YoungstaCPT

AS ONE OF THE COUNTRY’S MOST INFLUENTIAL FIGURES IN SA HIP-HOP, RIYADH ROBERTS IS PRAISED FOR HIS MASTERFUL LYRICISM AND THE REPRESENTATION OF HIS COMMUNITY.

- Anele Geqiwe Story by Shannon Manuel

IF YOU WERE TO GO BY THE YOUTUBE COMMENTS ON HIS MUSIC VIDEOS, WITHOUT EVEN HEARING A WORD, BY THE HUGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE EXCLAIMING "FACTS!" YOU GET THE UNDENIABLE SENSE THAT HE IS SAYING SOMETHING WORTH HEARING. WHAT IS DEFINITELY A 100% UNDENIABLE FACT IS THAT THERE IS A LOT OF LOVE FOR YOUNGSTACPT, REAL NAME, RIYADH ROBERTS, ACROSS OUR COUNTRY.

RIYADH ROBERTS, BETTER KNOWN AS YOUNGSTACPT, FIRST GAINED WIDESPREAD ATTENTION WITH HIS MIXTAPE "TAKEAWAY" IN 2013 AND HAS SINCE RELEASED SEVERAL PROJECTS, including albums like "3T" (2017) and "3T (Things Take Time)" (2019). His music often reflects the realities and challenges faced in his hometown of Cape Town, addressing issues such as crime, poverty, and inequality.

Making his GQ cover debut, he laughs and says that it's about time.

We caught up with him during his visit to Atlanta, USA. "The trip has been good. We're here for business, but in between we do make time to see the sights,' he says.

Despite being a well known figure by name, there's not much background out there about him. While his official entry onto the music scene is cited as 2010, he reveals this love story started way before then.

'I would say that my first encounter with rap music and the rap personality was Will Smith. That may sound odd now, but I was six years old. I was a big Will Smith fan. The catchy theme music of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air caught my attention and then he made Men in Black and its theme song, and I was fascinated by his duality of acting and rapping.

The way he dressed and how he carried himself when he was on the song versus when he was in the movie. That was my measurement of what a rapper is at the start,' says Roberts.

Naturally, as the years progressed he discovered other hip hop artists, but, aside from the style of music, he was also intrigued by the culture.