K.O, born Ntokozo Mdluli in 1980, earns a public relations diploma at Vaal University of Technology and is working in the field when he forms the hip hop trio Teargas with Ma-E and Ntukza in 2004. When the group winds down he goes solo, launching Cashtime Life in 2013 and codifying skhanda rap — a style that grafts township slang and kwaito-era cadence onto contemporary hip hop. His debut solo album Skhanda Republic (2014) is certified platinum, and its single 'Caracara' wins Record of the Year at the South African Music Awards. Nearly a decade on, 'SETE' with Young Stunna and Blxckie repeats the feat at scale: nineteen consecutive weeks at number one on the Radio Monitor charts and multi-platinum certification. With six SAMAs and three South African Hip Hop Awards behind him, he releases the 14-track Phara City in June 2025 through Sony Music Africa and his Skhanda Republic imprint.
K.O sits in the artist layer of Viranova's knowledge graph — the timeline below tracks every story, interview, and event connected to it.
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K.O’s “Hotela” with Danya Devs and Scotts Maphuma shows exactly where South African music is right now: not trapped inside genre lanes, but moving across them with confidence.
Amanda Black leads the official final line-up for the Vaal leg of the Kota Festival, a 10:00-22:00 day festival at Emerald Resort & Casino in Vanderbijlpark. Tickets are on sale via Webtickets and Computicket BoxOffice; the ticket pages confirm the date, venue and pricing, while the line-up was published on the festival's own Facebook, Instagram and TikTok channels.
Blxckie appears on the official final line-up for the Vaal Kota Festival at Emerald Resort & Casino, a 10:00-22:00 day festival. Tickets are on sale via Webtickets and Computicket BoxOffice.
K.O is named on the official final line-up for the Vaal Kota Festival at Emerald Resort & Casino in Vanderbijlpark, a 10:00-22:00 day festival. Tickets are on sale via Webtickets and Computicket BoxOffice.
Computicket lists Daliwonga among the performers for the Denim and White themed Exclusive White Spring Picnic at Willowmoore Cricket Stadium in Benoni. Tickets range from R195 to R750.
