Kiernan Jarryd Forbes, the South African rapper who goes by the stage name of AKA, is in a pleasure boat of good fortunes following the release of his “Bhovamania.” EP.
At the outset, it was said that he was working on album, but AKA clarified that he was working on an extended play (EP). Either way, he has a new body of work that fans are excited about, a body of work that actually merits some excitement.
Prior to the project dropping, fans had wanted to interest AKA in revealing the date of his imminent boxing match with notable rival Cassper Nyovest. But he wouldn’t be bothered to reveal the date. Instead he said he has a classic to release at midnight.
Although we’re reluctant to give “Bhovamania” EP the classic tag, we readily admit that this rap compilation has got several winning numbers and will never stutter to have lovers, even beyond the borders of the Rainbow Nation.
It is unknown why AKA adopted “Bhovamania” as the title of his latest project. But then the adopted title isn’t something to complain about. The charm of the compilation more than compensates for that.
“Bhovamania” was one of the most anticipated projects in South Africa. In fact, the fever of expectancy was so strong that the EP started trending on the number spot on Apple Music South Africa’s album chart. Days after release, it maintains the spot – a record for a hip hop artiste.
AKA’s “Bhovamania” houses thirteen (13) tracks in all, beginning with an intro and ending with a track named for him. Before the project’s release, AKA had teased a couple of numbers from it, including “Monuments,” “Energy” and “Cross My Heart.”
He had not wanted to include “Iron Duke” as part of the compilation because, according to him, he didn’t quite flow with the number. His fans mounted a serious campaign for him to include it, and although he eventually promised to include it, he failed to do so.
Fans who are seriously into the song will have to listen to it as a solo drop and not as part of the project. No qualms, though. The 13 adopted tracks of “Bhovamania” still give the EP a strong footing in the universe of South African music.
“Bhovamania” EP is as much a testament of AKA’s creative powers as it is of his ability to pick artistes with whom he shares great musical synergy – or musical chemistry, as the cliché goes.
L-Tido, Moozlie, K.O., Flvme, Don Design, Gemini Major and yanga Chief are some of the guests in this compilation.
Given AKA’s proclivity for milking things in his benefit, it was inevitable he should (jocularly) reference his rival Cassper Nyovest in “Mufasa” (track 4) and try to profit from the public’s interest in their rivalry and sporadic tiff.
In fact, the track alone spiked the interest of many in AKA’s “Bhovamania” project. In reality, though, the track is not exactly about Cassper Nyovest
AKA appears to have realized this and also determined his rival Cassper Nyovest, who has long lost the number one spot on Apple Music South Africa’s album cha, should notice and probably feel annoyed by the success.
Well, if the plan is to provoke Cassper, it might not succeed. But then “Bhovamania” has snapped Mzansi’s attention and just might hold it for another week – perhaps more.
You might think of “Bhovamania” as a mixed bag, the sum of AKA’s experiences, quirks and proclivities, brought together effortlessly and with an eye for art. It is a compilation to which the listener cannot but pay attention. Although “Bhovamania” is a creative work of art that tells a story of the current state of AKA’s art, it fails to deliver on fans expectation in terms of creativity and lyricism. For that and everything else mentioned, we are rating the album a 4 stars Or what do you think?
AKA “Bhovamania” EP Rating
