The Boy Who Would Be King

Award-winning rapper YoungstaCPT has been unapologetically representing Cape Town through his music since 2010. Now, a decade later, he’s risen through the ranks and cemented his name among SA’s rap royalty. This is his moment.

- THAAQIB DANIELS

A city’s acronym may only seem important to people who spend their time in and out of airports, but for rapper YoungstaCPT, the three-letter abbreviation for Cape Town does more than just show where he’s from – it tells the world who he is.

Humble Beginnings

Born Riyadh Roberts and raised by a single mom, the 28-year-old from Wynberg in Cape Town’s southern suburbs is a household name around the Mother City. Now he’s making waves across the country after the release of his long-awaited debut album, 3T – which appropriately stands for “Things Take Time”. The body of work that he’d been compiling since 2015 proved to be worth the wait – Youngsta scooped Album Of The Year at the 2019 SA Hip Hop Awards (SAHHA), putting himself, and Capetonian rappers in general, on the map.

But long before claiming the hip hop crown, Youngsta was exactly what his rap name describes – a kid. And like any kid his age, looked up to his favourite characters on TV. His passion for music and entertainment began when he first watched a certain Fresh Prince of Bel Air who moved in with his wealthy auntie and uncle in Bel Air.

“It all started from as early as Primary School – pretty much since I first saw Will Smith in Fresh Prince,” he recalls. “I always credit that as the beginning because I wanted to emulate him. Not necessarily be a rapper – I just wanted to be Will Smith. I would rap along to the theme song and try to match the outfits he wore on the show.”