Over a decade later‚ rapper Kwesta is not only one of the most consistent hitmakers to come out of South Africa‚ he’s also considered one of the most humble artists by young musicians in the industry.
Kwesta, whose real name is Senzo Mfundo Vilakazi, said he didn’t believe he was “especially” humble – it is just who he is‚ combined with good home training.
“I just think I know who I am. Kwesta is not Senzo. I’ve tried to merge the two because I never want to get to a point where I need to pretend to be someone else. However‚ Kwesta is a part of Senzo, not the other around. So he has no choice but to have the same home training and how I was raised.”
Kwesta said his humility may also have something to do with his mother.
“I think my mom would still give me a big whoop a** if I ever got a big head‚” he joked.
As far as mentoring the upcoming generation of rappers is concerned‚ Kwesta said one of the most important lessons they could learn was to always secure their financial future while the money is still flowing in.
“It boils down to the artist being aware enough to secure their future first. The thing is‚ as you get it‚ there’s so much hype and money. And you think that it’s going to last forever. In your head‚ you are set for life‚ but that’s never the case. And whatever you can do to save or invest money‚ you think ‘nah I’ll do that next year’. Then you never get around to it. When that time comes the money isn’t as much anymore and you can’t do what you should have done because you need to live. It’s just about educating yourself and knowing what you want.”
Kwesta said he never set out for fame but understood that it was part of the package.
“I am often reminded that I need to switch back to Kwesta because I’m not that great with people but Kwesta has to be.”..