Earlier this week, South African MC, Cassper Nyovest made an appearance on Power 105’s The Breakfast Club show in New York, USA where he talked his career and hip-hop in Africa amongst other things. Cassper, who has been in the news in recent times for a second attempt to fill up the infamous Johannesburg Dome sold out nearly two years ago.

Many who remember the performance will also be quick to mention the installation of a floating stage that hovered across the arena. Cassper, in all of his glory stood atop the platform, dropping wisdom from above, while performing track after track from his 2015, Refilo album. Fast forward a year later, Kanye West is touring his Life Of Pablo album with a similarly purposed floating stage. During one of the stops of his Saint Pablo tour, Kanye took off one of his mid set rants where he called out alleged imitators, who were trying to steal his stage. The news didn’t circle back to Cassper until American blogs started pulling through the internet for theories on who he may be referring to. Of course, Cassper was fingered, but the rapper simply brushed off the remarks, as he seemingly had his own floating stage installation months before Kanye.

Though all the facts have been set straight ever since, the American media still seems to be having a field day bringing the floating stage saga. On The Breakfast Club, co-host Charlamagne Tha God in fact went ahead to suggest Kanye‘s manager was in South Africa at the time and could’ve been instrumental to Kanye’s inspiration for a similar idea.

Cassper Nyovest took all the remarks in good faith but there is an understated truth we can’t possibly ignore here. It is that the days when African artists are touted as copycats are long gone. As the culture continues to saturate, new thought leaders will shape perceptions and introduce authenticity. The truth of how Kanye came about his own floating stage may be a mystery, but we know who did it first and that’s all we need.

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