It has been two years since Prince Kaybee owned South African dance floors with his sophomore and career defining album, Re Mmino that features chart topping tracks like “Banomoya”, “Club Controller”, “Fetch Your Life” and “Gugulethu” (feat. Indlovukazi, Supta & Afro Brothers). And now, the accomplished producer and DJ has released his new album, The 4th Republic. The 24 track long project is a journey into the sonic landscape of afro house and afro-tech with a heavy use of instrumentation and strong vocally driven melodies. The name of the album references how Prince Kaybee considered his fan base in how he shaped the sonics and visuals in the process. The album starts with “Mpumalanga”, which sets the album’s tone, and creates the stage for the “Club Controller” hitmaker to venture into new styles of production while still maintaining his original sound. Sharing more on the album the 31-year-old stated:
I started the album with this track to show authenticity. Dance music isn’t our native project, it was discovered in Chicago and it gradually spread throughout the world and made it to South Africa. We were able to own and recreate it. Our dance culture is diverse and I was inspired by a lot of things. The songs are constructed the way they are, to give a piece of storytelling while not moving away completely from the Prince Kaybee sound.
The album continues with a strong afro house spirit with records like “Katara”, “Menateng” and “Ebabayo”, which is the lead single of the album. The song features Nokwazi who appears twice on the project and it marks the first time that Prince Kaybee has collaborated with the vocalist. She was initially meant to be on “Banomoya” and they had talked about collaborating, however, the opportunity never came around until this project. Speaking about their collaboration Prince Kaybee shares:
She brought so much colour [to the songs] and her voice portrays emotion in her lyrics. There are some emotions you feel but they don’t really have a face or words — but vocalists like her give you a picture of them. On, “Ebabayo”, if you listen to the instrumentation on the song, it is something way out of Nokwazi’s style. When I made the song without the vocals, it was laid back and a bit boring and as soon as she came on it, she gave it a lot of life.
Featured on the project is also Ami Faku, Black Motion, and AfroBrotherz, who are featured twice on the record. These are artists Kaybee has both worked with in the past and developed a good working relationship with them, as he explains:
I like their willingness to work. They work really hard and it’s only fair that they are given a platform to express themselves. I work with energy more than anything so I work with people who are about the music and are willing to put in the work.
Most of the album was made under lockdown which made things a little difficult both logistically and creatively. It was especially difficult for an artist who thrives from getting energy from people.
Most of the time when I work, I have to be inspired by something. So I really needed to be active in drawing inspiration. In the past six years it has been a natural process but [in these times], I wasn’t sure how it could be done. COVID played a role in stretching the album making. The restrictions on interprovincial travelling were one of the limiting factors in what we were trying to achieve. It was a bit of an uphill battle but we made it possible.
And the result is a masterpiece album that he considers his best work, and at this point in his career, artistic integrity means more to him than making a radio hit record — probably why there isn’t a clear cut hit single on the album. While he is aware of the fame and his accomplishments, Prince cares more about making music he is proud of, as he shares:
I think being an introvert plays a big role because I spend most of my time alone. I don’t really have an entourage or a big circle. I sometimes forget what I’ve done before. It’s been six years since the fans have been supportive so what I focus on is to cater to them. My music is beyond the Prince Kaybee brand, it’s more about us.
