The sound of freedom

Nasty C embraces fatherhood, inner balance and showing fans what true evolution looks like in the world of hip-hop

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Nasty C invites listeners into his most intimate reflections.

On Selfish, he reflects on his relationship: “I speak about loving my partner but also accepting that anything could happen to any one of us.

“I say, 'I wanna tell you this before God takes you,' and in the verse, I explore what I would want to happen to my family if I were taken.”

Evidence turns inwards, wrestling with faith and the afterlife. He raps: “Wish somebody had left a clear trail / the rest of us would never see hell / we surviving, doing what it take / sinning for the family's sake / hope I don't repent too late and end up with the devil by mistake.”

Yet the song retains warmth through his melodic hook, “I got faith but it won't hurt to give some evidence.”

“Those are real questions,” he says about Evidence. “Questions many of us carry. We believe in God, but life forces you to make decisions based on your moral compass. Sometimes it's hard to take the high road.”

But Nasty C has long chosen the high road, even as fans and the media attempted to manufacture rivalries. Comparisons with A-Reece, a rapper who, like Nasty C, debuted in 2016, have persisted for years, with some hoping for an AKA-versus-Cassper-style showdown.

That hype intensified recently when A-Reece announced his EP, Business As Usual, was scheduled to drop the same week as Free.

Last year, rumours swirled about a potential feud with breakout hip-hop star Usimamane, but instead, the two artists collaborated on Soft, the lead single from Free.

“That’s when I got a taste of how fans pit you against each other,” Nasty C says. “Even when nothing is there, people try to manufacture tension.”