Cassper Nyovest's commercial success may be traced back to his ability to harness his talents.

Cassper Nyovest was photographed dancing at his table at the official Celeb City after-party on Sunday night, only hours after he'd stepped to the ring and lost to Naak Musiq in an exhibition bout at Sun City's Superbowl.

He was wearing his distinctive Root of Fame 990 sneakers, a self-branded T-shirt with his face on it, and a bottle of his own liquor brand, Don Billiato, in the video.

 

It was an outlandish flex that demonstrated his unrivaled business acumen and ownership. Despite suffering a humiliating defeat in front of the entire country, the 31-year-old is on a roll.

The amount of control he has over his own career — he owns his songs, wears his own clothing line, and drinks his own liquor brand — reminds me of American rapper Rick Ross, who is dubbed "The Biggest Boss."

Cassper, like Ross, who has extended his company portfolio in the last year to include businesses as disparate as a hot wings fast food outlet and potato chips, is generating money any way he can and, maybe most crucially, preserving control.

His historic and legendary "Fill Up The Dome" event in 2015, during which he became the first local headliner to sell out the then-20,000-capacity Ticketpro Dome, which is now a WeBuyCars dealership, was the beginning of his adventure here.

That was the first time the country came to a complete halt in support of the rapper.

A year later, he returned with "Fill Up Orlando Stadium," which saw him quadruple his efforts with a sold-out audience of 40 000.

Then he went out to fill FNB Stadium, although reports indicate that just 68 000 tickets were sold out of a total of 75 000.

Over the next two years, he conquered Moses Mabhida and Royal Bafokeng Stadium.

Cassper has a habit of giving the idea that he is the most despised person on the planet, and that everyone is out to harm him.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, things will change dramatically: the sponsors he claims are ignoring him will arrive, the stadiums he is "struggling" to fill will suddenly sell out, and the industry that is allegedly blackballing him will suddenly show up to support him. Cassper understands everyone likes the underdog, and he takes advantage of this every time.

While boxing fans and ex-boxers argue whether the events of the past weekend will benefit the sport in the long run, one thing is certain: they did.

Cassper has catapulted the sport into the spotlight, though briefly, and exploited the opportunity to build his brand and make some substantial cash.

Cassper debuted to television last year as the host of SABC1's "The Braai Show."

He's witty, with a dry wit, comedic timing, and casual delivery that consistently generates laugh-out-loud moments on his Instagram Stories, but he's not a great TV presenter.

Despite this, he drew attention to his program thanks to the A-List guests he hosted and his constant promotion of the show on his social media platforms, which have a large following. That is exactly what he does.

Whether it's a new record or a new business endeavor, he hypes it up and promotes it with such zeal that we can't help but pay attention.

Cassper, on the other hand, is not immune to the occasional blunder.

Last month, his remark on a social media post honoring the late Riky Rick was widely panned for its homophobic overtones.

His persistent sensationalism can sometimes go too far.

Take, for example, 2020's luscious tune "Egyptian Cotton."

"I guess I might let go of the Bentley, for I don't want to have his (Khotso, his son) tummy go empty," he rapped in the second stanza. It's a phrase that's so ridiculous it's funny. Cassper does not need to sell his Bentley to ensure that his small son's stomach does not go hungry.

Cassper Nyovest is a South African rapper. Image credit: Instagram.

Then there's his never-ending beefs, most notably his long-running battle with AKA, which continues to spark public interest.

There's a degree of theatricality to it all that appears to be designed for commercial purposes: Cassper Nyovest is far too successful to care about stupid feuds.

The talents and flaws that make him so intriguing are a big part of what's gotten him this far and why he'll probably keep going. He is a marketing genius because of his bravery and shamelessness.

He recently said that his current ventures in footwear and booze are an attempt to make him the first South African rapper to become a billionaire. There's no reason to distrust him at this point.

Cassper gave an intriguing viewpoint on his strategy in a recent interview with the Mail & Guardian: "“This current roll-out of businesses is a step towards the few other major deals I’m about to close off" he stated.

“My role-models are Kanye and Jay-Z and those are businesspeople. So, I’ve always had that in mind to diversify.

“It also makes you comfortable when you’re making money elsewhere. I’m not forced to put out a song, because I’m making money elsewhere.

“So, the day I feel like it and I’m inspired, I get into the studio according to how I feel, not because I need to go and make money.”

Despite all these mega business moves, last year Cassper released what is statistically the biggest single of his career, “Siyathandana”.

So, even though his focus is shifting and he's becoming a multi-hyphenate billionaire, the music is striking harder than ever.