Artists have the power to educate and influence society: K.O.

South African rapper and songwriter K.O. whose real name is Ntokozo Mdluli, has urged artists to remember the power of their voices in educating and inspiring change.

Speaking on Siwe Mpofu-Walsh’s podcast, K.O. shared a wealth of insight, criticising artists who downplay their influence and the potential impact of their platforms.

“In essence, you are a vessel or a portal to which certain things can be transmitted, and by depriving your greatness and depriving the ears that receive your music of those things, solely because you want to be one-dimensional, is a disservice to the very fibre of what our society is supposed to be.”

K.O. says it’s essential to stay informed about social issues as a person of influence.

He was responding to the country’s current political and social climate, marked by rising crime, mental health struggles, and other pressing societal challenges.

The Caracara hitmaker says society needs music that is not only vibrational but also educational and thought-provoking, including the vocabulary that artists use in their music.

“People need places to go to, for them not only to be entertained but to be informed and educated and elevated.”

K.O also criticised South Africa’s justice system, saying it has failed public figures such as the late Kiernan “AKA” Forbes.

He says when high-profile individuals are assassinated and there are no consequences, it exposes loopholes in the justice system.

“It sets a very bad precedent for the citizens as a whole, to say that if they are able to brutally terminate one of my idols and there are no consequences, then what will happen to me as a Tshepo in Diepkloof?”

AKA was gunned down alongside his close friend and chef, Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane, outside a restaurant in Durban in 2023.

While expressing frustration with the justice system, K.O. also urged fellow artists and young people to make better life choices and avoid putting themselves in compromising situations that could cost them their lives.