The song breaks away from his normal style and rolls back the years. Photo: Supplied
K.O — real name Ntokozo Mdluli, aka Mrcashtime — is probably the most consistent musician in South Africa. With music continuously changing, and other artists catching the wave, K.O has stayed loyal to hip-hop culture.
He made his debut in the group Teargas — alongside the talented Ma-E and Ntukza — which gave us the hit single Chance, nominated for Song of the Year at the 2007 South African Music Awards.
“When there are three bulls in a kraal, it is kind of a tough mission to make sure that everyone is happy — and it is impossible to maintain that type of equilibrium [all the time] — but we did pretty well.
“The first three albums were amazing — it was the fourth one that kind of slipped away, so there were a lot of learnings,” says Mrcashtime.
Some of the lessons he speaks about involve the importance of having people you can rely on around you, a base to go back to and a team, because no one can be great walking alone.
“No man is an island — you need people around you, sort of like an institution of people, who make sure that you put out the right music the right way.
“So, when you are in a group, this is automatic because the brother standing next to you will call you to order, so I formulated that institution as I took on my solo career,” he says.
After he parted ways with the group, released the solo album Skhanda Republic in 2014, under his record label Cashtime. It had hits such as Cara Cara and Skhanda Love, featuring songstress Nandi Madida.
At this point, fans were relying on K.O to put out hot singles every summer and he did not.
Besides being an exceptional musician, K.O is a pioneer of a movement called Skhanda World. Under this umbrella there is music, fashion and entrepreneurship, as well as a host of things that propel his music, but most importantly, that give young people a platform to be in the arts in one form or another.
“This was to create somewhat of a fellowship. You might not be a K.O fan but, if you are someone who is into anything that is proudly South African, it speaks your language and you identify with it. I think that is what we are — a platform for like-minded individuals.”
Seeing that he has been prominent in the music industry so long, you might think K.O would see himself larger than life and think that up-and-coming musicians should grovel at his feet — quite the contrary. K.O says there is beauty in an established artist putting his arm around new artists.
On his latest album SR3, which was released in September, he features new artists such as Young Stunna, Blxckie, Pabi Cooper and Toss.
SR3 features one of South Africa’s hottest songs of the moment Sete, which was nominated for a BET Award in America, and will surely carry us right into the festive season.
He says this offering was more personal than his previous work, and most importantly, he needed it to be balanced.
It is absolutely balanced in the sense that it keeps to the K.O we know and love but also has the flavour of the upcoming artists he features.
“It’s all in the culture of passing the torch to the next wave of guys that are coming in and I am not even passing the torch because these guys on my album already have motion on their own.
“It was an honour to work with them, especially when you see how they have conquered their own spaces.
“I can say that they have respect for their predecessors. They were excited to get a call from someone they grew up listening to. It was just as amazing for me to work with them because it is not like they need me but they were willing to pick up my call and come work with me.”
K.O says despite experience and age gaps, it is important for artists to have camaraderie as they are all contributing to one community.
His music speaks to early 2000s hip-hop heads as much as people who enjoy music from the late 2000s, and featuring young artists who produce different sounds on his work allows him to appeal to a much wider audience.
“When you are an enterprising artist, you want to appeal to a wide audience, for example, you want to appeal to those who listen to Mafikizolo as well as those who listen to Uncle Waffles and the one way to do that is to add value to each other,” he says.
K.O started working on some songs for the album during the pandemic but he felt it was not the right time to release music.
“I had to take my time to make sure that I put out the best body of work, and I am glad we decided to release it last year, as it has gone platinum now.
“It’s been an amazing time — a hip-hop album going platinum in this music climate is unprecedented,” he says.
It is important for those in the public eye to find anchors and corners where they can be vulnerable and give thanks. For K.O, prayer plays this role.
He grew up in a family of believers and, although life pulled him in another direction, he always finds a way back to his roots, knowing that we are provided for by forces that are much bigger than us.
“I pray a lot. I might not go to church but I give thanks and fellowship in my own way because I know that God is beside me and is responsible for all these blessings I have and I share with everyone,” says Mrcashtime.
He has many projects in the pipeline — music videos, a hot single to take us into summer as well as a possible album.
“I am blessed to still be in the game and to still be given a platform and a chance. I do not take this lightly, which is why I will consistently work hard and deliver quality projects as long as I can,” he says.
K.O Live at the Hill will be on at Constitutional Hill in Johannesburg on 29 July.