Local Lowveld man mistaken for Rick Ross

With so many similarities with the famous rapper, William Leonard Roberts II, known as Rick Ross, no wonder he is often asked for autographs and selfies.
One might say he is the rapper’s long-lost twin brother forgotten somewhere in Africa, but far from it.

Vusi Ndlovu, born in Steenbok and raised in Bushbuckridge for some time, is the only South African version of well established international rapper, Rozzay.

Asked whether he had any other similarities with Rick Ross, besides the obvious looks, he chuckled and highlighted his huge love for the music industry and his interest in it. “I love singing, and I am very good at it. Rick Ross also seems to love money, which I do as well, so I guess we are similar in that regard,” Vusi said.

While Rozzay is rated among the best and loved by many for his rap music, his long-lost twin brother on the other hand, Vusi, has worked with artists like Tsonga musician, Esther M, Enoch Masiya, and Joe Shirimane. The contrast in the genre between the two is as interesting as it is baffling.

While the two “twin brothers” have so much in common, they also have contrasting personalities. “He seems to have a good relationship with his refrigerator, not so much for me, he also smokes and I don’t. Another trait would be that he is bigger than me,” he added.

According to Vusi, better known in his circle of friends as “Rozzay”, his looks had such a great impact on him and his movements. “People do mistake me for him a lot. In fact, it happens on a daily basis, especially when I am in crowded places like restaurants, clothing shops and such.

“I recall a few weeks ago when I went to the police station and the officer on duty was so interested in helping me saying he feels like he is serving the rapper himself,” Vusi explained.

It has also been the case on social media, with comments about how he resembled Ross. “Every photo I post gets the Rozzay comment telling me how much I look like him, and it used to make me wonder as well, until I realized that I do look like the guy. I even get a lot of friend requests on Facebook because of the resemblance,” he added.

He adds, “I remember there was a scene at the OR Tambo International Airport, I was in some restaurant waiting for my meal, before I could be served, half of the staff members came to my table asking to take have their photos taken with me. I was shocked for a moment, and then they said it’s because I look like the rapper.

“Another time was when I was on my way back to Tembisa from Nkomazi, the taxi driver and some passengers asked to take pictures of me, that was funny and fun at the same time.”

Vusi seems to be keeping up with the Rozzay trend in every way possible, from picture poses, to the big belly, all the way through to the beard.
When Mpumalanga News asked him why he’s keeping the beard, he giggled and said he actually had the beard first and his “twin brother”‘ copied him.

“It’s not me trying to look like him. I always tell people that I don’t look like him but he looks like me, and every time he appears on the screen, my fiancée just looks at me and smiles,” he added.