Two years without AKA… Riky Rick’s widow gives Nadia Nakai shoulder to cry on

SOUTH AFRICA – Hip-hop star Nadia Nakai has said that the widow of fellow rap star Riky Rick has been giving her a shoulder to lean on, as she counts down the days to the second anniversary of the killing of her boyfriend, hip-hop superstar AKA.

The rapper was killed along with his close friend, the chef and entrepreneur Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane out a Durban restaurant in February 2023.

The pair were thought to have been on their way to a nightclub for a performance as part of Forbes’ birthday celebrations when they were shot.

In an interview with the Sowetan the Zimbabwean-born rapper, real name Nadia Nakai Kandava, said Riky Rick’s widow had helped her pull through the worst of times because she could emphasise with what she was going through.

“Kiernan was the first close person I’ve ever lost… his funeral was the first I’ve ever been to. So, this grieving process is quite new to me,” she said.

“The person I found comfort in and had conversations with was Bianca Naidoo. She has been quite instrumental in helping me deal with this pain because she knows how it feels to lose someone you loved who was a superstar [Riky Rick died a year before AKA].

“Much like me, she had to deal with seeing and hearing Riky Rick everywhere. Confiding in her helped me quite a lot.”

Nakai said Christmas had forced her to confront the loneliness of her life after the death of the rapper, as he used to bring her closer to his family.

“I steal happy moments here and there which I’m truly grateful for,” she said.

“Life has been tough the past couple of months, especially this past Christmas because I spent it alone … the one before was beautiful, we had a blended family.

“New Year’s was also difficult because the one before I was with Kiernan on the road… I mean, there are so many memories. But December to March is the hardest period of my life at the moment.”