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Many Namibian rappers are often hot for some time, but quickly wither away in the shadow of whichever other genre monopolises the airwaves, or simply just disappear.This cannot be said about Kp Illest. His debut album Price of Ambition, released in 2017 did seamlessly well on the commercial scene, established him a strong fan base and bagged him the coveted best rap/hip-hop award at the 2018 Namibian Annual Music Awards (NAMAs), with his hit song Okay Okay.He has been a busy man and it is not out of pity that the young legend has the support of some of the biggest names in African music, such as King Tee Dee and Nigeria's Ice Prince. The rapper has been paying his dues for about eight years now on the music scene. Now that the first part of his musical journey is out of the way, he's on take-two, as he works on his second album titled Faith and Favour. “My second album is not a normal music project - it is a side A and side B body of work. Side A is about 85% done; overall the whole project is really close to my heart,” said Kp Illest. He is grateful for how successful his debut album was, but clarifies that he is not trying to compete against it with his forthcoming album. He is rather trying to give music fans a project that is not better in comparison, but something different and well-executed. “When you listen to both albums you won't say Faith and Favour is better than Price of Ambition or vice versa, but you will acknowledge how they both stand out. “It is like I am serving you chicken curry and then you ask how are you going to beat this, and then I serve you Spaghetti Bolognese. I am not trying to make you a better chicken curry, but I'm making you something that is just as good,” added Kp Illest.Having established a strong fan base with his debut album, he mentioned that with his sophomore album he has two goals - solidifying himself as a household name and to be remembered. “I want people to say Kp Illest as a hip-hop artist can compete with the likes of Gazza, King Tee Dee and Tate Buti. They don't make the same kind of music, but he is capable of competing with them.”He shared that the rollout plan for Faith and Favour will entail a Namibian tour, as he wants to connect with his fans in different parts of the country. For Kp Illest, launching the album in different towns is a form of appreciating his fans and physically taking his music there. “If I can do a mini-African tour, that would be amazing, but obviously that is super-costly and you have to exhaust your connections, so I do not want to promise anything in that regard at this point,” he said. Kp Illest speaks highly of the Namibian hip-hop scene, saying it is growing, and he commends the new talent in the hip-hop community for identifying subgenres to thrive in. “If I had to pass the torch, it would be to guys like King Elegant, Kevo Maro, Slime and Swae Kid, to mention but just a few. What I love about them is that they each exist in their own element, and aren't worried about what the next person is doing,” he said. He called on established artists to support and embrace the new school artists, and most importantly not to be intimidate by their success. “Your fans will not forget you, because there is a new artist popping. That is why King Tee Dee is so good at pushing artists, because he understands there is a difference between fame and popularity. MICHAEL KAYUNDE

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-23

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-23

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