Cassper Nyovest facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cassper Nyovest
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Cassper Nyovest performing in 2014
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Refiloe Maele Phoolo
16 December 1990 Mahikeng, North West, South Africa
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| Education | Grade 10 | ||||||||||||||
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| Years active | 2013–present | ||||||||||||||
| Partner(s) | Pulane Mojaki | ||||||||||||||
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| Origin | Mahikeng, North-West Province | ||||||||||||||
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Refiloe Maele Phoolo (born 16 December 1990), known as Cassper Nyovest, is a famous South African rapper, songwriter, and businessman. He is also a record producer and has even tried amateur boxing.
Born and raised in Mahikeng, North West, he is one of South Africa's most successful artists. In 2014, he started his own music company, Family Tree Records. Cassper Nyovest became well-known after releasing his first album, Tsholofelo (2014). This album featured popular songs like "Gusheshe" and "Doc Shebeleza".
He became famous for his "Fill Up" concerts, where he tried to fill large stadiums. He successfully filled the Ticketpro Dome in Johannesburg in 2015. This success led him to hold more "Fill Up" concerts every year. These included shows at Orlando Stadium (2016) and FNB Stadium (2017) in Johannesburg. He also performed at Moses Mabhida Stadium (2018) in Durban and Royal Bafokeng Stadium (2019) in North West.
Cassper Nyovest released his second album, Refiloe, on October 31, 2015. This happened during his Fill Up The Dome concert. The album included songs with international artists like The Game and DJ Drama. Later, he released his third album, Thuto (2018), which was highly praised. His fourth album, Sweet and Short (2019), focused on Kwaito music.
Contents
Cassper Nyovest's Early Life
I told my parents that I'd rather chase my dream, which I believe is going to work out.
Refiloe Maele Phoolo was born on December 16, 1990, in Mafikeng, a town in North West. His parents are Muzuki and Letsebela Phoolo. Cassper has a sister named Tsholofelo Phoolo. Sadly, their brother, Khotso Phoolo, passed away in 2003.
Nyovest went to Sol Plaatjie Secondary School. He was a good athlete and played many sports. He started rapping when he was just 12 years old. In 2006, he did not pass his Grade 10 exams. This led him to move to his grandmother's house in Potchefstroom. In 2007, at 16, he decided to leave high school to focus on music.
In 2008, Nyovest moved to Johannesburg to become a rapper and producer. He told his parents he wanted to follow his dreams. He felt his dreams were close enough to reach, and he did not want to play it "safe" and regret it later.
Cassper Nyovest's Music Journey
Starting Out and First Album: Tsholofelo (2004–2014)
In 2004, when he was only 13, Nyovest formed a hip hop group called Childhood Gangsta with his friends. He then joined another group called Slow Motion, which had eight members.
At 16, after leaving school, Nyovest signed with Impact Sounds, a motswako music company. This company also signed artists like Tuks Senganga. However, Nyovest and Impact Sounds had different ideas about music. In 2008, they went their separate ways, and Nyovest became an independent artist.
Nyovest moved back home and started his own music company. Before that, the famous rapper Hip Hop Pantsula discovered him during a performance. Hip Hop Pantsula even featured Nyovest on his song "Wamo Tseba Mtho".
In 2013, Nyovest released his first single, "Gusheshe", which featured Okmalumkoolkat. In 2014, he officially started his music company, Family Tree Records. His second single, "Doc Shebeleza", came out the same year. It was named after the kwaito artist Doc Shebeleza. Many people liked the song, and famous singers like Yvonne Chaka Chaka praised it.
On July 18, 2014, Nyovest released his first album, Tsholofelo. He named it after his sister. The album was a huge hit, reaching number one on the iTunes South African albums chart for two months. In October 2014, MTV Base named Nyovest the top artist on their show The Hottest MC in Africa.
Refiloe Album and "Fill Up" Concerts (2015–2016)
After the success of Tsholofelo, Nyovest released a special platinum edition of the album. This version included new songs and collaborations with artists like Casey Veggies and Wizkid. The platinum edition came out on April 17, 2015, with only 10,000 copies made.
In late 2015, Nyovest announced his plan to headline a concert called Fill Up The Dome. It was held at the Ticketpro Dome in Johannesburg on October 31, 2015. He wanted to fill the dome, which holds up to 20,000 people. He also announced that his second album, Refiloe, would be released on the day of the concert.
On August 14, 2015, Nyovest released “Mama I Made It” (#MIMI). This was the main song from his second album and helped promote the Fill Up The Dome concert. As he hoped, Nyovest sold out all the tickets for his event. This was announced on his Twitter account on October 25, 2015. On the day of the concert, everyone who bought a ticket received a free copy of the Refiloe album. This helped the album become certified gold on that very day. Later, the album was certified platinum for selling over 40,000 copies in South Africa.
Nyovest then announced a second "Fill Up" event, Fill Up Orlando Stadium. This concert took place at Orlando Stadium, Soweto, in Johannesburg on October 29, 2016. The event was a big success, with 40,000 people attending, which is the stadium's full capacity. A total of about 80,000 people attended both the 2015 and 2016 concerts. For both years, Nyovest was ranked number one on the MTV Base: SA's Hottest MCs list. He was also named the Hottest Rapper in Africa in 2016.
