He may be gone but his legacy lives. When Kiernan Forbes, known as AKA, was shot dead on February 10, the country was in shock. I still remember seeing the news trending and, as a fan, my heart was shattered. It felt like I lost a close friend because I loved him and his music.
During that time, I couldn’t play his music because it was still unbelievable he was no more.
But as time went on, I accepted the loss and played his music even louder. That way, the pain didn’t sting as much because although I’d never watch him perform live again, I could always listen to his voice whenever I felt like it.
Last week, I was invited to the “Mass Country” brunch in Sandton and couldn’t say no.
I don’t want to lie, it felt weird celebrating AKA in his absence but the fact that he’s still the greatest, even in death, gave me solace.
This reminds me of his best 2020 tweets: “I am the greatest SA hip-hop artist of all time. Dead or alive.”
And it didn’t end there. He also declared himself the greatest producer. “Statistically, I might be the greatest producer in SA hip-hop history as well.”
A few years later, his words came to fruition. “Mass Country”, his latest album has been certified platinum.
“Mass Country was certified platinum in June 2023, which is an amazing achievement. It sold 35 000 music units, equivalent to 41 million streams (just in South Africa). On a global scale, Mass Country made 76 million streams on all platforms,” revealed Sony Music.
It was also announced that “Sponono”, one of the songs on the album, recently came out to radio and already garnered gold status. There is a video coming out this spring that Sjava will be part of.
As part of this celebration, AKA’s music team will be dropping “Mass Country Deluxe” later in the year. The album will feature new songs that AKA recorded before his death and remixes of some of the hit songs in “Mass Country”.
AKA’s mom Lynn Forbes thanked everyone for helping make “Mass Country” a success.
“I feel very proud. I watched AKA work tirelessly on this album because I spent a lot of time with him during the time he worked on the album. But I cannot stand here and be proud without mentioning the people who have worked with him on the album.
“From the producers, the mixers and everyone who worked on the album. Those people did an incredible job, and I want to say 'thank you' to them.
“I’ll always say this, we wouldn’t have a platinum album if it wasn’t for the Megacy (AKA’s fans), so I’ll always be the Megacy’s biggest fan.”
The late superstar’s father, Tony Forbes, was so emotional his eyes glistened with tears. Proud as he was, he missed his son dearly.
He said that as a family, they now had a huge responsibility to continue with AKA’s legacy. After all, the “Company” hitmaker wasn't kidding when he said: “Long Live SupaMega, Live Long”.
“’Mass Country’ making platinum, I’m not surprised. It is his life’s work. For me, this is a proud moment, but I feel challenged as to how we build on this. How do we build on his legacy, not only for the Forbes family but inspiring other artists to be better than where they are right now?”
And while the Megacy allows them time to grieve, they also want to continue celebrating the life of their favourite artist. That is why Lynn said they would include the Megacy in everything they do to keep AKA’s legacy alive.
“We have many ideas. I want the Megacy to know that the music will always be important, but as a family, we want to open a foundation and run a cause that’s always been close to Kiernan’s heart.
“We want to make sure that the Megacy gets the merchandise. There will be concerts, but believe us, we’re not sitting still, we’re not forgetting about Kiernan.”
After the formalities, I spoke to Lynn because, as strong as she may seem, she is still hurting. She is a mother who lost her child. And like anyone grieving, she has her bad days.
“What gives me comfort is that I decided long ago to accept that he’s gone. As much as it’s hard, I think with acceptance comes a lot of things and once you can understand that that’s the reality of the situation, then you can find a way forward. I’m in a good space, but I have really bad moments.
“But I do get up everyday with a purpose. As a mother, I can’t even begin to explain the pain, the loss, and I don’t think the grief will ever go away, but I have to grow around it and live with it,” she said.
But then again, seeing how her son was loved and watching his fans continue to celebrate him does put a smile on her face. She beams with excitement when she speaks about the Megacy, that is why we cannot wait to see all the plans they have unfold.
“I try to keep up with what the Megacy is doing. For me, it’s the purest love that people have for somebody. The Megacy are the only people with no financial gain, what they do for Kiernan is purely because they love(d) him, so that’s why I love them,” added Lynn.
So, to the Megacy, stay still, something big is coming for you.
Talking about the legacy living on, AKA’s “Lemons (Lemonade)” and “Company” have been nominated for “Song Of The Year” at the DStv Content Creator Awards.