Recently, Nando’s launched Mix It Up Vol. 3, an EP executive produced by Grammy-nominated South African artist Musa Keys. The project brings together international talents A$AP NAST, Teni, and Unknown T, alongside South African producers like Duppy, Nkulee, and Toby Franco. The EP celebrates Amapiano, blending it with diverse music styles, recorded between Johannesburg’s Flame Studios and Nando’s Soho studio in London. Nando’s brought us together to have a bit of a listening party, emceed by Primo Baloyi, where Musa Keys talked us through each track and the process of producing the lit EP.
For the previous iteration, Mix It Up Vol. 2, Nando’s collaborated with Bridges for Music to release a four-track EP blending Amapiano with British musical styles. The project featured UK artists K-Trap, Kojey Radical, Lost Girl, and Niko B, alongside South African producers like LuuDaDeejay and MFR Souls. Major League DJz oversaw the project, which was also created across studios in South Africa and London. The UK artists were inspired by their immersion in South African culture, resulting in unique blends of Amapiano with UK rap, R&B, and UK drill.
This time is no different and Musa Keys expanded on that blend of cultures and sounds. Mix It Up Vol. 3, which includes tracks like No Police, Livin My Life, and Come Closer, was released on July 5, 2024, on major streaming platforms and demonstrates that same innovative approach to music production, prioritising collaboration and diversity above all else. By carefully selecting producers with unique strengths, Musa Keys created an auditory experience that follows the series tradition of bending Amapiano with UK Drill, US rap, and Afrobeats.
“The whole point was to merge different worlds, to bring everybody together and do something appealing to everybody. Music that’s ear-friendly to anyone. We need a different perspective on things; that’s why our songs don’t just feature our native language,” he comments, pointing out the intentional exclusion of cultural exclusivity. He goes on to acknowledge, “Let’s make some noise for the executive himself and the producers, Nkulee, Toby, and Duppy,” Musa Keys explained during the Flame Studios listening party.
While he had the audience in the palm of his hands, explaining his process and sharing the songs, there was one song that truly had the audience in a chokehold. “The third song is called No Police,” he opened and already there was a contagious buzz. “ With your favourite guy, Unknown T. I mean, sometimes we can be stubborn to listening local stuff alone, right? Cause I think that’s what really happens […]
I think Unknown T is a pretty cool rapper from the UK. This song is basically like […] back then Tupac days where they were always like, “no police”, all of that. So I think like, it’s just like a new age version of it. New vibes, you know, […] I don’t know why rappers like that though. They […] like oppressive police, you know, and all of that. So I think it’s, it’s a thing for them. So we are saying “no police” in the song and […] it’s a very vibey song. Y’all will hear it from the moment that I press play. So, I hope y’all enjoy.”
As Musa Keys explained it, his role extended beyond merely making music to carefully choosing the right producers for his latest tape. “I was given the task to select which producers to have on the tape,” he said. “I think I was trying to merge every type of sound that we have, like from Amapiano, you know, like all these divides into different styles, different bounces. […] There’s more street music, very vibey noise. Um, I don’t wanna call it noisy, but like, very vibey music. Then there’s super calm songs. Then there’s songs that are in between all that.”
Musa Keys didn’t shy away from expressing his admiration for the producers he chose. He noted, “If I want to get everybody standing up now, I will play a Duppy song. He’s like very groovy. Toby Franco is more of the musical guy, you know. I call Toby my younger because I feel like there’s just so much that I like from the musicality itself. […] I don’t have a favourite. I just like them all ’cause they all are different from each other, you know? And that was the whole point—to what we were teaching the other artists as well is that we can really make different vibes.”
It was a joy to see the young musician be given such a generative platform to explore his craft and grow his confidence, which he already has buckets of. “I’m just so happy about it and I think it’s dope. I don’t know what y’all think and I don’t care because this is mine,” he proclaimed. Listening to the EP, one can’t deny that the mammoth confidence is warranted. With a unified vision, Musa Keys and his team understood the assignment. The project is more than just a bunch of music; it’s a youthful effort to transcend borders through sound.
