At home with Cassidy Karon

Entertainer Cassidy Karon remains rooted in family, home, and the experiences that shaped him, while keeping much of his private life out of public view.

Karon describes his childhood as a “very normal, typical Namibian childhood”, filled with friendship.

Growing up next to childhood friend Tofi, the two created their own entertainment, even making guitars from Castrol oil cans. They later formed Paradox.

“A lot of my childhood memories are just Tofi and I playing around. Because we didn’t have many toys, we had to get resourceful and creative. We made guitars out of Castrol oil cans.”

Family and upbringing

The youngest of three children, he grew up in a close-knit household. His father was a principal and had been part of Ugly Creatures, while his mother was a cleaner and singer who loved music.

“I’m a very family-oriented person. We were three kids, my mom and my dad, and we were very close-knit. My biggest weapon is the support I get from my family. My brother is still my manager today.”

He added, “Cape Town very quickly made me fall in love with the arts scene, painting, dance, graffiti and skating.”

Turning a hobby into a career

Karon said the transition from hobbyist to professional musician happened gradually, as his brother burned CDs containing individual songs until the catalogue grew.

“When we started doing music, I never thought that it would lead to an album. The catalogue grew, and we started realising, ‘Man, this is a little serious. When Eclipse passed away, we had to ask ourselves, ‘Is this where we end?’ We realised we could really do this.”

At school, he aspired to become an aerospace engineer and work for NASA, but his interest in hip-hop eventually took over.

“Before music, I wanted to become an aerospace engineer and go work for NASA. Then around the end of Grade 9, towards Grade 10, the hip-hop bug bit me.”

Why he keeps creating

Karon sees his creative work as a responsibility.

“If I stop telling my side of the story, kids like me will feel underrepresented, and then they will start conforming to everything else that’s out there. I’ve been given a responsibility with this talent. It’s not even about me, and I have to execute.”

Karon wants Namibian creativity recognised internationally but believes the foundation must be strengthened at home first.

“I believe that our product is of a high level. We’ve taken time and put more than 10 000 hours into our craft.”

Family in the public eye

“I stay private. I do what needs to be done publicly, and I use my real name. There’s no real separation between musician me and me. My life is music.”

Karon has traditionally kept his loved ones away from public scrutiny, but his approach has started to evolve.

“This is an empire that I’m building. It’s not just a one-hit wonder. So, I need my kids around and in the spaces that I go. My relationship with my family is sacred, and I also try to protect it as sacred.”

His biggest pet peeve

Karon is frustrated by a lack of preparation in the creative and media industries.

“My biggest pet peeve would be people who don’t do due diligence. I’ve had so many cases where somebody would interview me and get my name wrong.”

Karon said his understanding of success has changed, and he now values experiences and relationships along the way.

“I always thought the destination was what I wanted. But then I realised that the process, the people and the relationships you’ve made along the way, those are the wins.”

Leaving a mark

Karon is proud of artists telling local stories in local languages.

“To hear so many guys rap in Afrikaans now, be comfortable to talk about their community and their story, I feel somewhat part of the guys who pioneered that movement of identity. I want people to remember that I raised the vibration. I changed Namibia for the better, and I fought the good fight,” he ended.

-isipunga@nepc.com.na

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