Why @YoungstaCpt #TrophyTour Is The Most Powerful Message By A Rapper To His Community #OWN2018

When it comes to authenticity and hood pride, a few names immediately come to mind but a lot are a matter of debate and opinion. When it comes to YoungstaCpt's undying mission to imprint his people's story to the rest of the world, the resilience is unmatched. Cape Town's rap Moses never puts down his cross to take a break from walking a million miles for his people, and under no circumstances does he ever leave them behind. 

In every feature verse and song, he challenges the socio-political situation of his people, and that of the broader South African, while maintaining his views about inequality and lack of service by those in power. For these reasons, we say that YoungstaCpt is unmatched in his authenticity and hood pride. It's not a pretence he puts on to appeal to a marginalised people, if anything, a lot of his content is suitable material for media banning (especially if he was a rapper burgeoning in the early 90's). For an artist, in this day and age, to push boundaries in the messaging of social disapproval and making it as fashionable as YoungstaCpt is, we can't help but revere his tenacity. He, of course, is not the only artist who speaks up about issues that some of our faves would rather not touch on, but he is currently the most visible in pushing the envelope in many ways. 

Take his 2017 South African Hip Hop Award Lyricist of the Year Trophy Tour for example. What is the first inclination for many a rapper to celebrate a win? Wild guess? I'm not a rapper but I will throw my net into deep waters and say, a party, popping some bottles with the homies and just having a good kick back. YoungstaCpt could've have thrown a massive party or concert in Cape Town to celebrate his win, but he took it to the streets - quite literally so. Kicking off in Wynberg and Woodstock earlier this year, he went through the streets talking to people of all walks of life from parents and children to hustlers and workers going about their days sharing his journey and the significance of his win. At quick glance you might reckon that's vain to an extent, but it's also a loud celebration. More than that, it's opening people of every walk of life to the possibility of their own flourishing out there in the world. I'm not from where YoungstaCpt is but watching his trophy tour immediately signaled a sense of hope and encouragement to me too. The basic idea is, "If he is from here and he is doing it, then so can I." It is commonly known that Cape Town is a loud oxymoron, the glitzy tourist attraction part, and the not so sparkly - often marginalised - parts. Like the story of many a rural or ghetto South African child from remote areas, getting out is difficult and staying to try and make a change within the community is sometimes even more frustrating. What YoungstaCpt is doing is rendering himself a messenger, always being in touch with his people while often heading out into the world (beyond South African itself) and telling his tongue-in-cheek stories for everyone out there to look down into his region and wake up to the harsh facts. The trophy tour is an inclusive measure by Youngsta. He tangibly shares his victory with not only his homies and the people who helped him get there, but with the very people that are subject of his lyrical laments. The children who are staying in youth centres and being taken care of by guardians see this "big man" walk into their space and treat them like the royalty they are by showing them that they too are lyricists of the year, or painters of the year, or dancers of the year, and everything else they envision themselves being. So you see, Youngsta's crusade is that of unapologetic hood pride and a stubbornness to be who you are despite the world itself. This is the message behind the trophy tour and now his community takes pride in not only him, but who they are in all the cards they've been dealt. After all, you can't suppress the magic in a source. Suffice it to say that in his own way, Youngsta surely OWNS 2018.