Nyovest sees award nod as a much bigger opportunity
IT’S ANOTHER year and the BET Awards are back. From South Africa, we have another batch of artists who were nominated and they include rappers AKA, Emtee and Cassper Nyovest and house god, Black Coffee. Nyovest could not contain his excitement at being part of the action.
“I am excited about going to the BETs. I am in a good space in my life and this could not have come at a better time. I can’t wait to go back to LA and meet up with people. I have so many people whom I have set bombs with and when I get there, we set it off,” he said.
“For me, it is always about the connections and I don’t focus on the award. If we win, it would be crazy, but I am just happy to be there to socialise,” he added.
Nyovest has won many awards for his two albums, Tsholofelo and Refiloe, so many in fact, you’d think he’s got them all, but he feels differently.
“This win would be the No 1 trophy. I think I deserved it last year so it would be nice to get it this time. It would be my most valuable prize yet. I think what I have done for African hip hop thus far is amazing and it would be great to have that award with BET recognising me. If I don’t win, I will still feel that I deserve it, but I have won so many awards that it doesn’t mean as much as it would have before. When I was new, they made it sound like winning meant that I had made it, but I now know that sometimes these things can get political so I just go there to have fun, meet people and network,” he said, sounding undecided.
“Also, all the girls at these awards are happy, so one down,” he said as an afterthought.
Any of the people who are nominated at these awards are free to campaign with their fans so that they stand a chance to win. But Nyovest is reluctant to do that.
“I have asked my fans to vote. People go about it differently and we have heard about people setting up call centres to make the hype work. My thing is that everyone’s fan base is strong enough to get them the win if they connect with the fans at the right time. We don’t even know if the votes are all we need or if there will be further deliberations.
“It would be great to bring back the award to South Africa for the first time, but if Black Coffee gets it, it would be great and I think what he’s done for the game is amazing. I am a fan of all the nominated African acts, but I am rooting for South Africa,” he said.
For him, win or lose, going on this trip is more about business than anything else and the rapper is looking to cash in.
“The US and other international places are really curious about South Africa. They just want to hear what we are up to. It is interesting how people here look down on our own art,” he said.
Having worked with the likes of Talib Kweli and The Game, Nyovest is on the hunt for another collaboration opportunity.
“I am a big fan of Kanye and I dream of working with him one day. I also want to add people like Kendrick Lamar, J Cole, Rihanna, DJ Drama is my dude, Wale – I think he made a good album – and even the greats like Jay Z,” he said.
The BET Awards will take place at the Microsoft Theatre, Los Angeles, California, on Sunday, June 26 and will air across Africa on BET (DStv channel 129) on Tuesday, June 28 at 7pm.