YoungstaCPT and Shaney Jay release “Benni McCarthy” In Memory Of AKA

YoungstaCPT and Shaney Jay release “Benni McCarthy” In Memory Of AKA!. The songs is the first single off their forthcoming project.

Channeling my inner Benni / I swear at Referee saying that YOU musn’t push/ Took AKA to Hanover Park FaceTimed Benni while we were lamming with Oeg / surrounded by OGs / a memorable moment that I’ll never ever forgot /

I miss Mr.Marcus / I went to the scene of the crime on the day he was shot /
I’m playing the end game Y?GEN avengers MY RAPPING making them marvel /
went to Bafana then played overseas in leagues & set an example / With TkZee on Shibobo / for Westham or Porto / he’s the GOAT check his whole approach / from a player to the coach /

When did you write this song? Why is this song important to you?

“I wrote the song ‘Benni McCarthy’ in 2022 around the time the news broke that he was going to be coaching with Manchester United. It was a magical moment for all Cape Townians and seeing him on the same field as Ronaldo who also returned to the Football club, I wanted to capture that feeling of pride and patriotism in music. He has always been a beloved South African icon but for Cape Town the respect and admiration for him runs deeper and I just wanted to pay respect to all his accomplishments knowing his back story.

I’ve never made a song about a famous personality before. People have done songs and albums for international figures like Pablo Escobar to local stars such as Bob Mobena, David Genero, Doc Shebeleza etc…I was surprised no one had ever done a song about Benni McCarthy and when the spotlight fell on him I felt it was the perfect time. I think the song will become an anthem and serve as an ode to him and Cape Town…” YoungstaCPT

“This song is important to me because it’s a dope way of acknowledging one of our hometown heroes which we should all be proud of.” Shaney Jay

What significance does Benni McCarthy have to you? Did you follow him as a child? What is Benni’s impact on CPT
“His name was synonymous with Cape Town and the Cape Flats being that he was raised in close proximity to us. I didn’t really follow sport but When he did the song with TkZee it played everywhere and became somewhat of a anthem for sporting events so seeing how he transcended into music is what really got my attention but I always knew he was a football legend. Benni made kids from all ethnicities believe that they could achieve anything no matter their circumstances. He really paved a way for Cape Town youth to want to take sport seriously and get off the streets to make something of themselves, his contributions are enormous, so much so it’s hard to mention all that he has done but whether it was playing local, National or international, coaching for Cape Town City or Manchester United it’s clear that he is someone to study as a leader and role model for our future generations.”YoungstaCPT

You shot Main Ou’s in Hanover Park please tell me what this video now means to you?

“I never thought I’d look back on that experience now with such sadness, I wrote ‘Benni McCarthy’ in 2022 with that day in mind being that Kiernan (AKA) was a huge Benni fan & called him that day to show him that we were on his home ground. It was such a powerful moment for me because I had brought these powerhouses together, from the streets soldier to a music megastar to a football hero all at the same time. It was a full circle moment and was definitely a top 3 moment in my life even before the tragedy that occurred. I lost so many people that are in that music video due to gang violence but never thought I would lose Kiernan in that way. It really hurts. SA hip hop truly won’t ever be the same.” YoungstaCPT

This is the first single from your forthcoming project with Shaney Jay – what can we expect from the project?
“Our 1st project was Dream Don’t Pay Bills which I like to call the pandemic mixtape.
The title of this next project is ‘Suffer for Beauty’ and it’s amazing how all this is happening to us a nation, whether it’s load shedding or looting or corruption and violence, we deal with a lot of recurring trauma as South Africans and then being in the entertainment industry comes with its own set of trials.

We’re living in a tik tok generation where music only lasts 15 seconds and fans expect you to drop something new on a weekly basis not knowing the process of what goes into it, from mixing, mastering, promoting, touring, music video rollouts etc. which all cost money. So as artists, and me personally being independent, we are under a great deal of pressure to feed our audience which comes with a lot of strain and struggle but when you hear our music or see our visuals it sounds great and looks beautiful so that’s what I’m highlighting with this project, the amount of pain we go through to emerge on the other side and deliver something beautiful..” YoungstaCPT

“You can expect a whole lot of different vibes, hard raps with an international touch as well…” Shaney Jay