Mass Country

Mass Country (stylized MASS COUNTRY),[2] is the fourth studio album by South African rapper AKA. It was released posthumously by Sony and Vth A on 24 February 2023.[3][1] It was preceded by four singles "Lemons (Lemonade)",[4] "Prada",[5] "Paradise"[6] and "Company", with guest appearances from Nasty C, KDDO, Thato Saul, Khuli Chana, Blxckie, Gyakie, Nadia Nakai, Sjava and others.[7]

MASS COUNTRY
Official cover art.
Studio album by
AKA
Released24 February 2023 (2023-02-24)[1]
Genre
Length54:30
LabelSony Music Entertainment Africa (under exclusive license from Vth A)
Producer
AKA chronology
Touch My Blood
(2018)		 MASS COUNTRY
(2023)
Singles from MASS COUNTRY
  1. "Lemons (Lemonade)"
    Released: 16 September 2022
  2. "Paradise"
    Released: 23 November 2022
  3. "Prada"
    Released: 20 January 2023
  4. "Company"
    Released: 17 February 2023

Background

It is the final album recorded by AKA shortly before he was murdered in February 2023. The album was promoted on the rapper's official Instagram account hours before his shooting. The first few singles received positive reactions from producers like Swizz Beatz and Diplo.[8]

Subsequent to the rapper's death, the album went on to top the iTunes charts, peaking at number 1 before it was released. AKA worked on Mass Country for two years.

Sony Africa announced an upcoming Mass Country Deluxe edition in July 2023, released date to be announced.[9]

Commercial performance

The album surpassed 10 million streams on Spotify in less than 8 hours, becoming his most streamed album.[10]

Mass Country was certified Platinum in South Africa.[11]

Accolades

Mass Country won Best Hip Hop Artist at 17th Metro FM Music Awards.[12]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2023 Mass Country Best Hip Hop Artist Won

Artwork

AKA revealed the album's artwork on January 11, 2023, on his Instagram account. The artwork was designed by South African illustrator Karabo Poppy. It shows the face of AKA surrounded by objects which represent South African Culture, like a 10 cent coin, an old BMW, a skull, and a snake.[13]

Title

In an interview with Slikour, AKA revealed that the album's title is inspired by a South African cultural music genre called Maskandi, citing that the title "MASS COUNTRY" sounds like "Maskandi".[14]

Thus the link between the title of the album and its artwork are about South African Culture, as particular objects that represent the culture appear.

Track listing
Mass Country track listing
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Last Time"Zadok3:33
2."Mbuzi (Freestyle)" (featuring Thato Saul)
  • 031Choppa
  • Christer
  • FD
5:14
3."Crown" (with Emtee featuring Manana)
  • Christer
  • FD
3:47
4."Lemons (Lemonade)" (with Nasty C)
  • Christer
  • FD
  • Oriah
  • Zadok
4:20
5."Prada" (with Khuli Chana)Christer2:56
6."Sponono" (with Sjava featuring 031 Choppa, Baby S.O.N)
  • 031Choppa
  • FD
  • Zadok
4:14
7."Company" (with KDDO)KDDO4:05
8."Paradise" (with Musa Keys, Gyakie)
  • Christer
  • FD
  • Oriah
  • Zadok
3:25
9."Ease" (with Blxckie, Yanga Chief)Christer4:18
10."Amapiano" (featuring Weathrd, Laylizzy)Christer3:49
11."Dangerous" (with Blxckie featuring Nadia Nakai)
  • 031Choppa
  • Christer
  • FD
  • Zadok
3:44
12."Everest"Christer3:08
13."Diary (Anxiety)"Thabo4:41
14."Army (Bonus)"Thabo3:21
Total length:54:00

Certifications and sales
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
South Africa (RISA)[15] Platinum 30,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Release dates and formats for Mass Country
Region Date Format(s) Edition(s) Label Ref.
South Africa 24 February 2023
Standard
  • Sony
  • Vth A
 [16]

References
  1. "'Back from the death': AKA's 'Mass Country' is Supa Mega supreme". www.thesouthafrican.com. 24 February 2023. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  2. "AKA reveals release date for upcoming album, 'Mass Country'". www.gq.co.za. Archived from the original on 13 February 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  3. Martin, Celeste. "AKA plugs February for release of new album 'Mass Country'". ewn.co.za. Archived from the original on 11 February 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  4. "AKA and Nasty C Team Up in "Lemons (Lemonade)" Music Video - OkayAfrica". www.okayafrica.com. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  5. Kafoteka, Roy (22 January 2023). "AKA returns with his brand new single "Prada" featuring Khuli Chana". The Hype Magazine. Archived from the original on 11 February 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  6. Banda, Clive (29 November 2022). "AKA Gets Candid As To Why He Is Not Worried About The Balenciaga Scandal". SA Hip Hop Mag. Archived from the original on 11 February 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  7. Wee, Naledi de (16 September 2022). "'A whole vibe': Fans praise AKA's new hip-hop banger with Nasty C". The South African. Archived from the original on 5 December 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  8. Peters, Mitchell (11 February 2023). "Kiernan 'AKA' Forbes, South African Rapper, Shot and Killed at 35". Billboard. Archived from the original on 12 February 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  9. "Sony Music Africa Confirms the Upcoming Release of AKA's "Mass Country Deluxe" Edition". 28 July 2023. Archived from the original on 29 July 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  10. Banda, Clive (24 February 2023). "AKA's Posthumous Mass Country Album Clocks Six Million Spotify Streams". SA Hip Hop Mag. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  11. "AKA's Family Honored with a Platinum Plaque for 'MASS COUNTRY'". 27 July 2023. Archived from the original on 28 July 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  12. Shumba, Ano (7 May 2023). "Metro FM Awards 2023: All the winners". Archived from the original on 16 May 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  13. "AKA shares Mass Country cover art". 11 January 2023. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  14. "AKA Explains Meaning Of Mass Country [VIDEO]". ZAlebs. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  15. "South Africa certifications". Recording Industry of South Africa. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  16. "AKA's posthumous album Mass Country released". Music In Africa. 24 February 2023. Archived from the original on 25 February 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
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