Being Slept On: The Evolution of @BYLWANSTA From #YAR To #SpijOnget

Being slept on is a feeling most artists are familiar with, some chose to vocalize it and some just don't. For ByLwansta, who has never had the inability to fully express his life, being slept on has been a major problem for him and so as he does, he went on and brought it out on his 2016 EP Your Absolutely Right. It's three years to present day, and the evolution is massive and hard to ignore.

A brief introduction to who ByLwansta is is quite simple; Hailing from Kokstad, he's a DIY, forward thinking creative you should know, and if you don't, well... you sorta need to. On his previous projects, ByLwansta would come across as sad and aggressive, these sentiments were conveyed in the music, and people on the other hand knew him as "the sad internet rapper." But this was the space the homie was in. Not that we're complaining, creatively using his aggressiveness, ByLwansta went on to be the first South African artist to perform at the COLORS studios in 2017, so it's safe to say things worked out just proper for him. 

On being slept on; the sad and aggressive ByLwansta on Your Absolutely Right spoke highly on his talents being slept on by the people. This was largely brought on on "The Sigh," and the Clara-T featured "Something To Say," where in the first 12 seconds of the song he says, "Hey Vuka, stop sleeping on Lwansta." 

In 2019, we were introduced to a happier ByLwansta, in love and all pretty things. The growth is unavoidable. "Throughout 2018, I was hating my ideas, second guessing them, I was not trusting my gut anymore, things just weren't piecing together like how they used to. I was getting frustrated, opinions were starting to matter more than they used to. I got to a point of "fuck this" and I just stepped away for a while, gave it a break and just designed and got with the band. My operating system needed to update I guess," he expressed. That break was well deserved, as he came back with a fresh and refreshing project, SpijOnget (Chapter One). On this, everything has changed besides the colour orange. Not only does ByLwansta make a transition from a rapper to a composer, but his musical direction is changed in his mood, tone and delivery, he sees life in a different way now.

From "Stop sleeping on Lwansta" on Your Absolutely Right, ByLwansta now warns people of the dangers of sleep deprivation on SpijOnget. "I told them stop sleeping on Lwansta, so I lead by example. Little did I know sleep deprivation is harmful," he raps on "It's Late." Could the song be a follow up from "Something To Say?" Maybe, but the message is clear, the man has grown and evolved musically and personally, and we're watching it as it happens. Check out "It's Late" from the first chapter of SpijOnget below: