Unveiling The Mystery Of AKA’s Bestie, Sim Dope
South Africans on Twitter were surprised when they discovered the person behind AKA’s hit song Sim Dope, a track from the rapper’s album entitled Levels.
Sim Dope made their first public appearance on TV during the memorial for Kiernan Jarryd Forbes which was held at the Sandton Convention Centre last Friday.
On February 10, Kiernan Jarryd Forbes and his friend Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane were shot and killed outside Wish Restaurant on Florida Road in Durban.
Until last Friday, South Africans discovered that Sim Dope was not just Kiernan Jarryd Forbes’ song title but a longtime friend of the rapper. Many people were left surprised after Sim Dope showed up at the late rapper’s memorial service.
Sim Dope, whose real name is Simphiwe Gumede, gave an emotional speech which witnessed him trending on social media. He also mentioned the day that Kiernan Jarryd Forbes told him he had made a song with his nickname.
One Twitter user said there might be more to Kiernan Jarryd Forbes’ friend Sim Dope than what is currently known in the public domain. The Twitter user @ChrisExcel102 suggested that Sim Dope might be BI Phakathi, the person behind many philanthropic works in the country.
@ChrisExcel102 wrote:
So Sim Dope is the original the BI Phakathi….
– Same Chiskop
– Same skin tone
– Same voice
– Same English
– Both Rich
– Both low key on social media
Below are the reactions from netizens rubbishing Chris Excel claims.
@Nkondlologist:
But omunye is a Gumede and the other is a Phakathi, these are 2 different surnames wena sgqemeza
@porn75404410:
no its not him, sim is simphiwe gumede from nelspruit, his father is a billionaire from nelspruit the guy who call rick ross
@MandiMbuli:
The English ya Sim Dope vs IB Phakathi
not balancing.
While we couldn’t find out if Sim Dope was BI Phakathi when we wrote this article, here’s what we know about him so far.
1. In 2000, Sim Dope and AKA went to St John’s College and played the same sports.
2. Sim Dope is a son of Robert Gumede, a successful businessman who owns the IT firm Gijima Technologies and its holding company Gijima Group. For his 50th birthday celebration, he [Gumede] invited the American rapper Rick Ross to perform at his party.
3. Kiernan Forbes named Simphiwe “Sim Dope” when he joined their school’s rugby team. The rapper told him, “Now that you’re part of the team, you can’t be going around on Saturdays using your regular name, Simphiwe. That wouldn’t sound very cool.”
4. He keeps his life out of the public eye, like BI Phakathi.