Personal Life
Kwesta was born Senzo Mfundo Vilakazi on 11 August 1988. Owing to his constant quest to improve his music, he decided that Kwesta would be the stage name that befits this trait.
Senzo Mfunzo Vilakazi went through the hardships of his parent’s divorce at the young age of eight. This didn’t stop him from having big dreams. Under his mother’s primary care, Kwesta grew up into a young man with a love for poetry.
He studied at Phumuloni Secondary school and then moved to Alafong High School. His teachers and peers in school provided a lot of encouragement and helped this young artist grow.
At just 15 years of age, he, along with his friends, created their first rap group known as Ghetto Fellaz.
He has since come a long way to starting his own independent media company Raplyf Records, along with Kid X.
Real name:
Senzo Mfundo Vilakazi
Nationality:
South African
Birth place:
Katlehong, Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, South Africa
Children:
Kenya Elihle Vilakazi, Khai Vilakazi,
Net Worth:
$2 million or R32 million
Kwesta’s Career
Kwesta started his first rap group in 2003 at the age of 15 with a bunch of friends. The following year, the group added a new member and renamed themselves “The Juvenylz”. Unfortunately, the group split up two years later, and Kwesta found his way to fame as an independent rapper.
Talk about being in the right place at the right time, Kwesta was able to sign an agreement with a group of youngsters who were starting their record label, ‘Africa’s Most Southern’ for the use of their studio.
Kwesta began recording several singles with AMS while taking part in various competitions and events that would help him build his own brand.
Some of his escapades he got involved included winning YFM’s Rap Activity Jam MC of the month competition, topping the ShizNiz Freestyle Kings Special on ETV, and performing at Miss Confidence Show, The Rand Show, as well as the Durban Beach Festival.
It was at this time, aged 16, that this school teacher’s son dropped out of high school to focus solely on his career as an artist.
Rumour has it that Kwesta was broke and had to borrow the fare for a taxi to the offices of Buttabing Entertainment, but that is where his previously recorded singles did their magic, and he walked out with his very first record deal.
Beginning of The Reign of Kwesta Songs
In 2007, Kwesta earned himself a spot as a judge on the Sprite Hip Hop Tour and a feature on The Ventilation Street Tape. But that wasn’t all;
He was also chosen to be a part of the Nokia Defend Your Street Campaign, which worked with various artists to develop their theme song.
Surprisingly, Kwesta still found the time to release his first single, Shap Fede, in the same year. Later on, he collaborated with DJ C-Live and released a mixtape.
When the FIFA World Cup came to South Africa in 2010, Kwesta was part of the few artists singled out to be SA’s brand ambassadors.
Part of his duty was to perform in the national roadshows held before the FIFA 2010 World Cup. Here, Kwesta got a chance to work with big names of the industry such as Jozi, Kelly Rowland, 2Face, and many more who created the Everywhere You Go anthem for MTN.
His performance at the 2010 FIFA World Cup closing ceremony was memorable to anyone who was lucky enough to have witnessed it.
Kwesta’s Albums
Special Rekwest
September 2010 also saw the debut of Kwesta’s first studio album titled, Special Rekwest. Some of the hits featured in this album were Flash It, Stomp, Babhemi, and Pump it.
While Flava received synch deals with DStv and was used on the Loeries TV ad campaign in 2011, Pump also received one with DStv and Redds. However, Stomp rose to fame when it was used as one of the soundtracks for the American action movie Death Race 3.
The success of this first record is seen in the fact that Kwesta was the first South African rapper who had seven songs that ranked on multiple radio charts in a year.
This album also earned him a nomination for Best Newcomer and Best Rap Album in the 2011 SAMA’s.
After many years of success with the Buttabing Entertainment label, Kwesta separated from the label to form Urbantainment to mentor talented upcoming artists.
One of the most prominent groups under this label is TLT, who also happens to be from Kwesta’s hometown.
DaKAR
Da King of Afrikan Rap or DaKAR was Kwesta’s second album released on 25 November 2013. It went on to be ranked third on the South African iTunes Hip-Hop Chart.
DaKAR II
This album featured one of Kwesta’s major hit singles, Ngud featuring Cassper Nyovest. It received a nomination for the song of the year at the Annual MTV Africa Music Awards and went on to get six nominations and the same number of awards in the 2017 SAMAs.
