Kwesta is a South African rapper and songwriter who has an estimated net worth of $2 million. He made most of his money from his music career.
The fact has since been established that South Africa is blessed with some of the best rappers on the African continent. When the roll is called for the very best, Kwesta will have his name right there. Not only is he talented, but he is also blessed with riches, and thanks to this, he has a net worth that runs in millions, placing him among the richest rappers in the country.
Like many others, his sources of income include his music sales and streaming, events and shows, endorsement deals, and other engagements. The Artistic Genius, as he is called, enjoys his money by buying the good things money can buy, including luxury cars and an expensive home.
Biography and Quick Profile of Kwesta
Birth name: Senzo Brikka Vilakazi
Date of birth: 11 August 1988
Age: 34 Years Old
Net worth: $2 million
Wife: Yolanda Mvelase
Famous songs: Ngud, Spirit, I Came I Saw
Kwesta Enjoys A Net Worth Of $2 Million
KwestaKwesta, his wife, and daughter (Image Source)
As it relates to his net worth, Kwesta has an estimated $2 million, which he made from his career and other endeavors. The rapper’s early life was spent in a struggling family. However, his talent and business sense have combined to ensure that he makes it above his background.
Since his career started, his net worth has continued to grow with each year as his fan base keeps increasing, and he is getting more deals. Here are all the ways that he makes his money:
Sales of music and streaming
Shows and events
Social media
Endorsement deals
Businesses
The Artistic Genius Makes So Much Money From Music
Born Senzo Brikka Vilakazi in 1988, Kwesta started his walk to fame and fortune when he started his music career when he was still a teenager. He became a member of Ghetto Fellaz when he was 15. The group later changed its name to The Juvenylz. Unfortunately, the group disbanded only two years later.
He dropped out of school at the age of 16 to pursue his dream of becoming a musician, and he soon got a deal with Buttabing Entertainment, opening the door to opportunities of making music and money.
Kwesta’s talent helped him land some gigs that paid him well early in his career, including the Sprite Hip Hoop Tour and The Nokia Defend Your Street Campaign. He released his debut single, Sharp Fede, in 2008. The song was relatively successful, but more importantly, it opened the door for bigger things to come his way. From this point, he came to release more singles and then four albums:
Special ReKwest (2010)
DaKAR (Da King of Afrikan Rap) (2013)
DaKAR II (2016)
2 Skeif (2020)
His albums have given him much money considering the sales he recorded. His third album was the most successful as it was certified 7x Platinum. With that, it was named the all-time best-selling Hip Hop album in South Africa, giving a great boost to his net worth.
Another high he reached was when he got the opportunity to feature as one of the country’s brand ambassadors during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Thanks to this, he performed at the national roadshows before the tournament and during the closing ceremony of the biggest football event, which was the first to be hosted in Africa. Again, the money he made from this is unknown, but it is believed to be significant.
His successful career has been decorated with many accolades, including multiple South African Music Awards (SAMAs), South African Music Performance Rights Association (SAMPRA), Metro FM Award, MTV Africa Music Awards, and SA Hip Hop Awards.
He Charges A Good Amount For Features And Performance Gigs
The resume of Kwesta is quite impressive. With a long list of songs that have become some National anthem and a career filled with many awards and recognitions, no one expects the rapper to charge little for gigs and shows.
It is known that top rappers in the country can charge as high as R50,000 to R100,000 for an international feature. Being a top rapper himself, he charged a paltry 35,000 rand for a feature back in 2016. The amount is what he takes for a verse. At the time, rappers like Riky Rick, Da L.E.S, and L-Tido all earn the same fee, while others like Emtee and Nasty C, who were still on the rapid rise, were takingR25,000.
However, in 2020 his manager revealed that the rapper has since taken up his fee in an interview. He was said to be taking home nothing short of R183,000, which converts to $10,000. According to the report, this is his charge for any international feature, whether with an act from the United States, Nigeria, or any other country outside of South Africa. Interestingly, he has featured in many songs, including with Lil Nas X.
The aforementioned amount is what one will pay to have him feature in one’s music, but when you need him to appear in your music video, there is an extra $5,000 charge. This means that for a song and video, the rapper may charge as high as $15,000.
There has been no revelation regarding what he charges when working with other acts in South Africa. The fee may also be generous, but like many others in the industry, it is believed that he can work for free with stars that are close to him or those he considers to be his friends.
When it comes to performance at shows and events, the rapper is reported to charge nothing short of R85,000, depending on the event.
Here is a breakdown of his charges available to us:
International feature: $10,000
Feature in Music Video: $5,000
International feature in song and video: $15,000
Performance: R85,000
Kwesta Made His Fortune Through Different Means
KwestaKwesta (Image Source)
Even though music has been a major source of wealth for him, it is not the only means through which he makes his fortune. The rapper also cashes out from endorsement deals, social media, businesses, and other special deals.
Endorsement Deals and Special deals
The South African genius has landed many endorsement deals in the past, with some major brands wishing to have him as their ambassador or partner with the brand he has built through his career as a music star.
These Are The Best Things You Can Do To Turn Your Woman On
One of the biggest deals he has had is with Heineken. This deal is claimed to be one of the biggest in the entertainment industry in the country. Heineken is reported to have assisted the rapper in getting some of the biggest international acts in the world, such as Rick Ross and Wale, to South Africa.
In 2018, he announced to his fans that he signed an endorsement deal with the mobile telecommunication network Telkom. He was featured as the face of the network’s popular “Free Me” campaign.
Another endorsement deal to his resume is with the clothing brand Urban Art, under which he made his own line of shoes, Urbanart Kwesta Bolt Sneaker. This is yet another lucrative deal for him, as it was reported to have seen more than 20,000 pairs sold even before it was released.
Butan Wear is another clothing brand that Kwesta has had an endorsement deal with. Shortly after he got this deal, he also partnered with Spree in 2015 to be the face of another menswear line, The Collective.
Here are some of the endorsements and special deals he has had:
Spree
UrbanArt
Butan Wear
Telkom
Heineken
Other Businesses That Have Added To The Net Worth Of Kwesta
The endorsement deals have not stopped coming for the rapper; neither has he stopped making money from his music. But even that is not enough to stop him from working on developing some businesses that would add money to his bank.
He has his own music label, RapLyf Records, under which he is now signed. He has put so much work into promoting the independent media company, but the exact contribution to his net worth is what is still not very clear.