South African hip-hop veteran K.O joins Nandi Madida via FaceTime on Apple Music 1 to talk about his latest single, “Supernova.” He also discusses his new album, ‘Phara City,’ the legacy of Teargas on the new generation of artists, and featuring collaborations on the album.
This Week’s Hottest New Tracks
Nandi Madida shares the hottest new African tracks of the moment. This week’s selection includes new tracks from Sam Deep, Stixx & Nvcho feat. Babalwa M, Mayorkun feat. Davido, CKay, Olamide, Seyi Vibez, Asake & Young Jonn feat. Daecolm, and MaWhoo, GL_Ceejay & Thukhutela feat. Jazzworx.
Tune in and listen to the full episode this Friday, June 13th at 9a Lagos/London / 10a Johannesburg/Paris / 1a LA / 4a NYC on Apple Music 1 at apple.co/_AfricaNow and YFM Accra every Sunday at 2pm, YFM Kumasi on Saturdays at 3pm and YFM Takoradi on Saturdays at 6pm
K.O tells Apple Music why now was the right time to release Phara City
I think the age where I’m at right now, I don’t only just want to be remembered as a dope rapper, and yes, I’ve dabbled in social commentary, but I now want to be even more intentional, especially in the climate that we subjected to as a country right now. I don’t want to shy away from the fact that there are socioeconomic issues that we are growing up under and whether we want to mask them and hide those things from the rest of the world or not, they are a reality.
K.O tells Apple Music the meaning of the word ‘Phara’.
‘Phara’ is basically a thug, I’m going to use the word loosely, why??, because Tupac came and he owned this thing called ‘Thug Life.’ That entire mentality he talked about is not only just the unflattering things, it describes a background that is both positive and negative. ‘Pharas’ are largely outcasts within society, people that are actually ostracised. But if you think about it, a Phara is not only that person in today’s South Africa. When you get to a (traffic) roadblock sometimes by way of survival, if you are under the influence or maybe you have outstanding tickets, sometimes you get to tap into the ‘Phara’ side in you and negotiate your way out so you can still get home without having to spend a night in a jail cell. Similarly, If I need to get my kid into Harvard, and I have a certain influence and power and there’s a way for me to twist someone’s arm in a positive way for my kid to get in and get the education that I feel he deserves, that’s me tapping into the ‘Phara’ side of me.
K.O tells Apple Music about the ambition of the album ‘Phara City’.
We are in a state where our country has almost kind of become dominated by a ‘Phara’ mentality, a dark mentality. I’m just throwing it out there in a very lighthearted manner where I’m taking that overly negative stench on the word itself because I feel by way of my own lifestyle and the country that I am an inhabit of, I feel for me to survive and be able to progress, I’ve had to become a Phara in some way. It’s me putting the mirror to the ordinary South African to say, “you know what? This is your world. Do you agree”? Let’s have a conversation. And these are conversations and topics that I am presenting to us (and myself) through music.
K.O tells Apple Music about his song ‘Supanova’ featuring Casper Nyovest
This song features a sample which is part of the Holy grail of South African musical legacy – Lebo Mathosa’s ‘I love Music’. Just the idea of sampling a song like that is near blasphemous, but we actually went out of our way to mirror the quality of the original. We had to present this to Lebo Mathosa’s estate and try and find all those composers and all the contributors who were part of the original, just to clear the sample. It was a needle in a haystack type of mission, but we eventually got it over the line! If you do touch something like this, you have to give it more than justice.
K.O tells Apple Music about featuring collaborations on the album
It wasn’t easy, it wasn’t a walk in a park – and it takes patience as well. When you know what you want and the people that compliment the vision, the best way that you feel, you’ll pursue as much as you possibly can and then see it through. People don’t know some of these things that are happening behind the scenes to get the music that they actually end up hearing! These things are in the making or in the works for months, but I think what I always try to do is to give the product a fighting chance. And I think by the collaborations that I go for, I always want to put the song first. I could easily do everything on the record, make the beat and do the verse myself, everything – But what if there’s a certain emotion that someone else could bring to the table to take this thing way beyond where my natural potential was going to take it? So that’s why you’re seeing that lineup of all those individuals that are on there.
K.O tells Apple Music about the legacy of Teargas on the new generation of artists
One of the things that I’ve always heard from, whether it’s Big Zulu or Black Diamond, and all of these guys, is they speak so highly of Teargas. When I go and listen to their music, I’m like, “Oh damn, actually I can hear it” – but they’re doing it in their own way – and to be on songs with them is also an honour to me. They don’t need me, but hey man, by way of them paying homage and also me saying, “big up, I see you. Let’s make some magic together”, It also feels like a full circle moment.