Iconic South African rapper and entrepreneur Kiernan ‘AKA‘ Forbes tragically died on Friday. Here’s everything we know about the cause of death, his biography and reactions.
UPDATE: The family of Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes released an official statement on Saturday. Read it in full below:
Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes dies: What’s the cause of death?
Social media has been abuzz with reactions to reports that the Prada hitmaker was targeted in a violent shooting in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) in the late evening hours of Friday, 10 February 2023.
Speaking to reporters at the crime scene, KZN police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda, while careful to not reveal too many details, confirmed that “a well-known musician, a 35-year-old, and his bodyguard, who is said to be 34 years old, was shot and killed in Morningside, in Florida Road on Friday night.”
“What we have for now is that the musician and his security detail were having supper at a restaurant. So, as they were leaving for their vehicle, two unknown gunmen came across the street on foot and opened fire on them, killing them instantly,” Col. Netshiunda said.
Based on AKA’s recent social media activity, the Lemons rapper was in Durban for an exclusive ‘Bhovamania‘ birthday celebration appearance at Yūgō, a popular champagne and tapas bar situated in Greyville.
AKA’s last social media post before reports of his death surfaced showed him at Wish on Florida, an upmarket champagne bar and restaurant not too far away from where he was due to appear.
AKA is survived by his seven-year-old daughter Kairo Forbes whom he shared with DJ Zinhle, his parents Lynn and Tony Forbes, and his girlfriend Nadia Nakai.
A family statement had not been issued at the time this article was published. Also, the details of the supposed bodyguard who was also targeted in the deadly shooting are still known.
However, speculation is rife on social media about the identity of the second victim. According to unconfirmed reports, the ‘bodyguard’ killed in the shooting may have actually been AKA’s longtime friend, Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane.
From what we understand, Tibz was in the same dining complex as AKA at the time of the deadly shooting. Social media records show that Tibz was out with friends at Authentiq Bar around the same time AKA was at Wish on Florida, only a stone’s throw away.
This is a developing story.
Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes biography
Kiernan Jarryd Forbes was born on 28 January 1988 in Cape Town. Before he rose to international acclaim as a multi-platinum-selling artist and esteemed producer, AKA was part of a trio of up-and-coming rappers named Entity.
Juggling education in music and a budding career as a performer, AKA and his mates, Vice Versa and Greyhound blazed the trail in the Cape Town rap scene and, as reported by Drum Magazine, in 2005 the trio dropped the group’s only album Royal School of Hip Hop, which earned them a Best African Hip Hop nomination at the KORA Awards.
Following a successful debut year in the music scene, Entity broke up. This epic shift in the rapper’s early career culminated in the formation of The IV League, a production collective he formed with mates Buks and Kamza.
Together, the crew catapulted into the music industry as go-to producers for a fresh sound in the Hip-Hop era of the mid-to-late 2000s, with production credits on classic hits such as ProKid’s Bhampa (2008) and Khuli Chana’s Tswakstikem (2011).
The notoriety in The Ivy League’s sound opened doors for AKA, who still had a penchant for rhyming. Sure enough, the rapper’s fate as one of South Africa’s greatest modern-day musicians came in 2011 when he released his debut album, Alter Ego in a licensing deal between Vth Season and Sony Music Entertainment Africa.
The debut album had one of his top-selling records, Victory Lap, a song that created a line of separation between him and his peers at the time.
Since then, AKA has released top-selling and award-winning albums, including:
- Levels Unlocked (2015)
- Be Careful What You Wish For (2017)
- Touch My Blood (2018)
- Bhovamania (2020)
- You’re Welcome (2021)
- MASS COUNTRY (2023) – releasing on Friday, 24 February 2023
Before his tragic death, AKA was due to release his latest offering, MASS COUNTRY, which featured top-charting songs like Lemons featuring Nasty C and the recently dropped Prada with a guest appearance from Khuli Chana.
It remains unclear if the album will, indeed, come out on the scheduled date.
Social media reactions to AKA’s death
News of AKA’s death sent shockwaves across social media.
Here are some of the tributes and early reactions from the rapper’s fans and peers.
BEFORE YOU GO. CHECK OUT OUR REACTION TO AKA’S “PRADA” SINGLE AND SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PODCAST CHANNEL