I bumped into Cassper in Braamfontein a few weeks ago and he gave me his album and also asked me not to post about it.
My first listen was from a messed up work day in the office that had me going home at 2am, and swear to God, besides being alive that was the best thing to start the morning.
Spokenpriestess then dropped a post about the tracklist last week Friday and Cassper called me up asking us to please acknowledge his sister and what the title and the cover means.
It reminded me that as a human being Cassper is sincere, consistent and doesn't do things for the sake of it. Every move is calculated by the sincerity of his heart and not always the mainstream. This is exactly what the album reflects... so before it drops tomorrow here are more things you'll learn about Cassper Nyovest from each song.
Self assessment is a key part of this album i.e. He realises that he is one of the biggest stars in the country but also humbly accepts that there are voices that consistently doubt him. Despite the doubt, he's determined to consistently work on himself. A line talking about how he could've been caught up in the hype is one where he says Scoop had told him he'd be a star when they fist met but last week Scoop said he fell off. He acknowledges Scoop's prophecy that saw him as a star before he blew and now the same prophet is foreseeing his demise. This obviously troubled him and made him realise he might not be the same star in the future and he's not comfortable with that, hence he's determined to beat himself without losing himself.
This is supposedly a confession to Boity admitting that he wasn't ready to be with her. Blaming himself for the demise of their relationship with lines like,
"I started giving the side b!%ches your side of the bed."
"We know we can't get it right with bad bads but we choose to glorify all the bullshit that we put good women through. I manipulated your mind baby I got you confused it's high time I admit I wasn't ready for you."
He doesnt mention Boity so I'm acting like I think it's her.
This will probably be a favourite. It's a well done remake of Malaika's Destiny sang by Goapele. The message is clear here, it's to the ladies that are checking for Cassper.
He doesn't do dinner dates and doesn't like his girls partying with his enemies.
So you already know what parties you not allowed to go to. ????
This is dedicated to his father and that's not Papa Penny okay? Cassper acknowledges his father as a superhero not only in the house but other kids also know they couldn't mess with the kids of this superhero. He has a line that says all other kids were bullied but they were never touched 'cause people knew who his dad was. His father taught him not to hit a girl and when his best friend's (Carpo) dad passed away and he was angry at his dad for not buying him kicks, it gave him perspective of how things could be worse.
"Too much pressure on the male figure, if you ain't providing then you worthless."
This line will resonate with many men that try to do everything for their loved ones but aren't appreciated 'cause they don't have money. Again, Cassper covers a personal topic but is able to make it relevant to every man. This song will make you appreciate your dad too.
Cassper might have named himself after a friendly invisible ghost but he's aware that he is not invincible. In the height of his success having two Bentleys, he doesnt only stunt but also prays he never falls. On that prayer note, the Bentley has a cross 'cause he knows the devil is trying to hurt him and he wasn't born rich like his competition who he says is privileged like Taylor Swift. Once upon a time he was so broke he never invited cats to his house 'cause he was embarrassed. That's why he was always visiting other people.
On the stunting side though, let's acknowledge how he went from a hype man to having a flexible flight plan. You ask what he did when he got the Bentley for the first time? He was so excited he couldn't sleep and so he drove till the tank was empty. Sounds like something we would all do.
On this joint Cass talks his shit like he knows you came with an Uber but he with... how do I say this in English so it hits you? You know what, get the album and you'll hear it.
If you don't know by now he came to Jozi in the back of a van. He sees himself as the new age Zola based on the love he gets from people and feels the only person who's done it better than him is Trevor Noah.
He knows he's the highest selling artist but he's still looking for validation. AG mobile made half a billion off associating with Cassper. He feels like cats ask for forgiveness in public for PR. He misses the full clip with Siz and Scoop. He feels that the only new cats that have made a difference is Nasty C and Emtee, the rest he's not too sure about.
He feels that cats are falling 'cause they're trying to run at his pace. He's perturbed by niggas blessing niggas these days, it's like things have changed. While others bought awards, he bought a watch! He's spent 6 million on cars. He feels that fans forget quickly 'cause 2 years ago Khuli was on top and avoiding ending up in a position like that, he says he'll never rest.
This is a sample of Touch The Sky and it's a dope club joint. In my opinion, this is the only song I'm not completely sold on but still... If girls ask whether Cassper is monogamous his answer is, uhh f!k em all.
He was 16 when he made the decision to chase his dream and he saw the rewards coming full circle at Times Square in New York. You see what he did there?
He almost lost his confidence and never wanted to make music 'cause he feels people used to love him now they make excuses. He sometimes feels like his success is a cage.
He doesn't understand how he's done so many things people haven't done but he still gets ridiculed.
For the ladies, once again, with an eye on Cassper here some tips. He had a thing for light skinned girls and he likes girls with curly hair, and prefers getting them Dior over Nike.
His big sister got a college degree and he feels that she's always under pressure 'cause she's compared to him.
He survived depression and declares that his squad is his family and he doesn't know what he'd do without them.
Is this Cassper's best album?
Yes. In his catalogue he hasn't dropped an album so cohesive and balanced. There's some stunting and some real heartfelt messages too. The poorest and the richest have emotions, love, desires and aspirations 'cause in the end they're all people. Cassper shows a lot of his human and vulnerability on this album.
