On a recent episode of The Agenda on YFM, South African rapper Kwesta spoke about his evolving approach to music collaborations, particularly his growing involvement in features and his decision to move away from consistently charging for them. The conversation focused on how his creative choices are now shaped by energy, connection, and the intent behind the music rather than formal arrangements.
He highlighted that despite taking breaks when needed, he often ends up doing more features than before. According to him, this is largely influenced by the enthusiasm and drive of younger artists who reach out for collaborations. He said “If somebody hits me up for a feature, I’m possibly gonna end up doing that more than not because what drive me is the excitement that the guys and the energy that the guys have.”
His openness to collaboration also extends to different sounds and styles beyond traditional hip hop. While he remains rooted in the genre, he noted that he is willing to explore other directions as long as the music resonates with him. As he put it, “I do mess with my hip hop, I love my hip hop, but I’m not scared to kind of hop on that and hop on this, you know as long as I’m feeling the vibe.”
Kwesta further explained that the key factor in accepting a feature is the energy behind the song and the artist involved. For him, the connection to the music must come first before anything else. He said “I really have to mess with it, and you have to kind of have the right energy,” emphasising that creative alignment plays a central role in his decisions.
He also reflected on how his approach has changed over time, particularly in relation to charging for features. Earlier in his career, invoicing was part of the process, but that has shifted, especially when working with emerging talent. He noted “It’s not necessarily that I’m not gonna invoice you really, I used to do that but now especially with the young guys who are coming in,” highlighting a change in perspective when engaging with new artists.
For Kwesta, this shift is also connected to a sense of contribution to the growth of the genre and supporting the next wave of artists. He explained “for me, it’s, it’s just to play my part in the beat that they’re about to sort of contribute to the game so for me, it’s more about that more than anything.”
Ultimately, he made it clear that while payment is no longer the main focus in many cases, the music still has to meet a personal standard before he agrees to participate. He concluded by saying “I ain’t charging for features out there, but I do gotta vibe with it, you know? If it’s gotta be something, it’s gotta be something I find dope.”
