South African rapper Kwesta is opening up like never before on his latest album The Big Bro Theory, which is set to drop on Friday, 9 May. Known for his deep lyrics and hits like Ngud’, Kwesta—real name Senzo Mfundo Vilakazi—spoke about the emotional journey behind the project at a recent listening session.
The 37-year-old artist reflected on the highs and lows he has experienced throughout his music career, admitting that the journey has not always been easy. Despite tough times, he never gave up.
“I’m not oblivious to my reality. It once was and then it wasn’t and now, we are trying to get it back to how it’s supposed to be,” he said, referring to a time when he felt like he had fallen off the radar.
Kwesta pointed to 2020 as a particularly difficult year, saying everything seemed to come to a halt. “Everything went down, they couldn’t find me on the phone and screens and by the time I woke up from to it, I was like oh. I don’t think it was laziness on my part or reluctance to play. It was because it moved to a place for me not playing,” he explained.
At one point in his career, Kwesta was at the top of the game. But even then, he knew nothing lasts forever. “At the highest of highest of anything, at a point where you thought Kwesta was the best artist in the country, that point I knew this too shall pass,” he said.
On one of the tracks, the rapper gets real about money and success, saying that while he made millions, he was never truly rich.
“The history of Kwesta is the highest selling album, this and that. When I say I was never rich I mean none of that was used to enhance my personal being either spiritually or financially. When we were making the money, it was always we. We ploughed back into the culture as much as we could,” he said.
The album’s title, The Big Bro Theory, also has a special meaning. Kwesta revealed that younger artists in the industry have started calling him “Big Bro” frequently, something he was reluctant to accept at first.
“All the new artists who are coming in started calling me Big Bro so much and I was at a point where I didn’t want to be called Big Bro because I wanted to be young forever. This album means something to new artists,” he shared.
