The cars, deals, women and the social impact of Supa Mega | Remembering AKA

It has been two years since AKA was gunned down on Florida Road, Durban, robbing his family and the entertainment industry, of one of South Africa's most vocal, most influential and most entertaining superstars in the industry. 

The multi-award-winning musician, Kiernan Forbes, known to most as AKA, changed the face of the hip-hop industry when he broke out in the scene around 2010 as a solo artist. 

The former St Johns alumni wasn't to stop there, he would elevate the status of hip-hop to dizzying heights along with the likes of Cassper Nyovest, K.O, as the genre woke up from its deep slumber. 

The supercars, the women, the brand deals and the social media impact would follow AKA and his hip-hop friends and rivals, as they exploded onto the scene in a short space of time.

It is without a doubt that even though AKA has passed on, his impact still lives on.

AKA was not only a household name in South Africa, but he was globally recognised and held much acclaim on the African continent. From the era of dropping hits such as “All eyes on me” to bagging international brand deals, Supa Mega’s influence was big, arguably, it still is.

The AKA brand deals

AKA branded himself AKAWorldWide on social media and the big deals would follow, He received quite a lot of endorsement deals over the years, from the likes of Head Huncho, Reebok, Betway, Rocka, Red Bull, MTN, Hunters as well as Cruz Vodka.

One of the most significant partnerships however, was the one with Cruz Vodka in 2016, because he had his own signature flavour under the brand. It was reported that the rapper bagged over R8 million for the deal.

Another significant partnership was the seven figure deal which occurred in 2017, and Supa Mega was the face of the Reebok across the African continent. It was also reported that this endorsement deal was the first of its kind in Africa.

In 2024, Reebok paid tribute to AKA and honoured his legacy by releasing a limited edition sneaker collection called "SneAKA 2.0" 

In the same year, a popular South African clothing brand, GALXBOY in collaboration with the Kiernan Forbes Foundation and Bravado, released AKA's t-shirts to honour AKA.

Influence. 

AKA's lavish and flashy lifestyle

AKA lived life to the fullest, and he was probably one of the coolest, most bullyish rappers in Africa. He was not afraid to spend big on anything he desired. 

From fashion, grillz and expensive cars, let’s go down a memory lane of how Supermega lived life to the fullest and spared no expense to the lavish and flashy lifestyle.

The father of one was popularly known for his gold smile, the grillz.

In 2016, AKA had a pair of grills made from 18 carat gold and 10 vampire rubies. Cool right? I know. And at that time, he was one of the few SA rappers who wore a pair of grillz.

Supa Mega had a crazy yet admirable car collection which made fans go crazy and rave about. The rapper owned three BMW cars, a BMW i8 hybrid sports car, BMW X7 SUV and a BMW 7 series sedan. It is evident that he was a huge BMW fan.

Besides the expensive cars and grillz, AKA was known as a die-hard Manchester United fan.

To show his undying love for the football team, he even got a tattoo of the team on his arm. 

The late rapper would even post on his social media accounts his betting slips and would post about the English football team. 

After he was brutally killed, the club paid tribute to him and wrote about him on their matchday programme. Man United said they were deeply saddened by the death of one of their biggest supporters.

The social impact 

AKA was killed in February 2023 however the social impact he had is still evident even in 2025.

When there is a current affair going on in South Africa, it is quite easy to find AKA's stance on any given matter. Often, his Supa Mega fans dig up a tweet that goes along with what is happening and they always say he was ahead of his time. 

It is now a known fact that there is a “AKA tweet for every situation” in South Africa, and that alone goes to show the social media impact he had.

As South Africa finds itself in a diplomatic pickle with the United States over an assortment of issues, AKA advises from the grave that we should: "Protect South Africa at all costs".

In addition, many of his fans still talk about him and the impact that he had in their lives and also share the timeless hip-hop classics that he produced. 

To this day, Supa Mega is considered a legend in the hip-hop culture and many have expressed that he left a void in the entertainment industry. 

AKA was also never afraid to use his social media accounts for the greater. During the #FeesMustFall protests of 2015, he actively supported thousands of students at the University of Witwaterstrand and made efforts to host a benefit concert.

