Fans at the Family Day concert were treated to charismatic and energetic performances from YoungstaCPT and Early B.
“I like Youngsta because he is so approachable through his lyrics and in many cases he tells a complete story about his community in such a beautiful and creative way,” said Charina Naidoo (22), an accounting student from Stellenbosch University.
Both rappers have garnered a large fan base for their lyricism and content people can relate to. They have managed to put both Eastern and Western Cape on the map through their music and the coverage they have earned from it.
Early B explained that he uses everyday scenarios in his music to appeal to his fans and used his hit song, “Leka Djy” as an example. “The whole thing behind ‘Leka Djy’ is that it’s a term people can relate to and I feel like it’s important to rap about something people can understand and to carry it over to other races also,” said Early B.
Early B performing at the Woordfees Family Day Concert. PHOTO: Teboho Mokonyana
The universality and popularity of Youngsta’s music became apparent as he performed his hits, “Yasis” and “Wes-Kaap”. The performance created a sense of community between the Cape Town rapper and the crowd as they sang along word for word.
As a Cape Town local, Youngsta uses slang that is identifiable with the locals. Through his songs, he shows pride in his culture and community. It is this approach that makes him an engaging artist.
“We love Youngsta because he is more than just relatable. He raps about his community and we see the similarities between ours and his and we understand what he is saying to us,” said Setshaba Aaron, a BA History honours student.
YoungstaCPT at the Woordfees Family Day Concert. PHOTO: Teboho Mokonyana
More fans from the concert explained that they follow Early B mostly because of the wordplay and humour in his songs while explaining everyday situations.
“Him [Early B] and I are from the same town [Port Elizabeth] so it’s easy for me to understand him. On top of that some of his songs are really funny and he just makes me happy as a fan,” explained Lauren Boesak (22), a BA International Studies student at Stellenbosch University.
In relation to Woordfees, Early B said getting the chance to be a part of the festival was a chance he could not let go of. He stated that, “It [Woordfees] is one of the biggest festivals here in the Western Cape so I was all for it because I’ve been interested in the arts since I was young so being in anything to do with the arts is something I am all for.”
YoungstaCPT could not be reached for comment.