Words: Malcolm Ché

Cassper’s 2015, so far…

Wins awards. Goes Platinum. Signs with MTN. Partners with AG Mobile. Fills the Dome…

And then, goes Gold with his new album in three hours!

Cassper Nyovest deserves the praise he gets from his fans. Those fans include high-profile people like President Jacob Zuma, the Minister of Sport and Recreation Fikile Mbalula, and Julius Malema. Even Trevor Noah congratulated him for his monumental achievement in being the first local artist to fill the Dome. With a capacity of 20,000 people, filling the dome is no small feat, and to do that without corporate money behind him was a massive statement that demands respect.

Cassper Nyovest FillTheDome

So, when you have a new album ready to drop, and a dome filled with people, as well as the undivided attention of social media, you’d think it would be the ideal platform to promote said new album, right? Sure, unless you’re Cassper Nyovest. In an inspired move, Cassper included the album in the ticket sales, meaning each audience member went home with a purchased copy of his latest album. It remains to be officially announced by the Recording Industry of South Africa (RiSA) who certify the status, but if the hype is correct and speculation is confirmed, Refiloe will be the fastest South African album to reach Gold status, selling the requisite 20,000 copies in just 3 hours.

Refiloe

Cassper Nyovest RefiloeRefiloe Album Art
Refiloe, as Cassper’s mom knows him, is a fitting title for his latest offering, and with 20 tracks in total, it’s an album good and proper. This is not a few songs supporting one hit single that will sell thousands off its back. This feels like a collection of cuts compiled from a bank of recordings that are not the only songs he’s sitting on. And from the quality of tracks on here, this album will likely be back and forth at the number 1 slot for the next year. There are hits. Not only one. Not two or three. There are hits for days on this album, with tight production and lines to hook you right in. And that’s before the roll-call of featured artists like Black Motion, The Game, and the man who inspired his 2014 mega-hit, Doc Shebeleza.

This album is good. Damned good! And if music industry dinosaurs consider its rapid gold status the result of a stunt, the truth is this album will likely go platinum.

Cassper Nyovest XXI2015 has been a successful year for Cassper with him carrying home trophies from all of the award shows, but one thing that stands out is that his success is fuelled by hard work. No-one can accuse him of not putting in the hours, and while his social media timelines show a man enjoying the spoils of his labours, you still get the sense that he is constantly working on his next big thing. At this point, it seems like Cassper Nyovest’s next big thing, is 2016…


Refiloe is out now on iTunes and in good music stores soon.

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