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Mbulelo Mpofu, Showbiz Reporter

IT never rains but pours for the entertainment sector as another promising prospect in South Africa, Costa Titch (born Costa Tsobanoglou) collapsed and died during a performance at the Ultra Music Festival in Johannesburg on Saturday.

Barely a month after AKA (real name Kiernan Forbes) was gunned down in Durban, South Africa lost another artiste whose influence and music touched the lives of people in Zimbabwe and his music will forever be remembered.

The late Big Flexa, as Costa Titch was fondly-known, had recently signed with Senegalese superstar Akon’s label Konvict Culture.

Costa Titch

Akon also featured on the remix of Costa Tich’s popular song Big Flexa whose video was released last month and had 1,3 million views on YouTube by yesterday.

The original track is to date the most viewed Amapiano song on YouTube with more than 45 million views.

In December, the rapper performed at the Harris Continental Music (HCM) Festival at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair Hall 4 and his performance left an indelible mark on local creatives and fans.

Events manager, Mduduzi “Mdu” Mdlongwa who brought Costa Titch to the Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo in October last year said the sector has been robbed of an exceptional performer.

“Costa Titch was destined for greatness indeed and his sudden death has robbed the music sector of a great artiste with exceptional stage presence. Whenever he went on stage, the crowd went berserk and that goes on to show how much of an influence he was.

“His was the best performance at last year’s Sanganai/Hlanganani show. We will miss him, not only for his stage presence but his song writing abilities as he produced hit after hit,” said Mdu.

DJ Liz who shared the stage with the late artiste at the HCM Festival said his stage presence was something she would remember him with.

“It’s really sad (Costa Titch’s death). He was such a talented guy, one of a kind. He had a vibe of his own and was loved by many. The way he held the crowd and kept everyone on their feet was just amazing. The energy and the love he had for his craft were beautiful.

“I remember when he jumped on stage and everyone went wild. His stage presence made the atmosphere incredible,” she said.

DJ Nospa who had a few meet-ups with the late artiste said: “I shared a few moments with him backstage at the ZITF last year and saw him again in Sandton. We talked about the industry and all. He was a humble soul,” said the DJ.

DJ Nospa (right) with the late Costa Titch

Costa Titch originally started as a backup dancer in the industry. He transitioned into a music artiste after realising that he had reached the pinnacle in dance and was not breaking through financially and ‘internally’.

He won Best Collaboration and Best Remix for his Nkalakatha remix featuring Riky Rick and AKA at the 2020 South African Hip-hop Awards.