Words By Phil Chard

After premiering One Time on Live Amp last month on a night when his significant other Bonang was hosting the show, AKA proceeded to sit on the single and teased fans about when it would finally be released . Of no real marketing or promotional effort AKA made the surprise announcement yesterday that the song would be premiered on DJ Edu’s Afro Boss show on BBC 1Xtra.  The news of the exclusive was then disseminated on social media via an intense guerrilla marketing push by his team (also read as constantly tweeting about it).

Though the release was unconventional – just two days prior AKA had released the single Dreamwork featuring Yanga, it was also a massive achievement for South African Hip Hop.  AKA’s previous two singles Baddest and All Eyes On Me had both been playlisted on BBC, but the exclusive premiere on arguable the biggest African Music platform was a first for a rapidly growing South African Hip Hop industry.

However the irony here is that with its heavy 80’s synth Pop & R&B, Disco and Rock influences, I have to ask if One Time is even a rap song? On the song AKA delivers his verses in an auto tune assisted singing voice reminiscent t of 80s R&B and Pop. With catchy one liners like “One time for the Blessers” and “One time for the old niggas who spend a little bankroll when you need a little extra” that tap into popular sentiment, One Time another product of AKA’s successful radio formula.

In 2015 we witnessed the culmination of a strategy AKA has been perfecting for some time now.  He is not content with being South Africa’s biggest Hip Hop act; he is clearly trying to be the biggest Pop act.  According Entertainment Monitoring South Africa (a company that monitors radio spins in South Africa) , AKA’s Baddest was the most played local song in the country. AKA beat out Mobi Dixon, Mi Casa and Dbn Nyts.  According to the report, Black Motion (who came in second) was a full 920 plays behind.  In mid-December AKA’as record label Vth Season released this statement.

AKA is officially the number #1 most played South African artist on all radio stations nationwide for 2015. AKA beats out the likes of Black Coffee, Micasa and KO locally, and internationally he beats the likes of Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran, Adele, Justin Bieber and The Weeknd by 2,880 plays; making AKA the King of South African radio airwaves.

 Entertainment Monitoring Africa radio spin report for the period of November 2014 to November 2015

The other most played acts that feature in the Top 4 are Chris Brown, Taylor Swift and Rihanna. This is the second year in the row that AKA is in the Top 5. This year the #3RDWRLDBOSS has had heavy rotations with tracks like "All Eyes On Me" and "Sim Dope" from his Gold Selling album LEVELS from 2014, and the new Summer Smash hits "Composure" and "Baddest". AKA’s number #1 status is huge not only for any artist for the amount of great music that came out, but most importantly for an artist who didn't drop an album in 2015.

Though the statement is somewhat cryptic and cleverly uses marketing speak to obfuscate AKA’s actual position, what we can decipher is that AKA was one of the 5 most played artists on radio in 2015 , amongst local and international artists.

This is no small feat for any artist let alone a Hip Hop act.  But this achievement was no fluke, when you listen to the songs AKA placed on Levels, the songs he chooses to feature on and the style he adopts, it is clear that AKA has found a formula to ensure his music not only receives spins on traditional Urban or Hip Hop radio but also Top 40 Pop stations. Songs like All Eyes On Me have an up-tempo house feel and a melody that has mass market appeal. Baddest is a song with a simple to remember hook , that somehow works both in the club and for easy listening. One Time is a Pop track masquerading as Hip Hop that will most likely enjoy the same amount of radio love.

What is more impressive is that AKA has somehow managed to juggle focusing on radio spins while improving his craft as an overall artist. As he has displayed on songs like Composure, YipikayYay, N Word Remix, Don’t Bother and Talk That Shit,AKA can eviscerate you on some rap shit if he has to.

AKA has also created a solid brand as one of the best live performers with a 4 piece band. AKA is so particular about his live offering that he often does events with his own microphone.

AKA started off as rapper and producer, but now he is one of South African radio’s biggest artists, he became the first South African musician to cross 1 million followers on Twitter,  he has performed in over 10 countries in the last year and has a number of brand endorsements. That sounds like a Pop star to me.

@akaworldwide