Okayafrica TV: Talib Kweli x Cassper Nyovest Spend A Day Out In Jo'burg, South Africa
Ever true to the Black Star ethos, Talib Kweli touched down in South Africa recently to bless the Johannesburg youth with a live show and, while he was there, Okayafrica recruited rising star Cassper Nyovest to show the BKMC around town. An international hood summit of this magnitude clearly demanded a sojourn to Soweto, the sprawling city-next-to-the-city that stood as witness to many of the most transformative moments of SA's decades-long struggle against the oppressive Apartheid system int 1970s and '80s. The hallowed ground that Kweli and Nyovest tread on this pilgrimage included Vilakazi Street and the home of Winnie Mandela, among other notable spots and if you ever find yourself on that side of the bright continent, you could do worse than to follow in their Timberland-tracks (though on a personal note I would recommend a detour to the cutty BBQ spot to eat some cow's head as well. Seriously. Good times.)
To return the flavor, Kweli graciously jumped on Nyovest's latest hit "Doc Shebeleza" (check the Okayafrica premiere of the resulting remix here) the street anthem that has helped propel his debut album Tsholofeloto gold status in SA. Kweli apparently invited Cassper to get on a track of his as well, so stay tuned for even more good things to come. Luckily for us Okayafrica TV was on hand to document this entire meeting of two musical movements...scroll down to get more backstory and watch the OKA TV webisode.
Nyovest, who grew up listening to Kweli and says “if it wasn’t for people like him, there wouldn’t be guys like us,” jumped at the shot to show his idol “the real” Joburg. Kweli in turn had a chance to re-up his knowledge on South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement. “I’m glad I had the opportunity to see Soweto with someone from the area,” he told us afterwards. “It was great to see school kids who love Cassper’s music have the opportunity to see him at places like Mandela’s home and the Hector Pieterson museum. That’s something they will never forget.”