5 things we know about AKA’s new album

27 October 2017 - 11:07 By TshisaLIVE
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AKA is working on his third solo album.
AKA is working on his third solo album.
Image: Via AKA's Instagram

Fans of rapper AKA might have thought Christmas had come early this week when he revealed several juicy details about his upcoming album, including the title and some collaborations.

The rapper told TshisaLIVE last month that he would soon be starting work on his next album and headed to Sun City this week to record some of the tracks for the project.

"We're gonna be recording our album out here. We're gonna be here for the week making the next album. This is the place to be." he told fans on social media.

As the album moves closer and closer to completion, details around the project have been confirmed.

Here's what we know so far:

It will definitely be released in 2018

Despite fans waiting over three years for a new solo album, AKA told TshisaLIVE that he was not rushing the project and would work on it for as long as he needed. His management added that the project was still in "the early stages" of development and would be released near the middle to end of next year.

"He just started on the album this week, so there is no set date yet. It is just the beginning stages and he is just creating the skeleton for the album. You know that he is a perfectionist, so he is working on it carefully,"  Tshiamo Letshwene said.

It will be called Touch My Blood

The rapper revealed on Twitter this week that the name of the project will be Touch My Blood, hinting at a more biographical and personal album than his previous releases.

He got some help from the continent

Although it is still early days, AKA has already revealed that the album will contain a number of collaborations from people across the African continent. The star recently went into studio with Nigerian super producer Kidominant/ Kiddo who worked with Davido on Fall

Tshiamo said that album had an African feel that would come through in not only the sound, but also the collaborations.

"He is still making music for Africa. He is still huge in Nigeria. He is huge in West Africa. And so collaborations with people on the continent will happen. And obviously he will also feature people like Yanga, who he knows can go with a melody or add something to the project." 

"CHIEF" .... chief. 📸 by @blaq_smith

A post shared by AKA (@akaworldwide) on

From Stimela to Cat Stevens, it has a wide variety of influences 

AKA told fans that he hardly ever listens to rap music anymore and was influenced by a number of old school performers.

"My biggest influences are wide and varied. In fact, I hardly even listen to rap music anymore. I listen to the same music my dad does. I listen to old music because the songwriting is exceptional and because the music has soul and feeling. It's real, you feel it. I listen to Lionel Richie, Kanye West, Stimela, Disclosure, JR, Future, Emtee, Playboi Carti, Queen, Kool n the Gang, Cat Stevens and Bread," he revealed.

He'll probably still be singing with auto-tune

AKA has become known for embracing auto-tune to add a layer to his music. Although the rapper has come under fire from some fans for "overdosing on the auto-tune", he told TshisaLIVE last month that he would not be cutting the vocal technique anytime soon.

"Does anyone criticise Travis Scott for using auto-tune? I don't hear anyone criticising Travis Scott for using auto-tune," AKA said firmly.

His management told TshisaLIVE that it was entirely up to AKA on whether he will use the technique on his album.

Day 3 📅 #TouchMyBlood 📸 by @blaq_smith 🇿🇦🇳🇬 @kiddominant 🎹

A post shared by AKA (@akaworldwide) on

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