i perform its always with my own band especially when i am performing in my own country, South Africa. So now that I am coming to Nigeria it is going to be with my own ban and you all are going to be thrilled”.
- Any International Artist you would love to work with
“well, that depends on your definition of an international artist, for me, AKA is an international artist, Wizkid, Burna Boy, Davido, Ice prince are international artists, maybe some people want to work with American artists but i have never been keen on that, i just want to make sure I do as much work as possible with my brothers on the continent”.
- Tell us about the diss Track ‘COMPOSURE’
” I don’t really have much to say, its all there in the song, its all there in the lyrics, like I said on my interview with MTV, it is not a diss track, if it was a diss track I would have made it from start to finish, everything would have been about diss but it is not. I made sure i talked about my life, my daughter, the media, whatever i wanted to say i put it on the track. That song COMPOSURE is already a hit, the video is out and people are loving it”.
- Your opinion on Xenophobic attacks on foreigners in South Africa
“It is a very small minority of people who were committing those acts against foreigners, but I must tell you, South Africans are good people, We hosted the football and rugby world cups, several Nigerian Artists love South Africa, they come here all the time, so it was a small minority of people who did that, but we have settled all that, we have moved on and we are trying to rectify and welcome people again from all over the continent”.
- One last word to your Fans in Nigeria
” I just want to say thank you for all your support, Nigeria and Lagos especially is one of my favorite places in the world. I have many friends there, music family there, I must tell you deep from my heart, if I have to come back to this world in another life, I had been a Nigerian.
Don’t forget to catch AKA with his Live Band at the LoudNProud Live International Edition at the Eko Hotels, Victoria Island, Lagos on Thursday, 29th October, 2015.
