Some nasty vibe on the #AOTW today guys! We go all musically nasty! Y’all know we quite pleasant on #TBS aren’t we? But what do we when the coolest kid in Africa-Nasty C dictates the tone right, talking a man of many awards and the first South African artist to receive YouTube Silver Play button and gold plaque. He was included in the Forbes Africa under 30 list for 2018. He’s such a game changer with hits songs on the top of different music charts in his home country. Ladies and gentlemen are you ready to get hooked up with music by the Durban Rapper, Producer, Hip hop singer and songwriter?
Nasty C needs no much introduction. He has proven himself to be one of the biggest acts in the South African music scene as well as a frontrunner beyond the African continent. From clinching a PUMA endorsement and an international collaboration with French Montana, to scooping the biggest awards in the SA, he’s widely regarded as one of the country’s best young rappers.
Nasty C was born Nsikayesizwe David Junior Ngcobo on 11 February 1997 (age 22) in Diepkloof, a large zone of Soweto in Johannesburg, Gauteng. After the passing of his mother who was involved in a fatal car crash while he was 11 months, he relocated to Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal to be raised by his father – a human resources manager. At the age of 9, Nasty C started rapping. He had mastered the process of music production by adding his vocals on the beats produced by his older brother Siyabonga Ngcobo – a music producer at the time. In the midst of all that Nasty C Nasty C attended a High School in Johannesburg where he completed his 12th grade.
Venturing into music, Nasty later signed to Free World Music in Durban. At age 15, Nasty C released his debut mixtape One Kid, a Thousand Coffins on May 14, 2012 and his debut EP L.A.M.E (Levitating Above My Enemies) on April 4, 2014. On 10th February 2015, he released his 2nd mixtape Price Citywhich produced the single Juice Back that raised his prominence. Juice Back the remix was released later in November 2015 featuring Davido and rapper Cassper Nyovest produced by Gemini Major. We need some music right now! Here we go!
NO 4 Juice Back Remix feat, Davido and rapper Cassper Nyovest. (The breakout single off his 2nd mixtape Price City attracted the attention of two megastars. But Nasty’s show-stealing verse on the remix gave the song a new life and made him a household name)
In February 2016, Nasty C released the single Hell Naw before his debut album, Bad Hair in September after signing to Mabala Noise Entertainment. Hell Naw is the lead single off the album. Bad Hair reached no. 1 on the iTunes local charts and was the most streamed album in South Africa within its 24 hours. He actually delivered Bad Hair for free on Audiomack before the extended version. Reason for the free give away was due to a sample on one track which couldn’t be cleared before the release. In December 2016, Nasty C released Bad Hair Extensions with notable singles like “Allow” featuring the American rapper, French Montana
Yup! Nasty C also has a 14-minute film that features: Don’t Do It, Good Girls and Snapchat Hoes and Phases from album which was commercially featured in several countries including France, Germany, UK and the US, which was infrequent for an African video. In 2018, NastyC inked a deal with Universal Music Group and released his sophomore album Strings and Bling in July 2018. Before the album, he pre-released 2 singles, Jungle and King featuring American rapper A$AP Ferg in June 2018. Other singles include SMA featuring Rowlene, and the promotional single Gravy.
His 2nd album Strings and Bling set the bar very high in terms of features, content and overall return rate. The album was named one of the best hip hop albums in South Africa by TimesLIVE in 2018. In August 20, 2018, Nasty C established his own record label, Tall Racks Records before he began his Ivyson Tour on October 6, 2018, at the Melrose Arch in Durban. The tour is a concept based on his late mother’s name Ivy and thus translates to Ivy’s Son. The Ivyson tour kicked off in Cape Town (the Mother City) which was also his mother’s home town. More music right now!
No 3 “Allow” feat. French Montana.
No 2 “SMA”featuring Rowlene (off his 2nd album Strings and Bling) in 2019 song with the song is 3× Platinum
Tip Off /Bonus King, featuring A$AP Ferg (achieved triple platinum status)
Nasty FACTS
Young Nasty C has accomplished quite a number of greatness. He dished out list of his achievements in a string of tweets in December 2018. Some of them include:
- Number one streamed artist in South Africa (Spotify: 55.6-million / Apple Music: 20-million);
- Sophomore album, Strings N Bling, achieved platinum status (sale of 20 000 units or more);
- hit single, King, featuring A$AP Ferg, achieved triple platinum status;
- hit single, Jungle from Strings N Bling, achieved double platinum status;
- 15 award nominations;
- became first South African artist to receive YouTube Silver Play button and gold plaque
- concluded one of Southern Africa’s most lucrative tours, Ivyson Tour;
- launched independent record imprint label, Tall Racks Records;
- included in Forbes Africa 30 under 30 list for 2018;
That was someone some people had claimed sounded fake. Now you see how he has nastily gone far by despite what others thought about him. His stage name was given to him by the first producer he ever worked with.
Nasty Nasty C apart from being inspired by a range of international rappers, including Drake, Lil Wayne, T.I, Kendrick Lamar, and Hopsin, his mother was and still his main source of inspiration. According to the rapper, he found comfort in music after her death, and used it as a way to get through the trauma.
Discography: Studio albums-Bad Hair (2016) and Strings And Bling (2018)
AWARD & Nomination
Some of his awards at include Best Hip Hop Album and Song of the Year- awarded to Hell Naw in 2016/2017. His biggest nominee was in 2017 at the BET Award for Best International Act: Africa where he lost to Wizkid. He was also nominated for the 2017 MTV Europe Music Awards. He was ranked no. 3 on the 2017 MTV Base: SA’s Hottest MCs.
We await 3rd album drop from Nasty C this remaining 6 months to wrap off the year 2019. This year 2019, Nasty C has been named the ambassador of the male grooming company, Axe South Africa.
No 1 Hell Naw: (one of the biggest songs of 2016, lead single off the album Bad Hair peaked at #4 on the music charts in South Africa. The song was atop of other notable Nigeria chart e.g #1 on the BeatFM Nigeria top 10)
