Kiernan “AKA” Forbes: Biography
Born: 28 January 1988, Cape Town, South Africa
Died: 10 February 2023, Durban, South Africa
Education: Holy Cross Convent School (Cape Town); Greenside Primary School
(Johannesburg); St John’s College (Johannesburg), matric 2006
Occupation: Rapper, songwriter, record producer
Also known as: AKA
Kiernan Jarryd Forbes, known professionally as AKA, worked within South Africa’s evolving hip-hop economy from the mid 2000s to the early 2020s. His career combined recording, performance, and production, with sustained visibility on national radio and streaming charts.
Forbes spent his early years in Cape Town and part of his childhood in Mitchell’s Plain. He moved to Johannesburg in the 1990s, continued primary schooling at Greenside, and matriculated at St John’s College in 2006. At school he participated in student activities and sport, and formed the rap trio Entity with classmates, an early indication of his interest in composition and performance.
After Entity disbanded, Forbes undertook studies in sound engineering and co-founded the production collective The I.V. League. As a producer he worked with a range of local artists and gained experience in studio practice and arrangement.
AKA’s solo visibility increased from 2010 with singles that circulated on national radio. His debut album Altar Ego (2011) established him as a headline artist. Subsequent releases—Levels (2014), the collaborative set Be Careful What You Wish For with Anatii (2017), Touch My Blood (2018), Bhovamania (2020), and Mass Country (2023) document changes in production approach and songwriting across more than a decade.
Forbes operated in a period when South African hip-hop consolidated a mass audience. He appeared at major festivals, collaborated across genres, and engaged with national media. Parallel to recording and touring, he pursued endorsements and entrepreneurial projects typical of the era’s mainstream artists.
In February 2023 Forbes was killed in Durban. The incident generated extensive public discussion and official investigation. His final album, released shortly thereafter, extended chart presence and added posthumous reception to an already established catalogue.
Selected Discography
- Altar Ego (2011)
- Levels (2014)
- Be Careful What You Wish For — with Anatii (2017)
- Touch My Blood (2018)
- Bhovamania (2020)
- Mass Country (2023)
Key Associations
- Entity — school-era rap trio
- The I.V. League — production collective
- Anatii — collaborator on the 2017 album