K.O Honours Lebo Mathosa’s Legacy In ‘Supanova’ Featuring Cassper Nyovest. In a recent conversation with Apple Music, South African hip hop veteran K.O opened up about the process of creating his explosive new track ‘Supanova’, featuring Cassper Nyovest.
What makes this song more than just another collaboration between two rap titans is its bold foundation — a sample from the late Lebo Mathosa’s ‘I Love Music’, a song widely considered a sacred gem in the country’s musical archives.
“This song features a sample which is part of the Holy Grail of South African musical legacy,” K.O explained. “Just the idea of sampling a song like that is near blasphemous.”
The late Lebo Mathosa, who passed in October 2006, left behind a legacy of genre-defining work in kwaito and pop. Her track ‘I Love Music’ remains an enduring anthem that shaped an era of South African sound, deciding to sample it both boldly and delicately.
Rather than take shortcuts, K.O and his team embarked on what he described as a “needle in a haystack type of mission” to properly clear the sample. “We had to present this to Lebo Mathosa’s estate and try and find all those composers and contributors who were part of the original,” he shared.
After an extensive effort tracking down everyone involved in the original composition, the sample clearance was finally approved, giving K.O and Cassper the green light to move forward. But simply gaining the rights wasn’t enough. For K.O, paying homage came with the responsibility to elevate.
“If you do touch something like this,” he said with conviction, “you have to give it more than justice.” With Phara City set to drop this Friday, K.O is clearly entering a new era — one that bridges generations, genres, and legacies with bold creative vision.
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