Cape Town rapper Youngsta claims to have “put the Cape up when they made the Cape flat”. He once released 24 mixtapes in less than two years. In 2015 he released 20 videos as part of his #VisualVrydag series. Add an album, about six EPs and numerous singles to that list. He spat one of the most talked about verses of 2015 on DJ Switch’s “Way It Go” single, alongside Tumi and Nasty C. This was nothing new; Youngsta has been writing impressive verses, alongside some of South Africa’s best. We bring you, in no particular order, some of the rapper’s best guest verses.

Priddy Ugly ft. Youngsta – “Come to my Kasi”

Priddy Ugly’s verse on “Come to my Kasi”, off his latest EP You Don’t Know Me Yet, is great. He probably had Youngsta’s murderous ways in mind when he wrote it. Youngsta’s verse, intimidating especially combined with producer Wichi 1080’s trap beat, achieves the opposite of the song’s title. Judging from such brutal bars as “Fuck a social life, on the corners is where I chill on/ Rappers want beef, I hang them up like biltong/ You just a [?] man and pussy with granny panties/ Don’t call me fam or family, keep it clean like Handy Andy”, delivered in an intimidating vocal projection, who would want to go?

Youngsta ft. Reason and Tumi – “What Have You Done, My Brother?”

Youngsta proved he was good enough to hold his own alongside greats, Tumi Molekane and Reason. On 2012’s “What Have You Done, My Brother?”, all three rappers have impressive verses. My favourite is Reason’s but Youngsta tells his story so coherently it’s hard to not acknowledge his verse, especially because he wasn’t even 21 at the time.

DJ Switch ft. Tumi, Youngsta and Nasty C – “Way It Go”

On one of 2015’s most impressive lyrical songs, Youngsta spat what was arguably one of the best verses of that year. That Cape Coloured slang, high-precision flow, conviction in his voice, and how about those simple yet clever lines: “2015, hanging in the taxi, haven’t got teeth/ Wolf on Wall Street, looking for a sheep/ Sacrifice lamb, you’d think it was Eid”?

E-Jay ft. Youngsta and Tweezy – “Day Ones”

On E-Jay’s “Day Ones”, a Tweezy-produced banger, Youngsta lets us in on growing up with his friend, E-Jay, and some of the issues they have faced. “People say I changed, I believe I’m still the same one/ ‘cause I’m lamming with ouens I knew when I was in grade one/ it’s primary, me and E-Jay’s like Ebony and Ivory/ People telling lies so we can get into a rivalry,” he raps. A heartfelt verse yet still delivered viciously. Easily one of his best.

Chinese Man and Tumi ft. Youngsta – “Past Your Time”

Tumi, on The Journey, his collaborative rappity rap EP with French electronic band, Chinese Man, enlisted just three rappers – Khuli Chana, Taiwan MC and Youngsta. On “Past Your Time”, Tumi and Youngsta switched flows over the song’s varying rhythm. Youngsta, just like Tumi, proved once again that he can jump on any beat and still excel.

DJ Switch ft Youngsta and Ill SKillz – “Stiek Uit”

On this verse, Youngsta maintains one rhyme scheme throughout, yet he still manages to elude monotony. There aren’t any mind-blowing lines on here, just great flows and simple straight-forward bars (“I’m not concerned with no airplay/ ‘cause the industry is no fair game/ so I hijack’em like airplanes”). His delivery alone sees him standing out, among the two Ill Skillz veterans.

Black Vulcanite ft. Kita Keez, Ill Skillz, Driemanskap, Youngsta – “12th Hour”

Right after the impressive flows of Ma-B (Driemanskap) and AliThatDude (Black Vulcanite), Youngsta fires some poignant shots, “It’s all good in the hood, from Wittebome to Gugs/ You a poes, I should drive over you like Jub Jub.” Unlike most of the rappers on the song, his flow is steady, making each and every one of his cold bars audible. A freestylist of note, from lines like, “I got the Manskap of Drie, with Ill Skillz and we blacker than Vulcanite”, you can tell his verse was written for this particular song – a rarity these days when freestyles are read from iPhones. It’s hard to single out one winner on this track – every rapper brought it – but Youngsta’s definitely a candidate.

What’s your favourite Youngsta guest verse?
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Image: Andiswa Mkosi

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