Six boss moves from Nasty C since joining Def Jam US

SA rapper Nasty C took his fame into the stratosphere in 2020, scoring a massive deal with prestigious US entertainment company Def Jam.

The news was announced in March, with Billboard reporting it as a joint venture with Universal Music Africa.

Nasty C took to social media to thank God, his team and fans for their support.

He then shot off a message to the haters: “You haters gonna see a whole lot more of this Ivyson s**t, I swear!”

The rapper stayed true to his promise, making massive moves in the months that followed.

MAKING HIS US DEBUT

Nasty C didn't play around, dropping his first US single There They Go with the announcement.

And it wasn't just any release. The song premiered on Apple Music Beats 1 with Ebro Darden.

A MOVIE STAR?

Two months later Nasty C made his acting debut with a small role on Netflix's SA original series Blood & Water.

He played a producer on the series and told TshisaLIVE that acting was always part of the plan.

“My team told me about the role as they believed it would be really dope to have a young African artist embody that character. I couldn't miss it.

“I think my mother would be proud of me, wherever she is. These are all blessings she made sure I got to reach.”

A T.I COLLAB OR TWO

He dropped a mixtape, his first project since signing to Def Jam, in June, featuring two tracks with US rap heavyweight T.I.

Reflecting on the collaborations T.I said Nasty reminded him of himself.

The star said that while visiting SA, one name kept popping up on his radar.

“Nasty C. We kept hearing his name. We kept hearing his music. I didn’t know much about him. I hadn’t heard about him and I started wondering ‘Yo, this kid is dope. He reminds me of me a little bit. Why haven’t I heard of him?’”

The highly-anticipated album!

After months of near-fever pitch anticipation, Nasty C finally dropped his latest album, Zulu Man With Some Power.

The build-up to the release saw Nasty C win over international performances with a great performance on hit US talk and news show Late Night with Seth Meyers.

So by the time Zulu Man With Some Power dropped in August the hype was hella real.

And just in case you didn't believe that he was the next big thing to come out of SA, he got a massive billboard in the middle of the iconic Times Square in New York.

A documentary and a Netflix deal.

Not content with just dominating the music charts, Nasty C came for the streaming lists too, dropping a documentary about his life and a show on Netflix about his travels to Japan.

Origins was released at the same time as his album and gave fans a behind the scenes look into his life and rise from humble beginnings in Illovo, Durban, to a household name in hip-hop.

Netflix's Zulu Man in Japan followed Nasty C to the stage and streets of Tokyo, introducing himself to the city's sights, sounds and culture.

A BET Africa nomination

All his hand work and talent was rewarded with a nomination in the ‘Best International Flow’ category at the BET Africa 2020 Hip-Hop Awards.

The awards are held annually to honour the best in hip-hop across 17 categories.

Unfortunately, Nasty C lost out on the award to UK rapper Stormzy but he continues to make Mzansi proud!