After appearing at The Ultra Music Festival this past weekend, South African rapper Costa Titch unexpectedly passed away, according to his family's Instagram post.
The musician, Constantinos Tsobanoglou, was 28 years old. Social media videos appear to show Tsobanoglou tripping on stage and then being helped up by a bystander. Then Tsobanoglou stands up briefly before appearing to pass out.
Tsobanoglou's family posted on his Instagram that they were "deeply saddened" to have to acknowledge his passing at this time. We are grateful for the emergency personnel and everyone who was there during his final hours.
The reason of death was not mentioned in the statement.
The popular rapper's death left Ultra South Africa, the festival where he was performing, "devastated," the organisers said.
Costa was a skilled rapper, dancer, singer, songwriter, collaborator, and friend to the festival, according to a statement. "Costa was a galvanising voice amongst South Africa's amapiano scene," it said.
One of the major artists of amapiano, a genre of music characterised by deep house, log-drum driven basslines, and soulful piano melodies, was Tsobanoglou, who was becoming increasingly popular in South Africa. His rap style blends international rap subgenres like trap music, which has its roots in Atlanta's burgeoning hip hop industry, with South Africa's culture, style, and indigenous languages.
Tsobanoglou was born in the town of Nelspruit in northeastern South Africa, and before switching to rap, he had a successful dance career.
After becoming popular on TikTok, Tsobanoglou's song Big Flexa established him as a household name throughout Africa. The rapper had just joined forces with a record company run by the Senegalese-American artist Akon, who appeared on a Big Flexa remix.
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