The Journey of Two Cousins: Rapper Krept’s Last Letter to Cadet

On February 9th this year, Blaine Johnson, also known as Cadet, passed on due to a fatal car crash that occurred on his way to do what he loved and excelled at – performing music. Having already graced us with a heartfelt Instagram post revealing their last words, Krept now honours us with his final letter alongside Konan. Herein, we can see emotional footage of Cadet’s family talking at the Hyde Park tribute as well as Krept himself breaking into tears before our eyes. This is a heart-wrenching close to the well-known two-part, and now three-part, saga of tracks “Letter to Krept” and “Letter to Cadet” that were previously released between the pair.

In August 2016, Blaine Johnson, also known as the late rapper Cadet, dropped “Letter to Krept.” In true Cadet fashion he tells a story of heartbreak, jealousy, anger, forgiveness, grinding and love as he takes us through the ups and downs of his love-life and career. Most importantly however, he gives us a sneak peak into one of his deepest relationships – that between his cousin, fellow rapper Krept.

Following a distancing in their relationship over personal matters, Cadet recites feelings of low-self esteem and pressure to match up to the achievements of his cousin. The story takes a beautiful turn as he recounts being brought on stage at Wireless by Krept and recalls how this inspired him to take his career more seriously once again. This year, Cadet’s own set at Wireless is being held to commemorate his achievements and life. From here onwards, Cadet tells of his dreams of succeeding in rap alongside his cousin – this is all the more chilling given the recent turn of events but also reminds us of the drive and passion that we, the viewers, loved Cadet for.

“And the dream is to go and share first place with you”

Cadet – Letter to Krept

To this, Krept penned back his “Letter to Cadet” addressing the affairs that took place as well as his own struggles with familial relationships and being a successful rapper. He recounts intimate moments of getting the same tattoo and sharing dinner at their grandmother’s as well as more sombre images of Cadet rushing to back his cousin’s beef, before expressing his regret about the present state of their relationship. He also takes us through moments of loneliness as he felt his family had abandoned him as he continued to rise up the ranks in the realms of music. In response to Cadet’s dreams of succeeding in rap however, Krept rightly affirms that his late cousin had already achieved unimaginable goals. This is all the more true today – Cadet’s imprint on urban scene is is evidenced by the response to his passing to include a public memorial at Hyde Park and the organisation of a tribute show.

“Take the scene like lightning – and you did just that… now Cadet’s blowin’ up”

Krept expresses pride at the achievements of his late cousin Blaine Johnson in “Letter to Cadet”

As viewers, we can only thank the pair for being so open to us by sharing their relationship. Furthermore, we thank and support Krept for sharing his final letter in such a vulnerable state.