The Kanye of South Africa is chasing big dreams
|||“They said I couldn’t do it,” Cassper Nyovest says to a crowd of just more than 20 000 revellers. He’s just performed two songs and is catching his breath and the magnitude of the moment.
“They were telling the truth,” he pauses, then says: “I couldn’t do it.”
Then he points from one side of the Ticketpro Dome to the other and emphatically says: “We all did it!” The crowd roars. He’s right. Had it not been for the support of his fans and the sheer belief in himself, the rapper who was born Refiloe Phoolo might not have lived out his dream to Fill Up the Dome (#FUTD).
I relived that scene as I watched the #FUTD DVD which is now in stores. But being at the Dome around this time last year was a feeling that no cameras can accurately capture. Yes, there was a feeling that people had gathered to have fun and watch a few performances. But it was much bigger than that.
READ: Marriage for Minnie, baby for Boity - Cassper
The energy in the venue was electric. People had followed Nyovest’s requests to the T – right down to dressing in all-white. They showed up in their numbers and together, Nyovest and his supporters did it. They filled up the Dome. With a capacity of 20 000, this was a feat that had never been achieved before by a local act. And instead of resting on his laurels, Nyovest chose to chase an even bigger dream: Fill Up Orlando Stadium.
With a capacity of 40 000, the home of the Buccaneers will not serve as a soccer stadium on Saturday. It will be a marker of just how far Nyovest can take hip hop. Like last year, Nyovest has hand-picked his friends and some of the country’s biggest artists to perform ahead of him. This time, Nyovest’s Family Tree roster – which includes Nadia Nakai, Tshego, Gemini Major and others – will be on stage. So will Mabala Noisemakers, Riky Rick, Nasty C, Major League DJs and Kwesta, Khuli Chana, DJ Tira and Babes Wodumo.
It’s interesting that in the past few weeks, this new challenge has become social media fodder because Nyovest said the stage he used at #FUTD – you know, the one that allows him to be suspended above the crowd – is the same one that Kanye West is currently touring with.
Writing down the names of all of my friends who didn't buy tickets for #FillUpOrlandoStadium . As of the 1st of November, we're over. Lol pic.twitter.com/BSwlz2wX5N
— FillUpOrlandoStadium (@CassperNyovest) October 26, 2016
Maybe the world doesn’t like to see an underdog come out on top, I don’t know. But it seems that from the stage to Nyovest’s appearance on Sway in the Morning in America (where he labelled himself Mzansi’s version of West), there are people who would rather believe that pigs can fly instead of believing the images of Nyovest flying over people’s heads.“The reason why I decided to do the Dome is a funny story,” Nyovest said at his press conference.
READ: Cassper ready to crush ‘unachievable’ #FillUpOrlandoStadium
“When Kanye West came to South Africa – I love Kanye! Yeah, I’m South Africa’s Kanye – I was fighting to open for Kanye.”
You will remember that Nyovest’s musical arch nemesis, AKA, ended up getting that coveted slot. But Nyovest continues: “At the time, I only had one song that was bubbling and the corporates didn’t know me. And whomever was organising was like: ‘Yeah, whatever’.
“And it was so painful to know that I’m going to be the biggest act in the country – I knew it before anybody – and I couldn’t get the chance to perform and open for Kanye.
“So I pledged to myself that I would always give people opportunities. People who might have a crowd that people aren’t looking at. I’d make sure they get the opportunity to be exposed because I know how it feels for people who are talented and have potential to be future leaders in the industry (to be overlooked).”
He’s doing that with the line-up and in the process, living his dreams. At the time of going to print, it was unclear whether Nyovest had actually reached his target of 40 000 tickets sold, but is the real win not daring to push beyond the parameters set by society, by the corporate world and by naysayers? We’ll see.
I don't wanna say much but the production is crazy. Very very artistic. The pictures will be beautiful https://t.co/N3R8BLbVaw
— FillUpOrlandoStadium (@CassperNyovest) October 26, 2016
Cassper Nyovest’s Fill Up Orlando Stadium takes place at Orlando Stadium in Soweto on Saturday. Book at Computicket.
Molifeng we shooting in the gym for @CassperNyovest 💪🏾🏃🏾🙌🏾#FillUpOrlandoStadium #TooLegitToQuit 4 days to go!!! pic.twitter.com/dULGIKmQxQ
— Molifeng (@AyandaMVP) October 26, 2016
• FILL UP THE GYM: The training continues ahead of the big day!