#ripaka

Kiernan, affectionately known as ‘AKA’, was arguably South Africa's greatest hip-hop artist of all time.

The first born of Tony and Lynn Forbes, his formative years were spent in his grandmother’s care in Mitchell’s Plain, Cape Town, Western Cape. He began his schooling at Holy Cross Convent, and then moved onto Greenside Primary School when he relocated to the bustling city of Johannesburg in the mid 1990s to live with his mother. His high schooling was done at the prestigious St Johns’s College, a private all-boys school nestled in the affluent suburb of Houghton Estate, Johannesburg. The school boasts former alumni such as former UJ Vice Chancellor & Principal, Prof. Tshilidzi Marwala; author Dr. Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh; former soccer star Kaizer Motaung Jr; presenter ‘Maps’ Maponyane; anti-apartheid activist & African Resistance Movement member, the late Hugh Levin; and disgraced former apartheid-era spy, Craig Williamson, to name a few.

It was while he was at St John’s, that he would form the musical group ‘Entity’, alongside Mpofu-Walsh and Nhlanhla Makenna. Originally, the group consisted of 6 members but they became a trio shortly afterwards. Their chosen stage names were: AKA (Forbes); Vice Versa (Mpofu-Walsh); and Greyhound (Makenna). Each member gave an explanation for their stage names. Forbes said his is derived from him being a different person to all the different people in his life; for Mpofu-Walsh, it’s double layered: firstly, it’s a pun on verse writing in the hip-hop tradition and secondly, it’s due to his mom being white and his dad being black, enabling him to see life from both side of the (racial) spectrum. For Makenna, he claims it stems from having big ears and a small frame as a kid and being able to run very fast.

The group would go on to release their only studio album in 2005, titled ‘Royal School of Hip Hop’. It’s worth noting that the group members were in grade 11. The album was independently released on Creative Kingdom Records and was produced by former Skwatta Kamo member, Siya ‘Slikour’ Metane. The album was well received and had one single on heavy rotation on radio and Channel O titled, ‘Touch And Go’. They were nominated in the Best Hip Hop Album category at the now-defunct KORA Awards and managed to perform at the awards ceremony. Sadly, the group disbanded after their matric year in 2006. According to Mpofu-Walsh, a second album was recorded but was never released.

Following the end of Entity, Forbes would go study sound engineering. It was while pursing his studies that he met with Ntokozo ‘Buks’ Mazibuko and Kamohelo ‘Kamza’ Mbatha, and formed the production team ‘IV League’. The three of them would fundamentally change the course of South African Hip Hop music and produce many hits such as ‘Tswakstikem’ by Khuli Chana, ‘Tla K'o Bone’ by Reason, ‘Monate So’ by Shugasmakx, "Victory Lap" by AKA (and the whole of his debut album Altar Ego) and ‘Bhampa’ by Pro, among others. Following this successful run, Forbes would leave the team and join up with Vth (pronounced fifth) Season. It would be his partnership with the indie label that he would see his greatest run of success and garner numerous international awards and have the distinction of being the only rapper to have a record go platinum without any vernac on it.

He dabbled in a few business ventures, such as the ill-fated BEAM Group, under which he released his third album, the double platinum ‘Touch My Blood’. He then landed a rare sneaker deal with international brand, Reebok. The SneAKA collaboration was well received and a limited edition run was sold out in no time. He then bagged a liquor collaboration with New York-based Cruz Vodka. The deal allowed him to have his own signature flavours, boasting the ever-popular Watermelon edition and the Banana edition.

As much as he was known for his musical talents, he was also known for his romantic relationships. His first significant relationship was with famed DJ Zinhle Jiyane, which spawned his only child, daughter Kairo Owethu Forbes, born 8 July 2015. He then had a whirlwind romance with iconic media personality and wine maker, Bonang Matheba. The relationship’s demise was widely discussed in the media and public with allegations of muti being used hurled around. He then got into a relationship with the late Anele Tembe, whom he got engaged to in February 2021. Sadly, Tembe would lose her life in an apparent suicide by jumping from the tenth floor of the Pepperclub Hotel in Cape Town. Numerous videos of the pair’s arguments made the rounds on social media and allegations of abuse were labelled against Forbes. The police cleared him of any involvement in Tembe’s untimely passing. He began a relationship with rapper Nadia Nakai in 2022.

Forbes was scheduled to perform at Yugo, a popular nightclub in Durban when he was gunned down by two unknown assailants. He and his former manager, Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane were struck six times and died on the scene. Forbes is survived by his parents, younger brother Steffan and his girlfriend, Nakai.