‘Fill up’ fever spreads to Namibia

There’s no doubt that Cassper Nyovest is the finest hip-hop artist in Africa right now. He didn’t just fill up The Dome, but continues to attract thousands of fans with his humility, making him one of the most likeable stars too. Last year, he made history by filling up The Dome in Johannesburg, South Africa. Reports suggested that even before the much-talked-about show, Cassper had sold 20 000 tickets. That’s no ordinary feat in a time of tightened belts when musicians struggle to attract even 10 000 people to their shows. This means that at the age of 24, Cassper has had more than 20 thousand people jiving to his music at the same time. Cassper has also proven that he doesn’t only boast talent in abundance, but his modesty and desire to create a movement where young people inspire one another continue to envelop many across Africa. This rare coolness exuded by a top act is perhaps best described by his comment on filling up The Dome in a South African publication last year. “I’m not making any money from #FillUpTheDome, I’m losing money from The Dome but for me it’s ‘how many kids am I going to inspire?’. There’s people who inspired me like Kanye West, HHP, those are the people who made sacrifices for their own lives and their story has inspired me to make something of myself,” he said. tjil spoke to ViB Mobile’s Knowledge Ipinge, who is from Walvis Bay where the Kuisebmond Stadium is situated, says he is excited about such a massive show coming to the coast. “This is extremely exciting. Cassper continues to inspire the African child,” he said. Cassper, whose real name is Refiloe Maele Phoolo, released his debut album ‘Tsholofelo’ in July 2014. He grew up in Montshiwa in Mafikeng, in South Africa’s North West Province. He started rapping when he was in grade 6, at the age of 12. In grade 10, Nyovest failed his exams and moved to his grandmother’s house in Potchefstroom. Then the following year, at age 16, he decided to drop out of high school and moved to Johannesburg to pursue a career in music as a rapper and producer. So far he has won numerous awards including the Best Male Artist at the 2014 Metro Fm Awards and Song of the Year at last year’s awards for his hit song, Doc Shebeleza. Tickets for the show are already on sale. General access tickets cost N$100, Golden Circle N$300 and VIP N$1 500. GORDON JOSEPH