On 26 April 2018, DaKAR II also got the 7x certification from the Recording Industry of South Africa (RiSA).
g.o.d guluva
30 April 2021 saw the release of Kwesta’s fourth studio album, g.o.d gulva. This album soon rose to number four on the top 100 Album list in South Africa. It includes some of Kwesta’s latest songs like Kubo, The Bottom, and Fire in The Ghetto among others.
Kwesta’s new song “Njandini” received the nomination for Best Kwaito song at the 2021 Mzansi Kwaito and House Music Awards. Other popular songs by Kwesta include Khethile Khethile, Kwesta Nomayini, and Kokotela.
Kwesta’s Relationships
Is Kwesta Married?
Known for being a one-woman man, Kwesta has been with his current wife, Yolanda Mvelase, since 2012. Whenever spoken to, Kwesta’s wife, Yolanda, always claims that he was never her type, nor did he catch her eye the first time around.
But for Kwesta, it was always love at first sight, and his persistence finally led them to fall head over heels for each other and that was the ingredient that cast the proverbial spell on her.
After a traditional ceremony in 2018, Kwesta’s wedding to Yolanda followed the following year in March 2019, which means that the couple celebrated their third anniversary in 2022.
Does Kwesta Have Any Children?
After spending most of the first year of their marriage in lockdown, Kwesta and Yolanda announced the birth of their second daughter, Kenya Elihle Vilakazi on 11 November 2020, via a post on Kwesta’s Instagram page that received numerous congratulatory messages.
The couple also has an eight-year-old daughter, Khai Vilakazi, seen in an older post where the couple announced the expected birth of their second child.
Kwesta’s Instagram page also features a lovely picture of him with his little girls, showing how much this rapper dotes on his children.
Kwesta’s Controversy
Kwesta allegedly endured financial loss as a result of a dispute that involved fellow artist, Ayanda Jiya whom he featured in a song he produced. The song, Love me, was taken down from Apple’s Platoon Music.
Ayanda had a dispute with Boitumelo Mhlongo over the ownership of the EP, which Kwesta produced with Ayanda. The award-winning rapper distanced himself from the drama. He noted that he only collaborated on one song and is not in charge of music distribution.
In another scandal, Kwesta was accused of not paying DJ Maphorisa after he produced the track Ngud in 2016. Kwesta denied the allegations and stated that he was not involved in financial transactions.
Kwesta’s Car
For Kwesta, cars seem to be a necessity instead of a status symbol. He is more modest than some of the other big names in the industry, which shows just how different he is from his peers. He has been spotted with a BMW 4 convertible 2016 series, a white Audi RS Q3 2016 series and a BMW M4 2018 series.
Kwesta’s House
Known always to put his family first, this rapper has his feet firmly set on the ground and is living life. He bought a house before the age of 30, something that previously seemed like a dream. Recent pictures of Kwesta’s house showed his opulence and had everyone falling in love with the interior design.
Kwesta’s Net Worth
Kwesta is known to earn huge amounts of money from endorsement deals, his record label and performances. All these bring his net worth to about $2 million.
Awards & Recognition
Kwesta dominated the 23rd SAMAs in 2017 by winning awards for the Best Male Artist of the Year, Samro Highest Airplay of the Year, Sampras Highest Airplay of the Year, Best Rap Album, as well as Best Album of the year. His repertoire also includes four South African Hip Hop Awards, one MTV Africa Music Award, and one Metro FM Award.
Social Media
Kwesta’s Instagram: @Kwestdakar
Kwesta’s Facebook: Kwesta
Kwesta’s Twitter: @KwestaDaKAR
Q&A
What is Kwesta’s real name?
Kwesta’s real name is Senzo Mfundo Vilakazi. Kwesta is his stage name owing to his constant quest to improve his music.
How old is Kwesta?
Born on 11 August 1988, Kwesta’s age is 38.
How old is Kwesta’s wife?
Kwesta’s wife, Yolanda Vanessa Mvelase, was born on 13 October 1990. As of 2022, she is aged 32. Yolanda is a businesswoman par excellence and runs Beaded Bride as the CEO.
Why is Kwesta famous?
Kwesta is a famous South African Rapper and songwriter. He is most well-known for winning six SAMA awards in one year (2017).
How much is Kwesta worth?
Kwesta has seen a steady increase in his net worth since he started out in the music industry. His net worth of $2 million is made from music, endorsement deals, and his record label.
