Is A-Reece an A-list rapper? Cassper Nyovest's bold claim sparks heated fan reactions

Rapper Cassper Nyovest, real name Refiloe Phoolo, has the hip-hop community up in arms after making multiple controversial comments about his industry peers, particularly rapper and songwriter A-Reece, who he says is “not an A-list” rapper.

Known for his controversial remarks, the hitmaker did not hold back on the recent episode of the “L-Tido Podcast”, speaking on A-Reece’s career and status.

This comes after the “Kusho Bani” singer asked L.Tido, the podcast host, to list rappers that have managed to remain mysterious but still sustain their careers for a long time, as he does not believe there are any. 

The host answered by listing A-Reece, to which Nyovest disagreed. He believes that A-Reece, despite his dedicated fanbase and consistent output, has not quite reached the top tier of the industry. 

“A-Reece has a very healthy career. It’s niche, though. It’s very niche,” said Nyovest.

“It’s good for him and his cult fans. He has carved a fanbase for himself, and those are his people, and they eat it up, and that’s it. But it’s been at the same place, it’s not A-list,” he added.

The seasoned rapper also took aim at A-Reece’s limited reach, questioning when was the last time he performed in places like Venda, Newcastle, or KwaMashu. 

To Nyovest, true success requires a national presence, selling out stadiums and drawing crowds from all over the country as he has done.

He shared that he knows his comments will ruffle some feathers, especially among A-Reece’s dedicated fanbase, the “slimes”, but he is still unbothered because he is all for competing.

“I know A-Reece’s fans are going to go at me, but I’m one guy who they can’t do nothing to. I'm not scared of A-Reece’s fans.”

According to him, A-Reece’s limited geographical reach and niche fan base are major factors in why he is not on A-list level, and he asserts that he is not going to be stroking egos but stating facts.

As he puts it, “I’m not here to be okay. That’s not what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to compete and be at the highest level and make the most amount of money that I can make in the business that I’m in.”

His comments have sparked a heated debate among the two fan bases who came out in numbers on X, with many questioning what it takes to be considered an A-list rapper in the South African music industry.

X user @tumifuego commented: “A-Reece definitely has a better catalogue in my opinion, but if we’re talking about hits and legacy and longevity in the hip hop game? Cass is up there alone. ‘Meanwhile in Honeydew’ has more views than ‘Phumakim’ by Cass on YouTube, but which one of the two is a bigger song?”

While @dme363 said: “The only thing Cassper Nyovest has over A-Reece is money and popularity. But musically, he is nowhere near the lyrical level of Reece. Y'all gave a wack rapper too many bragging rights.”

“Cassper was spot on about A-Reece, but the slimes will be offended even though they know the truth. Reece has so much potential to be one of the best and a Superster that SA ever produced, but he’s sitting on that potential,” said @Cmbulele_Mag.

A-Reece himself responded with a sarcastic post on X, captioned: “A ba re tshabe slimes 💔”, which translates to “They are not scared of us, slimes”.