Like many rappers around the world, AKA, one of the most influential hip-hop stars in South Africa, has been involved in feuds with different artists. One of the reasons for this is that the rapper has always been a very vocal person. AKA does not know how to keep quiet when he thinks he is being disrespected or when he feels something is going wrong. He always feels the need to voice out his opinion and this has put him into lots of feuds with different celebrities.
It is noteworthy that feuding (or beefing) is not a new thing in the world of hip-hop. As a matter of fact, beefing between rappers is as old as the genre itself. Over the years, many rappers have clashed with each other with some dissing themselves in their music and others going as far as physically clashing and trading blows. In extreme cases, rappers have been reported killed by rival musicians whom they were beefing with. The beef between rap legends, Tupac Shakur and Biggie is a classic example of how things can go terribly wrong with beefing rappers.
The List Of Some Of AKA’s Most Documented Feuds
In South Africa, beefing is not new as well because hip-hop stars have clashed bitterly before. Some of these feuds caused serious stirs in the entertainment scene with many fans taking sides. AKA, who happens to be one of the most gifted, successful, and yet very controversial rappers in South Africa is one man whose name is nearly synonymous with beefing. We take a look at some of the people AKA has beefed with or is still beefing with.
AKA vs Anatii
AKA has fallen out with Anatti, the rapper with whom he collaborated on the album, Be Careful What You Wish For in 2017. Their quarrel began in 2015 when both artists had a misunderstanding over a beat. AKA accused Anatii of trying to charge him R80k for a beat. Anatii responded by threatening to file a lawsuit against AKA because he (AKA) had allegedly used one of Anatii’s beats without his consent. However, he never sued.
Things took a dramatic twist when AKA was asked to rate South African rappers on a scale of 1 to 10 and he rated Anatii 0/10. He also dissed Anatii in his track Composure. Anatii responded by blurring AKA out of the artwork of the single the pair recorded together which is titled The Saga. The pair continued to take subtle swipes at each other and got fans intrigued with their open hate for themselves.
However, both rappers turned things around in 2017 when they quashed their beef and even decided to record an album together called Be Careful What You Wish For. When asked how they ended their feud, AKA told an interesting story. According to him, he was in Los Angeles for the BET Awards ceremony and Anatii was also there doing some work with American singer, songwriter, actor, and dancer, Omarion. AKA said he was sitting down in the hotel lobby when Anatii walked into the place he was sitting and the moment they looked at each other, they just knew that they didn’t have “that thing” anymore. They realized the beef was not supposed to have happened so they made up.
Right there and then, they agreed to work together when they got back to South Africa and this is exactly what they did.
AKA vs iFani
AKA got into a feud with iFani, a South African Hip-Hop/Rap artist, MC, and television presenter in 2015. The quarrel started when iFani released a new album and the album did so well that it was certified gold on the first day of release.
However, AKA became suspicious about how fast iFani’s album sold out copies and soon tweeted that iFani’s album was certified gold so fast because his corporate sponsors were the ones who bought all the 20k copies. AKA suggested that iFani collaborated with his sponsors to buy all the albums and that he was lying about his rap status.
Of course, iFani fired back at AKA, denying that he or his sponsors bought his albums. However, AKA would not relent. He kept attacking iFani, asserting that iFani sponsored the sale of his album and that was why it was certified gold in just one day. Soon, a full war broke out between the two musicians and they began to attack each other on Twitter and in their lyrics. The public spat continued for years and is still ongoing as the two don’t quite see eye to eye at the moment. In mid-2021, iFani took another jab at AKA.
AKA vs Black Coffee
AKA also got into a public brawl with DJ Black Coffee, a South African DJ, record producer, and songwriter who is regarded as one of the most influential and most beloved artists in the country. The problem started when Black Coffee took a swipe at the local hip-hop scene in South Africa and insinuated that some local South African rappers were putting out ‘nonsense’ and even attacking each other instead of putting their feud in their music.
When AKA saw what DJ Black Coffee had written, he got really angry and clapped back at him. He explained that he admired Black Coffee for what the latter has done for South African music but would not sit back and watch him slander local rappers. Soon, a hot string of tweets between the rapper and DJ followed and fans watched as a twar played out.
The drama spilled off the internet into the real world when DJ Black Coffee allegedly smacked AKA’s road manager at the DStv iRock Music Festival in Limpopo. This did not go well with the general public who slammed Black Coffee for his act. AKA also attacked the DJ who eventually apologized for his actions. At the moment, things have quietened down between the two.
AKA’s Biggest Feud Was With Cassper Nyovest
AKA has had feuds with different people in the past but his most publicized beef was with Cassper Nyovest, a fellow South African rapper, songwriter, entrepreneur, and record producer who is also considered to be one of the greatest South African hip-hop stars in contemporary times. The two rappers have continued their beef for years and their fans have taken sides. The feud has been dubbed ‘South Africa’s biggest rap feud’ and for good reasons.
