King Kotini continues to burnish the herald of him returning a strong man on his final Twitter post through more ways than one. With his legacy expanding further through the annual Cotton Fest and his influence being immortalised by ever-rising streams and YouTube views, late rapper and fashion icon Riky Rick’s memory has been refreshed with the posthumous single “Ilanga” alongside Young Stunna, Tyler ICU, Kelvin Momo, Baby S.O.N. and Zadok.
“Ilanga” is an amapiano jam that settles on the slow and melancholic side of the genre with its ruminative and heavy piano chimes, its languid tempo, and its rounded bass thuds. The ballad locks Riky and Stunna in an epistolary exchange aimed at twisting the arms of their prodigal lovers to return to them.
The thematic scope of the single covers yearning (“Uzobuya nini?”) and the agony of a hopeless romantic waiting on their lover to come back to their senses, and subsequently, to them (“L’yoshon’ ilanga”).
Although “Ilanga” rings with the texture of a love song, the double-edged nature imparted on it by the presence of Riky, coupled with the subject matter of aching for companionship, gives the song the iridescent quality of it being an ode to a lover as well as a tribute to Boss Zonke.
Young Stunna and Riky Rick share the stage prominently in the mid-song climax, where the pair express their feelings, plaintively relaying their hopes and future prospects to their partners as a way to convince them to spin the block. Stunna’s verse features hills and valleys that take the listener on an auditory odyssey, while Riky’s complementary contribution serves as an emotive anchor with its down-spirited cooing. Where Stunna pleads, Riky laments to complete the picture.
“Ilanga” brings back the days and the energy of Riky in his “Mthande” bag. His place might not be as full and realised, but his personality and authenticity make it feel as if he’s never left and that his finger has forever been on the pulse of what works with his craftsmanship.
