An All-Star Cast Accompanies Riky Rick In New Posthumous Single, “Ilanga”
Young Stunna, Tyler ICU, Mas Musiq & more join the late South African icon in the new amapiano song.
Riky Rick in a promotional picture.
Riky Rick’s influence on South African music and youth culture will always be eternal.
Just over two years after his heart-breaking passing, the rap artist’s family has shared a new song, “Ilanga,” which features an all-star cast of contributors. A sleek and soulful amapiano bop, Riky dips into his falsetto singing voice, an experimental approach he rarely employed while he was alive. As shown by the log drum-laced swag rap of “UNGAZINCISHI” and his defining contributions to silky smooth love song, “Sondela,” Riky Rick was nothing if not progeressive, and one of the first rap artists to wholly embrace amapiano.
“Ilanga is a love song about wanting something to work out and looking to return to love,” Riky’s partner, Bianca Jade Naidoo, said in a statement. “The song uses imagery of the sun setting and casting shadows to bring to life the complexity of love.”
“Ilanga” features vocal contributions from Young Stunna and Baby S.O.N, while the producer cast is a who’s who of some of the best amapiano producers, including Tyler ICU, Mas Musiq, Kelvin Momo and Zadōk.
This new single follows last year’s AI-generated single, “Stronger,” dedicated to promoting mental wellness. It also preceeds the Johannesburg return of Cotton Fest, the music and lifestyle festival founded by Riky Rick. Cotton Fest 2024 JHB is scheduled for April 6, you can find more details here.
Listen to “Ilanga” here.
Ilanga (Official Audio)www.youtube.com
The Best West African Songs of 2024
This year’s list features emerging talents and an uptick in artists reaching to the past to create new sounds.
With “Sade,” Adekunle Gold Challenged The Nigerian Music Industry
As “Sade” turns 10, we take a look at how Adekunle Gold provided an alternative template to being a Nigerian superstar by making music with soul and commercial merits.