Rapper wrapped in Musallah
|Published
COVER: YoungstaCPT and Imraan Christian wear fezzes, scarves, prayer mats in M&G. Picture: Instagram COVER: YoungstaCPT and Imraan Christian wear fezzes, scarves, prayer mats in M&G. Picture: Instagram
He’s the hottest act on the South African hip hop scene.
But YoungstaCPT doesn’t look like your average rapper.
The Cape Flats superstar, real name Riyadh Roberts, has his own style, which is heavily influenced by his Muslim roots.
That much was clear from a photoshoot he did for a Mail & Guardian interview recently, just days after he cleaned up at the South African Hip Hop Awards.
The 27-year-old walked away with album of the year for 3T and best video for the song YVR (Young van Riebeek).
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A post shared by Mail & Guardian(@mailandguardian) on Nov 28, 2019 at 9:24am PST
Accepting his awards at the Lyric Theatre that night, Youngsta stepped up wearing a tall, black fez and long, black salaah thobe.
In his M&G cover shoot, he and music video director Imraan Christian went a step further by donning red koefieyahs, Palestinian scarves and wrapping themselves in musallahs (prayer mats).
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A post shared by Mail & Guardian(@mailandguardian) on Dec 3, 2019 at 11:44pm PST
The image, which was retweeted by Youngsta, was taken outside the Luxurama Theatre in his Wynberg neighbourhood.
The interview focuses on Youngsta’s autobiographical 3T album, which “looks to expand the listener’s understanding of the so-called coloured identity in Cape Town and how it intersects with being Muslim in contemporary South Africa”.
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/3T?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#3T📸: alternate photography pic.twitter.com/FdEkdLJZgn
— Youngsta Kaapstad (@YoungstaCpt)
Youngsta told M&G: “We can still go capture a music video about Islam because there are so many areas that are practising it in the same way.”
Fans on social were loving his look, with idigsuli790 posting: “Stay here bro, it’s very humbling to see that your growth isn’t switching up your faith. True inspiration, may Allah guide you further bro.”
Imraan Christian re-posted the picture with the caption: “it is written. grateful to share the @mailandguardian Friday cover with my brother @youngstacpt on the language we are building together as well as the best video award for YVR and album of the year for 3T. Thank you to everyone who’s been a part of the journey and the entire @ygen_ent_cpt Family, humbled and grateful ...”
Youngsta is currently taking his two gongs on a South African “trophy tour”, and was driving to Port Elizabeth Wednesday.
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A post shared by Young Van Riebeek(@youngstacpt) on Nov 23, 2019 at 1:21am PST