Often times we look at people or hear stories about them and think that we know them, only to find out that we know nothing about them at all. People are quick to conclude that school drop-outs will not make it in life, because education is the key to success. This belief has been somewhat proven wrong. Not every educated person succeeds and not every drop-out fails.

We have seen the likes of Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Eminem, and last but not least, Cassper Nyovest, whose real name is Refiloe Maele Phoolo. Nyovest is a South African rapper who is currently signed to his own record label, Family Tree. He comes from a township called Montshiwa in Mafikeng, the capital city of the North West Province.

Dropping out of school did not stop Cassper Nyovest from achieving his goals. Nyovest had the courage to tell his parents, who where both teachers, that he was leaving school to chase his dream. He explains this in one of his songs called: “I Hope You Bought It’, when he says: “I could have stuck to school, but how was it my life if I played by your rules?” Despite all the hardships of life, it is now safe to say that the talented rapper has made it.

From school drop-out to record label Chief Executive Officer, Cassper Nyovest is living proof that dropping out of school does not mean that you will be a failure in life. The fact that both his parents were teachers did not turn Cassper Nyovest into a spoilt brat. He chose his own path in life, a risky path that eventually paid off. The story of Nyovest is a good interpretation of the famous words of the great Nelson Mandela: “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

At the age of 24, Nyovest had 24 awards to his name. In the same song, ‘I Hope You Bought It’, he goes on to say that all it took for him to make it was perseverance and hard work. All those awards came from sleepless nights and dedication. People often mock him for dropping out of school, especially followers of fellow rappers, forgetting that every person has their own purpose in life and not every person needs school to make it.

Even though he dropped out of school, he continues to inspire many people. He is a motivational speaker in disguise, because he is always motivating young people in his songs, acceptance speeches and interviews to not give up, no matter the obstacles they may be facing and he always says that ‘God is good all the time and all the time God is good’.

Cassper Nyovest is one of the people who make things happen. Some people saw him as just another rapper and some saw him as just a school drop-out. But they never saw his plans, dreams and confidence. On 31 October, 2015, he reached his dream when he became the first South African artist to fill up the Ticketpro Dome.

In the very same ‘I Hope You Bought It’, he goes on to say: “They say my kind don’t fit and so I forced it, ‘cause I believe if I don’t quit I’ll get a portion…” This simply means that people believe that drop-outs and success are like oil and water and despite what people are saying, he persevered until he reached his dream. He has a song named ‘Mama I Made It’, where he also speaks of how he achieved his goals despite dropping out.

Cassper Nyovest is indeed a force to be reckoned with. He has changed the South African Hip Hop game and achieved a lot at a young age. He has done all of this despite dropping out of school. He is a good example of the words: “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, and I am proud to call him my inspiration.