Wednesday 18 November, award winning rapper, K.O, drops the visuals for his summer single, ‘Lucky Star’ on all digital platforms. He premiered the video at midnight and had a watch party with fans who were chatting to K.O when the video went live. Known for always delivering visually, the Ted Magerman and Dale Fortune directed video does not disappoint.
The video sees K.O being shown around the city by his lovely companion from a lovely view overlooking the city to jet skis, they end the night with a brass band performing the hit single.
Fans will also enjoy a welcomed surprise appearance by former Teargas member, Maezeedoesit.
“Coming out of the current worldwide pandemic, we all need to do the best we can to reach for the stars by living our lives to the fullest since it is now more clear than ever that tomorrow is not promised. Pushing the envelope in every aspect of one’s life/hustle. The opening line of the hook “siyaphezulu” which simply translates as “we are going up” is an umbrella tag line that literally speaks to exactly that. This is the perfect theme song for self-starters out there whose inner voice serve as their biggest motivation and number cheerleader hence the play on sports and combat in the lyrics,” said the rapper.
About K.O
Growing up in Piet Retief in Mpumalanga, K.O (real name Ntokozo Mdluli) dreamt about becoming a world renowned MC, looking up to West Coast greats like Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg from an early age, in the hopes of forging a similar path that spearheaded his culture.
It was only when K.O met future Teargas members Ntukza and Ma-E at Vaal University of Technology, that the Soweto-born rapper made the decision to pursue music as a full time career. Without a blueprint for success, Teargas blazed their own trail and laid the foundation for the next generation of SA hip hop to thrive.
Their four critically-acclaimed, award-winning and commercially-successful albums K’shubile K’bovu (2006), Wafa Wafa (2008), Dark Or Blue (2009), and Num8er Num8er (2012), ensured their status as SA hip hop royalty and established K.O as a charismatic, breakout star.
Alongside Teargas member Ma-E, K.O formed entertainment and lifestyle company Cashtime Life in 2013, releasing his scene-changing SAMA-winning debut album Skhanda Republic (2014) soon after. But it was the album’s second single “Caracara” that completely changed the game, capturing a mood and signalling the birth of The Skhanda sound. Mixing kwaito and hip hop, The Shkanda sound defined an era that many consider to be the peak of SA hip hop.
Township slang for the VW Caravelle minibus, “Caracara” is K.O’s ode to the legendary vehicle and its prominent feature in SA township lifestyle circa 1990. Just like its namesake, “Caracara” ushered in a new era of cool, changing the landscape of SA urban youth music. It also became the first song to top all 5 EMA charts – SA Local Music Top 40 Playlist, SA Local Music Top 40 RAMS, SA Television Top 40 Playlist, SA Top 100 Playlist and SA Top 100 RAMS, at the same time. It was also the first SA hip hop song to reach 1 million views on YouTube.
Picking up the SAMA for Best Collaboration and Record Of The Year (a first for a hip hop song) in 2015, “Caracara” became the biggest song in SA that year and over time, the most significant SA hip hop song ever released.
As a consummate risk-taker, K.O. continued to push the envelope sonically on his socially conscious second album, SR2 (2017), and R&B, pop and amapiano-tinged third album, PTY unLTD (2019), with the evolution of his sound at the core of every release, ultimately influencing the culture and impacting the game.
Now, with his newly launched imprint and clothing line, Skhanda Wold, K.O has emerged enlightened and invigorated, ready to take on the airwaves and stages with his future music and entrepreneurial endeavours, proof that the streets will always find a way.