Politically, he was never afraid to voice his opinion either, whether in support or against the governing ANC, which he admitted on many occasions that he was a supporter of.

"Yes. I voted ANC ... so what? You voted EFF and we both load shedded, and our batteries are dying. Now shut the f*** up," he tweeted in December 2019. 

AKA’s colourful love life

“The Megacy” as he was referred to by his fans, was also known for dating “it girls” of South Africa. 

AKA's love life was tabloid fodder at some point. From the likes of Bonang Matheba, DJ Zinhle, Enhle Mbali, Nicole Nyaba, Anele Tembe and fellow rapper Nadia Nakai, AKA's love life made waves in South Africa.

The rapper was not shy or private when it came to his love life, in fact most of his relationships were public and widely known in South Africa.

Enhle Mbali

AKA's dad, Tony, revealed in a podcast that AKA first love was Enhle Mbali, the actress who was once married to celebrity DJ Black Coffee. 

Tony got candid about his son's past relationships, even revealing that the actress and fashion designer, was AKA’s first girlfriend.

"I always thought Mbali was gonna be my daughter in-law, I loved Mbali, I still love Mbali. She's talented and beautiful as I love Nadia, that's my nature, I accept and embrace."

DJ Zinhle

AKA and DJ Zinhle started dating back in 2012, and they had a daughter, Kairo. However their relationship was on-and-off as they broke up after the “The world is yours” hitmaker allegedly cheated on Zinhle with Bonang Matheba, when she was pregnant.

They got back together in 2018 but broke up a year later in 2019.

Bonang Matheba

When DJ Zinhle and AKA called their relationship quits, Zinhle publicly blamed Bonang and took to Twitter to share how she had been cheating with AKA. There were legal threats and lawyers letters of demands, but Zinhle stood firm and never retracted her statement despite the legal threats. 

Bonang Matheba and Forbes' relationship was widely admired in South Africa as they became the “it couple” of Mzansi. They were always serving couple goals on social media and would often attend social events together.

They started dating in 2015 but broke up in 2017. 

Nicole Nyaba

In 2018, the rapper got in a relationship with model Nicole Nyaba. And they were together for a few months, after the relationship ended, Nyaba appeared on Gigi Lamayne’s podcast and spoke about how her relationship with the Hip hop star was not all that rosy, and how sneaky AKA was.

The Durban-born video vixen, widely labelled a side chick and a slay queen, has blamed AKA for wasting his time and accused him of being self-absorbed. 

“He is a romantic guy but he’s the devil and he’s sneaky. And knowing what I know now, he’s not sincere. Knowing what I know now, he doesn’t care about anyone but himself.

“Knowing what I know now I should’ve never trusted him, I should’ve never trusted him as a friend, as a lover, as anything.”

Anele Tembe

In 2020, “The Megacy” started dating 21-year-old Anele Tembe. The two were engaged in a tumultous relationship, but in the early days, they were happy, with AKA advocating for "get yourself a lekker 21-year-old". 

There were TikTok video challenges and it all looked rosy as he asked for her hand in marriage, paid lobola, as they got engaged together.

The pair even got engaged however their relationship ended in a tragedy after Tembe died by suicide after she fell from the 10th floor of the Pepperclub Hotel, in April 2021.

The Tembe family blamed AKA for their daughter's death, with the dad, Moses, saying at Anele's funeral that his daughter was neither suicidal nor did she commit suicide. AKA was never charged with her death. He was killed in Durban in February 2023.

In the week leading up to AKA's funeral, the Tembe family slammed the National Prosecuting Authority and reportedly said they believed AKA pushed Anele over the balcony. 

AKA's dad, Tony, has shared that he believed the AKA and Anele relationship should not have happened, in hindsight. 

"AKA and Anele's relationship shouldn't have happened," he told a podcast.

"They were at different stages of their lives," he explained also admitting there was an aggressive side to AKA, and that he also had a heart of gold.

Nadia Nakai

AKA's last relationship was with fellow rapper and reality TV star, Nadia Nakai. They started dating in 2022 and they were madly in love with each other.

Two years on since his death, Nadia Nakai still talks about the love of her life. The couple remained together until he met his untimely death.

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