K.O might just be the only South African rapper who has a smash for every decade since the 2000s. In 2006, Teargas—consisting of K.O and group mates Ntukza and Ma-E—captivated with personal accounts of tragedy in their breakout hit “Chance”. Storytelling was a huge part of the group’s music, as seen on later hits such as the Afro-pop crossover “Mhlobo Wami” and their hardcore rap slapper “Go Away”, which was produced by PTA veteran Mizi and indicated growth for K.O as a lyricist. But it was in the 2010s that the rapper, who also doubles as a producer, morphed into a top-tier lyricist and a powerhouse of South African hip-hop. It started with show-stealing guest appearances, like his suave verse on L-Tido’s “We Rolling”, and monumental verses on AKA’s mammoth hit “Run Jozi” and DJ Vigilante’s elegant “God’s Will”. The label and collective K.O founded alongside Ma-E, CashTime Life, gave young rappers like KiD X, Smashis (now known as Zingah) and AB Crazy their head start. A few years later, K.O (Ntokozo Mdluli) discovered a diamond in the rough in producer Lunatik, with whom he created his 2014 debut solo album, Skhanda Republic, a classic which delivered monster hits like the era-defining “CaraCara”, “One Time” and “Skhanda Love”. The rapper sporadically dropped hits towards the end of the 2010s, such as “Supa Dupa” and “Call Me”, before launching yet another label crew, Skhanda World, consisting of young rappers Roiii and Loki, singer Just Bheki and longtime partner in rhyme, Ma-E. The crew dropped the label compilation Welcome To The Planet in 2021 which opened with the football-referencing posse cut “Homeground”. K.O’s record-shattering “SETE” was the result of the rapper refusing to rest on his laurels as he linked up with 2020s stars Blxckie and Young Stunna over a lush Afro-pop beat. It’s all been an exercise of reinvention over multiple eras for one of South African hip-hop’s most prolific rappers.