AKA‘s last album Mass Country achieved gold status less than two weeks after it dropped.
AKA ‘Mass Country’ earns gold certification
The 14-track album, which includes top-charting songs like Lemons (Lemonade) featuring Nasty C and Company, has been one of the most streamed records in South Africa, since it premiered on Friday, 28 February 2023.
Based on data tracked between Friday, 24 February 2023 and Thursday, 2 March 2023, Company, which features a guest appearance from Fela In Versace collaborator, KDDO, f.k.a Kiddominant, ranks first above top international global hits like Miley Cyrus’ Flowers in South Africa’s Top 20 radio chart.
The commercial success of the single, which dropped a week after his tragic death, earned AKA his second gold certification for Mass Country.
Data collected from Radio Monitor suggests Lemons (Lemonade), which occupies the 18th spot on the Top 20 radio chart, may be the next single from Mass Country to achieve gold status.
What is gold/platinum certification in South Africa’s music industry?
The Recording Industry of South Africa (RISA) oversees the commercial performance of records and, based on several criteria, issues certifications to qualifying artists.
For EPs and albums, gold certification may be awarded to artists and labels if they produce proof of sales (physical and streams) equivalent to 15 000 units.
In the case of platinum certifications, music labels must provide proof of record sales equivalent to 30 000 units.
Record labels can also apply for gold and/or platinum certifications for single releases.
In this case:
- Gold = 10 000 units sold;
- Platinum = 20 000 units sold; and
- Double platinum = 40 000 units sold.
What are the latest updates on the AKA murder case?
Mass Country‘s commercial success continues to soar against the backdrop of stalling progress in the investigation into the rapper’s murder.
AKA, along with his longtime friend and manager, Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane, was gunned down outside a popular restaurant on Florida Road, Durban, on Friday, 10 February 2023.
Two armed hitmen were caught on CCTV footage as they executed what investigators believe was a coordinated attack. However, about a month after the tragic incident, no suspects have been arrested.
Nevertheless, Police Minister Bheki Cele did recently hint at an impending break in the case.
Speaking at an anti-gang media briefing held in Westbury, Johannesburg, on Tuesday, 7 March 2023, Cele confirmed that investigators are progressively compiling a holistic timeline of events that led up to AKA’s death using data from cellphones that were collected from the rapper’s known associates and other persons of interest.
“We have collected a lot of cellphones that we are working on, download everything and try to patch things together; that’s the last I received on this matter,” he said.
The police minister pleaded for patience and assured the public that investigators “are digging deep in this case.”
“We acknowledge that it is not with the speed that the community and the nation would’ve loved to see but watch the space, we are digging deep in this case,” he added.