Soweto-born emcee Ntokozo “K.O.” Mdluli has been swinging a sceptre over the local rap game since his early days as part of the groundbreaking hip-hop trio Teargas. Not only has he forged a commercially successful solo career since, but also one that has given birth to cutting-edge production, dope collaborations and genre-shifting new ideas (game changer “Caracara” is a great example). Skhanda Republic 2 finds the Cashtime Life mogul projecting socially conscious bars against a swish urban canvas, while collabs with the likes of Runtown and Black Coffee further seal the deal.