The feud between AKA and Cassper Nyovest started in 2014 when Cassper tweeted that his song titled Doc Shebeleza which he had just released at the time, was the biggest song in South African hip-hop. However, this did not sit well with AKA who later took to Twitter to declare that his new single, Congratulate was the biggest song in the country and not “Doc Shebeleza”. He also pointed out that “Congratulate” was sitting on the number one spot on South Africa’s iTunes charts at the time.
Of course, Cassper Nyovest did not take this lightly. He went online and took subtle jabs at AKA and, as expected, the latter replied. Over the next few months, things continued to get really intense between the two rappers and they both continued tweeting and subtweeting each other about how much bigger their song was than the other. This got fans on the edge because many people felt the two hip-hop stars may actually decide to meet physically and fight over their beef. By the end of 2014, it had become a full-blown war between the two artists.
In 2015, things got more heated as they continued to take subtle swipes at each other. But things took a rather dramatic turn when Cassper accused AKA of slapping him during a meeting in August that year. This was not confirmed but the two rappers went on to release diss tracks, attacking each other with their lyrics. This reminded many lovers of hip-hop about the feud between the legendary hip-hop greats Tupac and Biggie decades back.
They Settled Their Feud Briefly
In 2016, AKA and Cassper Nyovest stunned their millions of fans when they announced that they had settled their quarrel and become friends. In fact, the two were spotted sharing a hug publicly at a nightclub in Johannesburg to mark the end of the fight. They also explained that even before the hug, they had already met together in 2015 to iron their differences and adopt peace. It was revealed that Oskido, a South African recording artist, DJ, record producer, and businessman called both artists together to settle them.
Both AKA and Cassper Nyovest were later seen hanging out after the BET Awards in Los Angeles. It appeared that everything was back to normal for the rappers who used to be very good friends. However, the two soon returned to their fight soon after they quashed the beef.
The Return To Fighting
In 2017, AKA and Cassper Nyovest returned to fighting again even though they remained civil for the most part of the year. The trouble started when Cassper was promoting his #FillUpFNBStadium concert that year but was having some trouble selling out all his tickets and getting sponsors. AKA then offered to perform at the concert for R1 million but Cassper turned down the offer. Instead, he asked AKA to simply buy a ticket and come see the show. When he was asked why he declined AKA’s offer, Cassper later claimed that it was because their friendship was not a genuine one. Of course, this did not sit well with AKA who would go on to take a swipe at Cassper.
In 2018, the feud between the two rappers continued and even worsened. In fact, things got so bad that AKA wanted to get physical with Cassper at the after-party for his album Touch My Blood launch. But this did not happen as people stepped in to separate them. The feud continued on Twitter with both artists slamming each other occasionally. At this point, Cassper claimed that he and AKA were never going to reconcile as the beef had eaten far too deep. The quarrel was aggravated when AKA went on a long Twitter rant to insult Cassper Nyovest’s family and used the ‘F’ word in the process. Of course, Cassper retaliated. It was clear that the two rappers were not about to quash their beef.
Also, in 2019, when AKA and his baby mama, DJ Zinhle broke up, there were reports that the pair broke up because DJ Zinhle allegedly partied with Cassper. This was not confirmed, however.
They Were Supposed To Meet In The Boxing Ring
In 2020, AKA challenged Cassper Nyovest to a fistfight. This caused a stir around South Africa. When AKA made the challenge, Cassper accepted and fans got excited at the prospect of seeing both rappers fighting things out physically. Even boxing promoters got involved, trying to figure out how the fight should happen. Everyone was certain that they were going to fight because this was probably the only way to quash their beef.
Boxing promoter, Tshele Kometsi commented on the anticipated fight, explaining that a boxing match was all the rappers need to settle their beef. He also believed that once they fight in the ring, they would go out as friends and things would go back to normal. The fight was initially believed to be scheduled for September 2020 and everyone was waiting to see the two hip-hop stars fighting it out. However, AKA later claimed that Cassper was unwilling to sign the contract for the fight and that the fight should be moved to 2021. Cassper however claims that it was AKA who didn’t want to sign the contract and agreed that a date should be fixed in 2021 for their fight.
For now, everyone is waiting for when a contract would be signed and a fight happens between the two rappers who have refused to quash their beef and have continued to operate as arch enemies.
How AKA’s Feuds Have Helped Him
It is noteworthy that AKA’s constant fallouts with people have given him the image of a controversial ‘bad boy’ who does not know how to overlook things. Many people feel he is too short-tempered and even his mother once confirmed this as well. However, his constant feuds with people have also helped his career.
It has often been said that ‘no publicity is bad publicity for public figures and entertainers because publicity puts them out there in front of everyone else. Whenever AKA gets into a brawl with other celebrities, it always puts his name in the news and makes him trend on social media. Apparently, this has promoted his music as well, as helped the sales of his records as people are constantly reminded of his diss tracks and are urged to check him out to see if he is just as good as he says he is.
