AKA was a South African rap artist with an estimated net worth of $12 million. His career began in 2002 and within a decade, he was able to prove himself as a force to be reckoned with across the world of hip-hop. Between 2011 and 2018, he dropped four studio albums to rave reviews and equally has other achievements like songwriting and music production to his credit.
AKA’s globally acclaimed music is not his only source of wealth. Through his music, he built fame and wealth but had other sources through which he funded his very lavish lifestyle. Nonetheless, music took center stage in his various streams of income.
Music was the Major Source of AKA’s $12 Million Net Worth
AKA’s career in the rap sphere started as far back as the early 2000s, even though his first studio album didn’t come to light until 2011. In 2002, a rap group called Entity came to be, and it featured AKA and two of his friends – Vice Versa and Greyhound. Four years after and with minimum success, the group disbanded but AKA was not done with his career as a musician. In fact, the end of the group gave him wings to fly.
Fast forward to 2009, he started releasing his own music and by 2010, when he released the lead single I Want It All from his debut studio album, he was catapulted to fame. The groundwork he had laid with his former group served as a springboard for his launch into a successful career. The studio album Alter Ego, his first in the business, went on to sell over 20,000 units and earned him a number of awards, including the best Male Artist title at the 18th South African Music Awards in 2012.
Forbes went on to release three more studio albums – Levels (2015), Touch My Blood (2018) and Be Careful What You Wish For which he collaborated with Anatii to release in 2017.
His Degree in Sound Engineering Helped Kick Off His Record Production Career
When Entity broke up in 2006, AKA went on to study Sound Engineering in college. According to him, the decision was made because the department had a studio that would aid learning and while he learned the mechanics of sound, he also applied it to his music.
AKA later became a record producer who has been able to replicate his genius on a number of songs for other artists. When his career in this field began, he worked on the production of songs for A-list artists such as ProKid, JR, and Khuli Chana.
In 2017, he decided to stop working with the record labels Sony Music and Vth Season. This split was followed by the release of his third album which he produced independently.
AKA was an Ambassador For a Number of Brands
It is not uncommon for celebrities to be made ambassadors of different brands. Becoming an ambassador of a brand would require that the company pay the celebrity a hefty fee for endorsing their product or services and it is a sure way for them to drive up sales. For a rapper like him, who was arguably one of the top two rappers in South Africa, working with a number of brands only upped his net worth.
In early 2018, he signed a deal with Cruz, a vodka brand, when they released a new flavor and featured his initials on the bottles. Reebok, Betway, Red Bull, and MTN are some of the other brands he works with or has worked with in the past.
Though the details of his contracts with them are not public knowledge, it is common knowledge that these are big brands and they are expected to come with fat cheques for a celebrity with such a fanbase. As a matter of fact, his Reebok deal came with seven figures on the cheque.
The Rapper was Endowed With Great Business Acumen
Making music and enjoying fame was not the only thing AKA was good at. It would appear that he also had a head for business. In 2016, he created Beam Group – a company he founded with close friend Patrick Nyember. AKA owned 70% of the business while Patrick owned 30%. The company was created to manage the money AKA makes from his music, but as the years went by, subsidiaries of the company were created, such as Beam Digital.
However, in 2018, things came to a head when AKA made his exit from the company. By the end of that year, it would come to light that the company was owing taxes and the rapper was siphoning funds. While Beam Group existed, the company made a total of R28 million, and a majority of this money went to the rapper.
Highlights of the Different Ways AKA’s Net Worth was Accrued
- Music career – album sales and live concerts
- Music production
- Endorsement deals
- He was able to run a successful company
AKA’s Net Worth Experienced Tremendous Progression Over The Years
There was a clear progression in AKA’s net worth over the years. As he took on more work, he continued to make more money.
In 2016, his net worth was R4.8 million which is less than a million dollars. This would change significantly after the creation of his company and four years down the line, he was able to grow his worth to the point of $12 million. This is significantly higher than the net worth of most of his A-list counterparts in SA.
He Owned Two Houses
Having a lot of money means that a life of luxury is assured. For AKA, this rule applied as he was the owner of two homes that all scream comfort and luxury. In 2015, right before the birth of his daughter, Kairo, he purchased a home for R3 million and after he broke up with DJ Zinhle, the mother of his child, he bought another home in Johannesburg for R7 million.
The rapper keeps a very low profile when it comes to his houses and as such, there is not a lot of information on these real estate investments. Nonetheless, The World Is Yours rapper doesn’t spare anything when it comes to enjoying the good life.
AKA was an Avid Lover of Fancy Cars
One thing that the rapper had shown that he liked was cars and he liked them cool and flashy. He was known for his love for German automobiles and owns a line of expensive ones, including a BMW X6M and a BMW i8 eDrive Coupe. The latter cost over a million Rand. His garage is also endowed with a BMW X5, worth more than R2 million.
Meanwhile, the rapper was not all about himself as he also took care of people around him. Not long before he passed away, he bought one of those fancy BMW automobiles for his mother.