This weekend, Cassper Nyovest will perform to a 20,000-strong crowd at The Dome in Northgate, Joburg - the first South African act to sell out at this venue.
Two weeks before the concert sold out, we met up with Nyovest (real name Refiloe Phoolo) at his Kyalami home. These are a few things we learned about the rapper in that hour.
1. He's had a lot of help with his career
"A lot of the projects that I've done have probably had 10 or 20 people working on them. From the beginning of my career when I didn't have a place to stay, to now trying to fill up The Dome, I've always had people who believe in me and who are willing to help".
2. ... And he wants to help other artists too
"I just signed two guys who are totally left-field of what I do. I feel like there's a lot of artists who are never gonna be heard because maybe they're too talented. Or maybe they're not associated with anybody. Or maybe they're different."
3. He admires DJ Sbu's business acumen and resilience
"I'm brilliant with concepts and marketing - that's what I do. A lot of people go to school for that, [but] some people are talented, like DJ Sbu. It's just what he does. They can knock him down a million times - he'll come back up with something we never thought of."
4. Making an impact matters to him
"You don't want people to be on the fence. [Imagine] I'm busy doing somersaults and no one cares. I'd rather people boo, then they've recognised me and they've noticed me. Tomorrow they'll talk about how much I sucked, but they'll remember me forever and so, if I improve, they'll notice my improvement."
5. He's constantly aware of the financial gap in South Africa
"My music is not really celebrated in the suburbs. Not that it doesn't play there, but that's not my strongest fan base. We live in the suburbs and we forget that this isn't [the real] South Africa - it's the smallest part of our country and there are many people who are struggling [in other parts of it]."
6. Being relatable is important to him
"I'm an average South African. I think people are drawn towards me because I'm trying my best to stay humble, I'm trying my best to do good. But sometimes I make mistakes, just like anyone else. And if I'm wrong, I'll come out and say 'I was wrong'. And I think people like that."
7. The social media hate doesn't bother him
"Have you ever checked Drake's social media? You should. You'll see that I'm having it easy, man. Americans are cruel, those people can talk trash."
"I'm learning to stop wasting my time on people who don't like me because they'll never like me. Even if I do something that they like, they'll never like me... I just block haters [on social media]. I don't wait for them to tag me, I search my own name. 'Oh, you don't like my ponytail? Block!'"
8. Musician Chris Brown blocked him on Twitter
"I used to be wild on Twitter. I used to tweet Chris Brown in Setswana - but not hurtful things - and people would laugh, so I'm sure he just saw 'lols' [and so he blocked me]. The day I meet him it's gonna be awkward... I'm just gonna grab his phone quickly and unblock myself."
9. Awards don't mean much to him
"[I think awards are] good for PR and your bio but it doesn't really... [long pause] I don't think they have value. When you look at guys like Thebe and Boom Shaka, they don't have one Sama. And those guys revolutionised music. Without them, there's no me. Trompies probably had the biggest song of the year five years in a row. They never won a single Sama. Oskido won his first Sama after 19 years. So, what do [awards] actually mean?"
10. His new album Refiloe is his best work yet
"[My first album] Tsholofelo had too many sounds. I kind of compiled the album for 10 years, so there were so many ideas that I tried to squash into it.
"Refiloe is more personal, more concentrated. I'm more comfortable and confident in what I do, so it's not an experiment. I'm very proud of this album."
Cassper Nyovest will be performing his sold-out concert at The Dome on Saturday, October 31 2015. The concert will coincide with the release of his second album, 'Refiloe'.
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