K.O discusses his musical evolution and the message behind 'Phara City'

South African hip hop icon K.O recently joined host Nandi Madida on Africa Now Radio to discuss his new 14 track album, "Phara City", which released today, Friday, June 13.

K.O shared his motivations behind the timing of this album release, which he believes carries a profound significance in the current socio-political climate of South Africa.

"I think the age where I'm at right now, I don't only just want to be remembered as a dope rapper ... I now want to be even more intentional, especially in the climate that we are subjected to as a country right now," said the multi-award-winning rapper. 

"I don’t want to shy away from the fact that there are socio-economic issues that we are growing up under and whether we want to mask them and hide those things from the rest of the world or not, they are a reality."

Diving into the essence of "Phara", K.O explained: "Phara is basically a thug, I'm going to use the word loosely, why??, because Tupac came and he owned this thing called ‘Thug Life'. That entire mentality he talked about is not only just the unflattering things, it describes a background that is both positive and negative.

"Pharas are largely outcasts within society, people that are actually ostracised. But if you think about it, a Phara is not only that person in today's South Africa," said the "Sete" hitmaker.

Furthermore, he expressed a deeper ambition with this album: "I'm just throwing it out there in a very lighthearted manner where I'm taking that overly negative stench on the word itself ... It’s me putting the mirror to the ordinary South African to say, 'You know what? This is your world. Do you agree?' And these are conversations and topics that I am presenting to us (and myself) through music."

His new single "Supernova", featuring renowned artist Casper Nyovest, is marked by its ambitious sampling of Lebo Mathosa’s legendary “I Love Music”. K.O recounted the meticulous process of securing permission for the sample, describing it as nearly “blasphemous”.

"Just the idea of sampling a song like that is near blasphemous, but we actually went out of our way to mirror the quality of the original.

"We had to present this to Lebo Mathosa’s estate and try and find all those composers and all the contributors who were part of the original, just to clear the sample. It was a needle in a haystack type of mission, but we eventually got it over the line! If you do touch something like this, you have to give it more than justice."

On the topic of collaborations featured in "Phara City", K.O stressed the significance of intentional partnerships in creating a cohesive project.

"It wasn't easy, and it takes patience as well. When you know what you want and the people that compliment the vision, the best way that you feel, you'll pursue as much as you possibly can and then see it through.

"People don't know some of these things that are happening behind the scenes to get the music that they actually end up hearing! These things are in the making or in the works for months, but I think what I always try to do is to give the product a fighting chance. And I think by the collaborations that I go for, I always want to put the song first."

He explained his philosophy of prioritising the song over his own contributions: "I could easily do everything on the record, make the beat and do the verse myself. But what if there's a certain emotion that someone else could bring to the table to take this thing way beyond where my natural potential was going to take it? So that's why you're seeing that line-up of all those individuals that are on there."

K.O also took a moment to reflect on the enduring legacy of his influential group, Teargas, and its indelible mark on a new generation of artists. 

"One of the things that I've always heard from, whether it's Big Zulu or Black Diamond, and all of these guys, is they speak so highly of Teargas.

"When I go and listen to their music, I'm like, 'Oh damn, actually I can hear it', but they're doing it in their own way, and to be on songs with them is also an honour to me.  

"They don't need me, but hey man, by way of them paying homage and also me saying, 'big up, I see you. Let's make some magic together'. It also feels like a full circle moment."