Who is The Kiffness, the artist behind the hilarious parody of Donald Trump and cat eaters?

The man is gifted, very gifted even. He is funny too. And for a few days now, he has also become one of the names of the American presidential campaign. And this, in spite of himself. His feat of arms? Having published a song called Eating the cats (eat cats in French) that continues to be shared and taken up on social networks around the world. His name? David Scott, better known by his artist name The Kiffness. This South African musician specializes in covers of songs published all over the world that he retouches, remixes to make reggaeton or techno hits.

This weekend, the artist decided to parody Republican candidate Donald Trump by remixing his lyrics about Springfield residents, claiming that cats and dogs would be eaten by migrants in this small Ohio town. False statements about Haitian migrants that are mocked from all sides but have repercussions on the small town. Since the billionaire’s statements during his debate with Kamala Harris, bomb threats have multiplied in Springfield. Rather than cry scandal, David Scott chose to make a hit out of it.

Published on all his networks, his song is absolutely hilarious. We see the American candidate pronounce his famous fake news on a swaying rhythm that stays in the head. The artist then sings a few words: “Residents of Springfield, please do not eat my cat. Why would you do that? Eat something else,” he slips in against a backdrop of meows.

No political aim according to him

In just a few days, the song has hit the mark and has already been viewed several million times. A political commitment? Absolutely not. In a message posted on Twitter to the media, David Scott says this: “I’m flattered that my song is being played around the world, but please don’t attribute any intentions to me.” His only motivation? “To raise money for the Springfield SPCA.” As of Sunday, David Scott announced that he had raised more than $7,000 for this animal shelter.

To those who accuse him of being political, the South African artist responds curtly. “The media are there to divide opinion. I am here to unite everyone behind the same cause,” explains the man who presents himself as “a Christian, husband, father and part-time musician.”

Cat remixes that are a hit

Although he may not have the fame of Taylor Swift, The Kiffness is no stranger. Nominated several times at the South African equivalent of the Victoires de la Musique, the all-round artist has been having fun since 2017 parodying his country’s politicians or hijacking videos of musicians recorded around the world. His most listened to track (66 million views on YouTube nonetheless) is an astonishing and excellent remix of Bilal Göregen. This blind street musician became famous with a rendition of a traditional Finnish song. The song went viral when an Internet user grafted an image of a cat onto the video. And the miracle happened. The Kiffness also adopted the cat, remixing meows to make clubbing-style tracks. On tour in Europe, the artist now has a political reputation.