Atlanta tribute ‘bittersweet’ for AKA’s mom, child
● AKA’s daughter Kairo shed tears as she watched a video tribute to her father in Atlanta this week.
The eight-year-old and the rapper’s mother Lynn Forbes were in the US city to receive the BET Hip-Hop Awards 2023 Global Visionary Award on her son’s behalf. Forbes described the event as “bittersweet”.
“I see manifestations of him through signs of nature, like butterflies ... and then, for instance, the room at the hotel where I was having my makeup done today was room 1988 — that was the year he was born,” she told the Sunday Times.
AKA, real name Kiernan Forbes, was shot dead on February 10 outside a Durban restaurant. No arrests have been made.
“At the moment, I don’t have any more information that’s not out in the public space, which is that a gun was positively identified as the gun that shot him, as well as cars on the scene identified as part of the hit, the assassination,” his mother said. “Apparently there are people of interest, and that’s all I know at this stage.”
At Tuesday’s pre-taped awards ceremony, she expressed gratitude to her son’s worldwide legion of fans, known as the “Megacy”.
“The BET Global Visionary Award is an absolute honour because Kiernan was a visionary, a trailblazer, and so deserving,” she said. “It has been a bittersweet moment, as we lost him about eight months ago, but the ‘Megacy’ are all my children now and I’m honoured to stand in and receive the award on his behalf. This award is not just for me or the family, not just for South Africa, but is a victory for Africa as a continent.”
Forbes said her son was a born performer from a very young age. “Every single opportunity he had to perform for the family, for the grandparents, and sing with his ‘Michael Jackson’ moves. He would run down the stairs and jump out and entertain us,” she said, her eyes welling up.
“I dream about him all the time, and the most important message that he’s given me is: ‘Trust your gut in everything you do.’”
A special nominees’ brunch at the Thompson Atlanta Buckhead Hotel was held earlier on Tuesday, where BET executives presented a video in tribute to AKA’s legacy. Forbes said Kairo cried when watching it.
“She misses her dad terribly. Grief is so unpredictable and Kairo started crying, as she is only eight years old and she goes through these moments which are a part of her emotional healing.
“But then she’s got this huge energy and talent. She performed at Joburg Day all by herself in front of tens of thousands of people. And here at the BET green carpet, since she’s so young, they let her come out early to take photos with the South African flag and hold up the award that her dad will be getting.”
On Instagram, Kairo expressed her thoughts to her 1.4-million followers: “Global Visionary Award to honour daddy for his global impact on the hip-hop landscape. Thank you BET Hip-Hop Awards 2023.” She accompanied the post with a video reel of herself dressed in a colourful outfit, draped with the South African flag and her father’s award, on the green carpet.
Monde Twala, senior vice-president and GM of Paramount Africa and Lead BET International, praised AKA. “We are honoured to recognise his extraordinary contributions with the Global Visionary Award at the 2023 BET Hip-Hop Awards. AKA’s legacy will forever inspire future generations, reminding us that music transcends borders and has the power to unite us all.”
Rapper K.O (Ntokozo Mdluli) was nominated alongside AKA in the Best International Flow category. However, both lost to Black Sherif of Ghana. K.O is the only South African to have been nominated twice this year for BET, including the BET Awards in Los Angeles in June. At the Atlanta ceremony, he recalled the days when he featured on AKA’s track Run Jozi (Godly) in 2014.
“It’s beautiful that AKA is being recognised for his impact and I think the thing that hurts me so much is that I saw him three days before he passed on, and we recorded probably the last song that he did, you know, that is yet to come out before the end of the year,” he said.
“I can remember, as he was about to get into his car shortly after recording his verse, he was so excited about what he had done in the booth, and he comes out and hugs me like a little kid, like a little brother, saying ‘thank you’ over and over I can still literally feel his arms around me.
“Being nominated is a dream come true and it’s my first time in Atlanta. I’m blown away and I love this city, the home of hip-hop celebrating 50 years,” said K.O. “I grew up watching [BET] every year and to be on the pulpit now is crazy.
“There’s no better time than right now to be African. The world is eating up everything coming from Africa, and obviously Afrobeats and amapiano are at the forefront.”
The BET Hip Hop Awards 2023, hosted by Fat Joe, will be broadcast in South Africa on Wednesday on BET on DStv.