Thuto and Sweet and Short Albums (2017–2019)
On March 4, 2017, Nyovest released "Tito Mboweni", the first song from his third album, Thuto. The song was named after Tito Mboweni, who was South Africa's Minister of Finance. The song became popular for its "Shaa Shaa" sound, which imitates the sound of money.
Thuto was released on May 5, 2017. It was certified gold by RiSA on the day it came out. It then became platinum in the following weeks. Nyovest announced his third "Fill Up" event for November 17, 2017. This concert was held at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, which can hold 94,736 people. Nyovest aimed to fill 75,000 seats, which was his biggest challenge yet. He had some trouble getting money for the show but eventually found three main sponsors: Cîroc SA, SABC 1, and Budweiser. The event did not sell all its tickets but was still a success.
In 2018, Nyovest released his fourth album, Sweet and Short. This album was certified platinum on the day it was released. Nyovest's next "Fill Up" event was at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on December 1, 2018. He sold 68,000 tickets, which was a great result. The next day, Nyovest performed at the Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100, presented by the Motsepe Foundation. At the Mzansi Kwaito and House Music Awards, his song "Gets Getsa 2.0" won the Best New Age Kwaito Song award. On December 15, 2019, Nyovest performed at his fifth annual "Fill Up" event. It was held at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, the city where he was born.
After some hip hop fans said he was leaving the genre, Nyovest returned in 2020 with a hip hop song called Good For That.
New Albums and Tours (2020–Present)
On September 11, 2020, Cassper Nyovest released his fifth studio album, Any Minute Now. The album featured many artists like Zola 7, Samthing Soweto, and Nadia Nakai.
At the 2020 South African Hip Hop Awards, he won three awards. These included "Song of the Year", "Album of the Year", and "Best Male".
On July 30, 2021, Cassper released his first Amapiano studio album, Sweet And Short 2.0. It had 10 songs and featured artists like Abidoza and Boohle. On September 4, 2021, he went to the United Kingdom for the AmaFest Tour. He was with other DJs like DJ Maphorisa to promote the Amapiano music style.
Cassper also worked with Abidoza and Boohle on the song "Umjolo", released on September 30, 2021.
In May 2023, Cassper announced his new album, Solomon. It was planned for release on July 28, 2023. Also in May 2023, Cassper Nyovest and Nasty C announced their African Throne World Tour. This tour included 12 dates across Africa, running from August 18 in Arusha, Tanzania, to October 28 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The album Solomon was postponed. Instead, he released the single "018" featuring Maglera Doe Boy on September 15, 2023. Solomon was then released on September 15, 2023, and quickly reached number one in South Africa.
Television Work
On September 9, 2021, Cassper Nyovest became the host of The Braai show with Cass, which airs on SABC 1.
Cassper Nyovest's Businesses
Endorsement Deals
Nyovest has had many endorsement deals with different companies. One of his biggest deals is with the vodka brand Ciroc. This partnership started in 2017 when Nyovest showed several Cîroc bottles in his music video for "Tito Mboweni". Ciroc then announced their deal with him.
In 2015, Nyovest partnered with MTN and AG Mobile to launch a smartphone called AG Hashtag. He helped design this phone. He has also worked with other brands like Shoprite, Samsung South Africa, Coca-Cola, KFC SA, Castle Lite, Nike SA, and Bitcasino.
Family Tree Records
As a businessman, Nyovest started Family Tree Records. This music company was created in 2014 after he left his previous label, Impact Soundz.
Root of Fame
In July 2021, he started his own sneaker company called Root of Fame. It is part of Drip Footwear.
Billiato
On September 6, 2021, he launched his own liquor brand named Billiato.
Cassper Nyovest's Boxing Matches
Fame vs Clout
On December 22, 2021, Nyovest had a boxing match against YouTuber Slik Talk. Cassper Nyovest won this match.
Actor vs Musician
A boxing match called "Actor vs Musician" took place at Sun City Stadium on April 9, 2022. Cassper Nyovest lost to NaakMusiQ after five rounds.
Cassper Nyovest's Personal Life
In July 2015, after many months of saying they were not dating, Nyovest and actress Boity Thulo confirmed their relationship. This was in a July issue of DRUM magazine. The magazine cover suggested they were engaged, but Nyovest and Thulo later said this was not true. They claimed the magazine used the headline to sell more copies. The couple broke up in December 2015.
Awards and Nominations
Cassper Nyovest has won and been nominated for many music awards both in South Africa and around the world. His first awards were in 2013 when he won four awards at the second South Africa Hip Hop Awards. On April 13, 2018, he was nominated for an award at the 12th Headies Award in Nigeria. He was in the Best African Artiste category alongside other big names like Nasty C and Sarkodie.
Cassper Nyovest's Albums
Studio albums
- Tsholofelo (2014)
- Refiloe (2015)
- Thuto (2017)
- Sweet and Short (2018)
- A.M.N (Any Minute Now) (2020)
- Sweet and Short 2.0 (2021)
- Solomon (2023)
