One year on, hip-hop artist Catty Catt remembered

ON this day last year, award-winning hip-hop artist Curtis Popyeni Yearwood, better known as Catty Catt, lost the fight against the deadly autoimmune disease Lupus. Today, the late artist will be remembered at his final resting place by friends and family.

At his home, his bedroom is exactly as he left it, with childhood photos and his Namibia Annual Music Award (NAMA) trophy serving as a constant reminder of the young talent that once occupied the space. The room is immaculately clean but an emptiness engulfs you as soon as you enter.

His mother Kaimbe Ishila says she has left everything as it was and noone has used the room since her son’s death. “The only thing is, his friends took most of the photos that were here but otherwise everything is as it was.”

She takes me to an outside flat, which she had built for her son, which he was to occupy with his then-fiance, before his death. The couple was engaged to be married in December 2014. The flat, a cosy three-bedroom double storey pad also stands unoccupied and is fully furnished. A reminder of a life taken too soon.

Catty Catt died at the age of 31 after months of battling Lupus. He was his mother’s only son. He was one of the forerunners of the Namibian hip-hop scene as part of the Black Market crew and later made waves with hit tracks like ‘Click Song’ and ‘Let’s Play’ which were produced under his record label, 061.

Catty Catt’s family is holding a small memorial at his grave site at the Pioneerspark graveyard today at 15h00. Friends, family and fans of the late rapper are invited to celebrate his life and remember his legacy.

– rukee@namibian.com.na; @rukeeveni on Twitter