Cassper sings savings tune
THE latest single by Cassper Nyovest is likely to surprise fans of the high-rolling hip hop star.
Mr Madumane (Big $penda), which was released yesterday, takes a stab at conspicuous spending, what motivates us to do it, and the inevitable debt trap that ensues.
Fans and followers of the award-winning rapper could be forgiven for thinking Nyovest has had an epiphany of sorts. In a sense, he has.
It was revealed this week that Nyovest has committed himself to being a “conspicuous saver”. So too has actress and model Pearl Thusi.
The two were enlisted by Sanlam to use their influence during National Savings Month for a good cause: to urge South Africans to get smart with their money, to think twice before incurring debt, and to make saving and investing a higher priority than spending.
This explains a series of unusual posts by Nyovest on Instagram over the past month – think pictures of Cassper shopping at Mr Price, Cassper carrying several packs of braai meat with the caption “Buying bulk = spending less”, and a photo of a jar of coins with the caption “Take care of the pennies and the rest will follow”.
Nyovest, best-known for his hit singles Gusheshe and Doc Shebeleza, says he decided to participate in the initiative because he believed in the message and wanted to be a positive role model.
Flamboyant
Mr Madumane is a flamboyant character who likes to flash his cash.
“We all know a Mr Madumane,” Nyovest says.
“He spends to impress everyone, yet no one is impressed. This attitude is what inspired the song.”
The lyrics include: You make a lot of money from the get-go / A lot of people end up in debt, though / ’Cause you’re always in flex mode / You’re suspecting the pest souls / Too good to set goals / Speak, spenders / Think they’re on fire so they burn the cheques / Spending money just to earn respect.
Nyovest says the message in Mr Madumane is relevant to South Africans who allow themselves to be pressured into debt. South Africans need to rethink what’s important.
“We keep spending ourselves poor trying to look rich. We need to realise that you can’t spend yourself rich.”
July is National Savings Month, but for the rest of the year South Africans are bombarded with messages that encourage instant gratification, Cora Fernandez, chief executive of Sanlam Investments: Institutional Business, says
“We need to change the narrative around money, to start dinner conversations about how well our investments are going, or how secure our future is looking, rather than what we have just bought,” she says.
“We want to fire up a nation of #ConspicuousSavers to set ourselves on a path of true, lasting wealth-creation.”
• Check out the music video on YouTube.
• For the full story, read Personal Finance.