LISTEN | Nasty C on being the African rapper who's 'just as good if not better' than his US counterparts

Before the pandemic hit, KwaZulu-Natal-born rapper Nasty C set out to make his presence felt in the US, Europe and Asia as part of his global takeover and continues to impress with his skills. The rapper says he had the patience to become one of the greats.

Chatting to TshisaLIVE, the 25-year-old explained that he set his sights on becoming a global figure a long time ago and no pandemic, losing friends or any other life challenge were going to deter him.

Listen to the cool conversation below:

Talking about his “starting from the bottom” in the States, the rapper, who is already big in South Africa and Africa, said he had no problem being a newbie and having to prove himself to get the respect he deserves.

Nasty C, whose real name is Nsikayesizwe David Junior Ngcobo, said the secret to establishing yourself on a global stage lies in forming lifelong relationships in the industry you want to be recognised in.

“It’s been an amazing journey, man... I’m lucky enough to be the type of person to be patient with all of it. I know that if I want it to last I have to put in just as much time building it. But it’s been a crazy journey. A lot of things that I thought I would only achieve way later in my career I have already done and achieved and I’ve met the people who inspired me to start making music. I’ve done more than meet them, I’ve made music with them and their people.

The rapper talks about TI, who has become more than his hero. The US rapper has two songs with Nasty C, All In and They Don't. Having been one of the rappers who inspired Nasty, TI is someone who has made him feel at home as he etches his name in the US music charts.

“Patience really served to my advantage,” says the young rapper.

“If you think about it, with the type of pull that I've had, I could have just paid for a feature with him a long time ago before he even knew who I was. But because I waited, he found out who I was and he already knew my story and what kind of person I was. And he was already a fan of mine. There was already mutual respect before we even started making music. I think this relationship is bigger than 'Oh, that's just an African rapper I made a song with' type of vibe.”

The Black & White hit maker, who has always had business ambitions, said he's had a mental shift that has seen him prioritise his music above all other business ideas.

He says he's working on an album he plans to put out by June.

“Through the great relationships that I formed with people behind the scenes and who are more into the business side of things... They made me realise that look, ‘Don’t mess this whole thing up by getting confused. Music is your vehicle. Don’t focus on anything else more than you do on the music because you are not gonna have a vehicle to get to where you are trying to go’.

“I’m not an exec by nature, that’s not who I am. I am a musician. So if I drop that and I focus on the other thing, this whole thing collapses. I think that’s what caused the shift in the way I look at this thing.”

He gives an example of the gaming deal he made, saying it's a dream come true but he realises that it would never have materialised if he lost focus on the music. Nasty C took to his social media in 2022 to announce a deal he made with Call Of Duty. The gaming partnership is one of the latest ways in which the rapper has expanded his reach.

Nasty is set to share his life story on E! VIP which is back for a new season, granting exclusive insight into the lives of the most notable and high-profile celebrities across Africa.

Other big names that will feature in the new season include Daniel Churchill, Boity Thulo, Yvonne Nelson, Gert-Johan Coetzee, Kate Kamau, Yemi Alade, Mihlali and Fireboy.

The episode featuring the stars will air weekly on Sundays at 8pm CAT on E! Africa (DStv channel 124), with episodes available on Universal+ immediately afterwards.