Refiloe Maele Phoolo, professionally known as Cassper Nyovest, ventured into music in 2004. He was a member of a group called Childhood Gangsters, which disbanded and he joined Slow Motion.
In 2007, after moving from Potchefstroom to Johannesburg, he joined Impact Sounds, where he was signed by Motswako. He however left two years later without any record released. His aim was to set up his own label but he was unsuccessful and opted to move back home.
An encounter with Hip Hop Pantsula (HHP) brought him to the limelight. HHP spotted Cassper at a performance and featured him on Wambo Tsemba Mtho as well as on international tours, sharing stages with international artists including Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Talib Kweli and others.
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Cassper released his first single Gusheshe in 2013 and followed it with Doc Shebeleza, which earned him critical acclaim across Africa. His first album was launched in July 2014 followed by a platinum edition in 2015.
In 2015, Cassper made history by being the first South African hip-hop artist to sell out 20-000 capacity Ticketpro Dome in Johannesburg. He launched his sophomore album, Refiloe in the same year, and guests at the dome received a complimentary album with each ticket sale.
In 2016, he filled out the 40,000-seater Orlando Stadium. He also went ahead and won a number of awards including the Sound City MVP for Best Hip Hop Artist in Africa.
Apart from releasing his third studio album, Thuto, Cassper kept winning awards in 2017, including the SAMA Award for Ngud on which he collaborated with Kwesta as well as the best Male South African by African Musiq Magazine Awards.
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Not only did Thuto Album go Gold on the day of release, it was certified platinum by the Recording Industry of South Africa.
On December 2, 2017, Cassper announced that 72,000 tickets were sold and attendance record of 68,000, making him the first South African hip-hop artists to ever receive such a turnout.
Cassper recently announced on Twitter that he passed 10 million units in his career and dedicated the plaque to his fans for the support.
