On 14 May, Lynn Forbes, the mother of the late rapper AKA, deeply reflected on her journey since she turned fifty almost seven years ago.
LYNN FORBES REFLECTS ON HER JOURNEY SINCE TURNING 50
Lynn described turning fifty as a moment of unearthing her true self, having dedicated most of her life to “everyone else”.
Life in her fifties has also positively impacted her self-esteem, as she has somewhat felt insecure about herself.
“Don’t fear the big 50. Honestly? When I turned 50, almost 7 years ago, I was in the prime of my life. I had never looked better, felt better, or known myself better,” she began.
“I felt gorgeous. Confident. Free. Comfortable in my own skin. Less afraid of life. Less worried about what people thought of me,” she added.
“By 50, I had stopped trying so hard to become everything for everyone else and started settling more fully into myself. And there was something incredibly powerful about that,” she wrote.
LIFE WITHOUT AKA
In February 2023, the world almost came to a standstill upon learning of AKA’s passing.
The Composure hitmaker was fatally shot alongside his former manager, Tebello Tibz Motsoane, outside the popular Wish restaurant in Durban.
In an exclusive interview on the L‑Tido podcast, Lynn spoke openly about how she was deeply shaken when the CCTV footage of her son’s shooting was played during the Madlanga Commission inquiry.
“This video came from a different angle, and it was something I didn’t expect to see [while] watching the Madlanga Commission,” she said.
“I literally screamed; I was in tears. It was very traumatising[traumatic]. I wish they could have said we’re going to show the AKA murder, then I probably wouldn’t have watched it,” she added.
She revealed that AKA was more than just a son to her — he also supported her financially.
“I depended on my son for a lot of things. My son literally looked after me,” she said.
“I mean, he was my bank. Kiernan and I had a life together. I depended on my son for a lot of things, for the roof over my head, for the food on my table,” she added.