UPDATE: Back to the City supports AKA
JOBURG - AKA has pulled out of his Back to the City festival performance.
UPDATE: 13 April 2016, 12:30pm – Since announcing that he would no longer be performing at Back to the City, AKA has gained industry support and event organisers have responded.
According to Times Live,Slikour OnLife, a music and culture blog, posted the organiser’s response to rapper, AKA pulling out of the Back to the City line-up.
According to the hip-hop culture platform, the organisers were confused by AKA’s refusal to perform at the festival on 27 April.
The rapper explained in his public statement that he and the organisers of the event had agreed that he would be promoted in the ‘same light’ as the international artists, but was, in fact, advertised alongside the local line-up.
According to the blog, AKA’s management had specified ‘a campaign that would specifically highlight his performance feature by means of having extended time, a live band, special lighting effects, graphics display and fireworks’.
Back to the City organisers responded and said, “This was unexpected because we were actively in communication to finalise the campaign plan, following the artist’s special request… Nevertheless, we understand the plight and support AKA’s stance as our foundation is solely built on promoting and fighting for the recognition of South African hip-hop.”
A simple misunderstanding?
There have not yet been talks of possibly getting AKA to return to the show line-up.
INITIAL REPORT: 12 April 2016, 1pm – Just 17 hours ago, local rap sensation AKA announced on Twitter that he would no longer be performing at the 10th anniversary of the Back to the City festival, held annually in Newtown.
https://twitter.com/akaworldwide/status/719540852234788865
In his statement he explained that he had met with the organisers of the event and expressed his desire to be part of the show, but only if he was promoted alongside the international acts that are set to perform.
According to AKA’s Twitter statement, the aforementioned terms and conditions were agreed upon at the meeting.
Organisers, having advertised the local superstar in the same category as the local musicians, are now faced with the loss of the rapper in the show.
Regarding the level of promotion that he received, he noted, “I can only describe [it] as a minor detail on the ‘flyer’.
“It wasn’t until I began seeing the level of promotion with regards to the ‘international’ acts‚ that all my old feelings of doubt and mistrust resurfaced.”
He also expressed that he was willing to perform at the event free of charge and put into the festival an act of exceptional monetary value.
The ‘Supa Mega’ also mentioned that the organisers of Oppikoppi made more of an effort to promote the star – in a manner that he would have accepted from Back to the City organisers.
The Twitter-verse had expressed mixed feelings of support and disappointment.
The festival is now reduced by one superstar, but festivalgoers can still expect the other exciting acts at Back to the City on 27 April.
