Interviews Nasty C (Photo: Osborne Macharia)

Published on August 21st, 2020 | by Dr. Jerry Doby

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Meet Africa’s Most Streamed Rapper Nasty C

Def Jam just announced their new imprint Def Jam Africa and Nasty C is one of their newest signees. The young lion is the most streamed Hip Hop artist out of Africa right now and he’s made quite the inroad into America with his single “There The Go” which was the first released track from his upcoming full-length project “Zulu Man With Some Power coming sometime in 2020.

Here’s the official line

On March 26, Nasty C made his US debut with his brand new single, There They Gowhich is the first advanced track from his upcoming album, ZULU MAN WITH SOME POWER, to be released in 2020. The There They Go single premier­ed on with Ebro on Apple Music Beats1.

With over 120 million streams, Nasty C’s most recent second multi-platinum albumStrings And Bling was #1 for three consecutive weeks and by far the most streamed African album on the Apple Music streaming platform in Sub-Saharan Africa. The album has three multi-platinum singles: “King,” “Jungle,” and the radio smash, “SMA,” as well as the platinum title track, “Strings And Bling.”

Nasty C also has been featured on Forbes “Africa 30 Under 30” list and received GQ South Africa’s Musician of the Year

With all this noise we HAD to get Nasty C to weigh in on a few things!

Nasty C (Photo: Osborne Macharia)

Nasty C (Photo: Osborne Macharia)

From the outside looking in, who is Nasty C?

Nasty C is an artist, an all-around artist, a rapper, producer, and songwriter who grew up in Durban, South Africa, and is just a cool kid.

What brought you to the entertainment industry, music specifically?

TI really got me into music. The first time I heard TI I was nine years old – that was my first memory of music, period. That’s the first time I ever really paid attention to music, what was being said and what it looked like. Ever since then I’ve been focused on it like crazy. Lil Wayne, T-Pain, 50 Cent, and Busta Rhymes have inspired me along the way too.

What do you want people to get from your music?

The one thing I’m always pushing in my music is the power of manifestation and believing in your goals. It’s important to have a goal and not feel like you are undeserving of your goal. I come from a place that if you dream big you look stupid. People don’t aim high at all so for somebody like me who’s aiming super super high, coming from my background, I’m living proof that you could set a goal for yourself, remain focused, really work at it, believe and trust that you deserve it and that you can actually do it. Just by staying consistent you can do it and even if you don’t mean to, you will inspire others.

Tell us about your current project and what it means for you.

My current project is called Zulu Man with Some Power. It’s a very special album for me. It sort of feels like everything came full circle for me. This album is coming at a time where I’m having to go through a come up all over again. I’m taking this global step and slowly introducing myself to the global market, all over the world as opposed to just Africa. With the title being so bold, it just represents what I am and where I come from. I’m carrying my people on my back as I take this huge step. Also, you know, I started making music because of TI and now I have him on this album plus he’s the one that reached out so it’s just all so crazy. It’s like I’m starting a new cycle now where only crazier stuff can happen.

It seems you are carrying Africa’s Hip Hop movement on your back, how does it feel to be the leader of the movement?

It feels dope. It’s a nice responsibility and it’s a responsibility that I put on myself before I was even chosen to be a representative of African hip hop. I always looked at myself as someone who once I would become a global artist and a mega-superstar that the whole world respects, I can be the reason why people don’t just entertain stereotypes about Africa – that people actually care to take a deeper dive into everything and really appreciate all the other components that we have in Africa. Also, just to change the stereotype that Africa is just Afro-beats. I want to put people on. We got bars too.

For new listeners, what song of yours would you pick as an introduction to you as an artist?

“Hell Naw” because that’s really one of the songs that woke people up to what I’m all about like not taking your age and circumstances into consideration but believing that you could be great one day.


Another song that’s not even out yet but is very similar is the song on the album with TI. It’s called “All In.” It’s on the same tip but as opposed to Hell Naw where I’m saying “I’m gonna get it, trust me, watch me,” on “All In” it’s full circle – I’m with the guy that’s responsible for me even picking up a pen and he’s sharing this moment with me in this song where we’re talking about just being all in and really believing in yourself and being 1000% the best version of you.

Tell us a bit about your work and passions OUTSIDE of music…

Outside of music, I have a strong passion for art like crafts. I make pendants, rings, a lot of other stuff. It’s something I’ve been doing as a kid, even before rap. In the front yard of my house we have an area that’s always muddy and there’s really dope, different types of clay there. I used to play around with that a lot as a kid and make WWE championship belts, phones, cars, and I still do that to this day. If I’m not ripping up a new pair of jeans I just bought I’m tearing up an old bag that I have to make something else.

Last but not least, HYPE wants to know…What’s your CRAZIEST “Where they do that at?!” aka WTF?! moment…

This one time, it was very early in my come up, like my second year as a mainstream rapper. There was this one night where my friends went to the club and I stayed behind and I just fell asleep. When they came back, I don’t know how this happened, but I didn’t lock my room and this girl just walked in there. I was under the covers and she just unveiled me with a recording phone like she was already recording the video and the light was flashing. It was just a crazy moment.

Keep up with all things Nasty C

Instagram: @Nasty_CSA
Twitter: @Nasty_CSA
Facebook: Nasty C SA
YouTube: Nasty_C

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About the Author

Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.


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