Cassper on AKA slap: If I had retaliated, I'd have been called a hooligan

Four years after an alleged altercation between rivals Cassper Nyovest and AKA made headlines, Cass has opened up about the incident and the bullying he got from it.

Cassper nearly shut down the Twitter trends list in August 2105 when he took to Twitter to claim AKA had slapped him at a club. The couple were in the midst of a fierce rivalry at the time which had threatened to turn physical at several points.

AKA denied the claims, simply saying it wasn't true.

The pair have moved on from the incident, with only the occasional shade being thrown at each other.

However, Cassper dug up the old bone when he recounted the experience to Drum magazine recently and explained that he was called “all sorts of names” for not fighting back.

“I work hard for the things I have. People who don’t like me will never see the good in me – I’ve accepted it. Even back when I was at a club and that dude whose name I don’t like mentioning (AKA) came and slapped me and I made a choice not to slap back, critics called me all sorts of names.”

He said he would have faced harsh criticism if he had fought back.

“Had I retaliated, I would’ve been called a hooligan.”

The rapper admitted that he had many industry friends who are no longer in his life, but said he was grateful for his bestie Carpo who was always at his side.

Speaking about the slapping incident in an interview on Real Talk, Cassper detailed what happened.

“At that moment I wanted to fight back. I wanted to smash him ... People got between us. And as I looked into the situation I said, 'this is not me.' I don't want to be known for this. Cassper Nyovest is a brand I respect. Kids will do anything I do. So if they hear about me fighting then they will fight.”

The pair later called a ceasefire, hugging at a packed club after Cassper's #FillUpTheDome show.

However, speaking to fans on social media last year, Cassper said that hip-hop needed to unite but he and AKA would never reconcile.