PHOTO ESSAY: Remembering AKA at the Galaxy KDay Festival

The annual music celebration, which was first held back in 2008, did not disappoint. The weather also played a part, showing that Cape Town really does have four seasons in one day, as well as making sure everyone knew why Galaxy KDay was billed as an end-of-summer celebration. 

From Jimmy Nevis singing in the rain, Emo Adams making it rain and YoungstaCPT doing his thing in the rain, in the words of Rihanna – as if she was speaking to the Cape Town audience – one thing was sure: “This is what you came for.”

Radio personalities Saskia Falken and Jeremy van Wyk (CapeTalk) got the crowd going and had the PRIDE cheers ringing out before introducing the next act.

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Despite the rain bucketing down every once in a while, the crowd was undeterred and used part of the fence around the stage to dry out their things every time the sun came out.

Nasty C gave a special poignant tribute to murdered rapper AKA, getting the crowd to chant “AKA, AKA” and also to join him in remembering “a brother to me… when I say supa, you say mega”. The entire venue seemed to throb when he performed the song Lemons, an AKA song on which he is featured.

Read in Daily Maverick: One of Africa’s best – South African rapper AKA leaves a legacy of iconic music

Closing the show was homegrown YoungstaCPT who literally made it rain, working a wet stage and a completely drenched crowd who stayed with him despite the downpour making his performance an almost transcendent feature of humans (him and the crowd) and the elements. 

There is no doubt, come rain or shine, the event will continue to attract stellar talent and music lovers. There wasn’t a dry face in the “house” at the end, but everyone was all smiles and happiness was in the (wet) air.

DM/ ML