Cassper Nyovest: Looking at His Journey From Rapper to Prolific Businessman
Cassper Nyovest broke into the Mzansi entertainment industry with a bang. With his signature ponytail and lovable demeanor, the rapper quickly became a fan favourite. Cassper understood that to last in the industry, one needs to constantly change and be innovative. He chopped the pony, switched his sound and even delved into business. Briefly News takes a look at the star’s journey through the years.
PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Briefly News on your News Feed!
Refiloe's rise to fame
Cassper Nyovest, real name Refiloe Maele Phoolo was born and raised in Mahikeng, North West.
Nyovest started rapping at the age of 12. After struggling through school, the future musician decided to drop out at age 16. He left for Johannesburg in 2008 in order to pursue a career in music.
Source: Instagram
After dropping out of school, Nyovest signed with motswako record label Impact Sounds, however relations soured due to unspecified reasons.
Enjoy reading our stories? Download the BRIEFLY NEWS app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major South African news!
Working as an independent artist, Cassper Nyovest was discovered by late rapper Hip Hop Pantsula. He went on to release his debut single, Gusheshe, featuring Okmalumkoolkat, in 2013 and it was a massive success. His second single followed shortly and it was named after kwaito artist, Doc Shebeleza.
Nyovest released his debut album Tsholofelo in 2014. The album was an outstanding success, peaking number 1 on the iTunes SA album chart for 2 consecutive months.
Cassper then went on to enjoy success with other albums like Refiloe, Thuto (2018) and his kwaito-focused fourth studio album, Sweet and Short.
Historical achievement
Cassper Nyovest became the first South African rapper to sell out a stadium show at the Dome in Johannesburg in 2015.
Source: Instagram
The success of Fill Up The Dome led to more concerts in different stadiums annually, including Orlando Stadium (2016) and FNB Stadium (2017), also both in Johannesburg, Moses Mabhida Stadium (2018) in Durban, and Royal Bafokeng Stadium (2019) in North West.
Cassper ventures into business
Realizing that music could not be his only stream of income, Cassper started looking into pursuing brand endorsements and business deals.
Nyovest garnered several endorsement deals with various companies, including vodka brand, Ciroc and tech giant Samsung.
In July 2021, he founded a sneaker company Root of Fame, under Drip Footwear.
The deal has led to the rapper trending on social media as his controversial show design has somewhat divided the nation.
Briefly News reported that a full range of Cassper Nyovest’s sneakers was released to the public. The shoes, which are a collaboration with the local label Drip Footwear, are currently priced at R990.
This was Cassper’s first attempt at designing shoes and it seems he may need to go back to the drawing board, if the comments are anything to go by. Many criticised the lack of creativity of the shoe, while others said that they were just plain ugly.
Cassper tries his hand at television
Cassper has also caused major controversy with his new television deal. Briefly News reported that Cassper Nyovest was approached to host The Braai Show amid AKA’s absence. However, the deal has come under fire as AKA clapped back with a lawsuit banning the show from going on.
Sharing his side of the story, Cassper Nyovest sat down with YFM's Banques and Venom for their YouTube series, The Banques And Venom Show.
Source: Twitter
Being asked what he has going on, Cassper explained how his new gig on The Braai Show came about. The rapper said that he was approached by the producers of the show.
Reports claim AKA never knew anything about the show hiring Cassper and that his legal team is now handling the matter
Is boxing on the horizon for Cassper?
Cassper has taken a liking to the sport of boxing and has often challenged his many rivals in the entertainment industry, however he is yet to get in the ring with anyone. Prince Kaybee recently took to social media to explain why and Briefly News was on top of it.
Prince Kaybee threw Cassper Nyovest in the mud after exposing how much he was offered for their celebrity boxing match. The music producer shared that Cassper only offered him R350 000 for the match and that amount was way too little for him.
“But Shotpan you offered a 350k contract, o buwas masepa, I make that anyway in a dry month. So if its for free lets meet NOW where you are but if you going to make profit out of it I want 2.5Million, I’m not scared of your fake wealth papa, put your money where your mouth is.”
Mzansi social media users weighed in with their thoughts, while some were shook that Kaybee considered the amount small, others agreed that it was not enough
Cassper Nyovest helps man get his knee dirty, buzzing over making love happen
Meanwhile Cassper has decided to distance himself from the beef and live out his best life.
He recently took to social media to celebrate a man that used one of his new Amapiano songs to propose. Briefly News reported that Cassper Nyovest was left smiling hard when he saw a clip of a man proposing to his lady while one of his songs was playing.
Sharing the clip, Cassper let his people know just how lit he thinks this proposal was and how grateful he was that his song, Siyathandana, was part of it.
He said:
“Wow this dude proposed to my song? Congrats to the couple. This why we make love songs. Wish them all the best.”
Fans saw the cuteness in the proposal and why Cassper shared it, however, some were not so sure the lady felt the same way.
Source: Briefly News
