South African rapper Kiernan Forbes, popularly known as AKA, was fatally shot outside a restaurant in the eastern city of Durban, according to his relatives.

The 35-year-old has received numerous South African honors, has been nominated for a Black Entertainment Television award numerous times in the US, and has also been nominated for an MTV Europe music award once. He was shot on Friday night alongside another man while they were walking towards their car from a restaurant.

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Who was AKA?

AKA, a stage name for Kiernan Jarryd Forbes, was South African rapper who was born on January 28, 1988. Forbes, who was born and raised in Cape Town, rose to fame after the release of the song Victory Lap from his debut studio album, Altar Ego that came out in 2010.

Forbes founded the hip-hop group Entity with his two mates Vice Versa and Greyhound. The group was nominated for a KORA Award in the category of Best African Hip Hop. After the entity was dissolved in 2006, Forbes continued his study of sound engineering. Along with two other members, Forbes co-founded the production collaborative The I.V League in 2006. Khuli Chana, ProKid, and JR are just a few of the musicians who have production credits thanks to the I.V League. He put out three singles in 2009: In My Walk, I Do, and Mistakes.

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I Want It All, the lead track from Forbes’ debut studio album Altar Ego, was released on July 28, 2010. Two singles from the album, entitled All I Know and Victory Lap, were also released in advance.

Victory Lap was a hit since it topped the local radio charts in South Africa. After then, Alter Ego was released on August 23, 2011. Due to the album’s financial success, RiSA awarded it a gold certification. Numerous awards were given to the album, including the 2011 Metro FM Awards for Best Hip Hop Album. At the 2012 South African Music Awards, Forbes took up the Best Male Artist of the Year award.

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Forbes built on his success by releasing studio albums such as Levels (2014), Touch My Blood (2018), Bhovamania (2020), and the collaborative album Be Careful What You Wish For with Anatii (2017). Forbes appeared as a special guest at WWE Live events in Johannesburg and Cape Town in April 2018. He was the roastee for the Comedy Central Roast special in 2019.

Forbes was killed in a drive-by shooting in Durban on February 10, 2023.