Nasty C discusses his new album 'Free' and embracing independence

Rapper Nasty C is gearing up for the release of “Free”, an album where he allowed his creative juices to flow freely.

Speaking to “Independent Media Lifestyle”, the rapper, whose real name is Nsikayesizwe David Junior Ngcobo, opened up about life as an independent artist, working on new music, and why he has been exploring everyday jobs outside of entertainment.

His latest offering is set to mark the beloved musician’s fifth studio album and the first as an independent artist, a route he decided to take after founding his own record label called “Tall Racks Records”.

Sharing the inspiration behind his album title, he revealed that it stemmed from him feeling "free" from the pressure of being an artist.

“The title was inspired by me feeling free from a lot of different things, a lot of external pressures, internal pressures, but also feeling free to create, free to be whoever I want to be and express however I want to express,” he explained.

While the process of making the album was no different from his earlier projects, he explained that fans can expect some growth. 

“I still work the same way. But sonically, I guess you can expect a little bit of growth. For the most part, I am still the same person, the same artist.”

The “Black And White” hitmaker also said he has no expectations for how the album will be received by his fans, as “pressure” is one of the things he has decided to free himself from. 

He added he didn't feel the pressure for his music to be received a certain way and instead wanted his fans to enjoy it in their own way.

Meanwhile, some of the topics the rapper tackles on his upcoming album include faith and love, which he touches on in “Evidence” and “Selfish”.

Ngcobo shared that on “Evidence”, he talks about the push and pull with faith that many go through.

“Just knowing there’s a God above and that you’re not the one totally responsible for everything, but at the same time questioning where the proof is,” he said.

On “Selfish”, he talks about the mother of his child, Sammie Heavens, as well as grappling with the acceptance of the reality of life being blindsiding to one sometimes.

“In the hook, I speak about telling her how much I love and appreciate her before God takes her. And in the verses, I speak about the possibility of him (God) taking me first and what I would want to happen to my family, to her and my child,” he concluded.

Apart from Blxckie, the album will include features from Tellaman and DJ Speedsta. Ngcobo shared that Tellaman being featured on his album is very exciting for him, as he is one of the artists he enjoys working with and regards as a brother.

Outside of music, the multi-award winning artist has been experimenting with everyday jobs as part of a series that puts him in ordinary roles. He said it has helped him connect more with people. 

“What it did is really help me connect more to people, give me a lot of perspective. I get to experience so many things that in my normal life I probably wouldn’t”.

Now, as an independent artist, he plans to release a lot of content more frequently and shared that he is gearing up to start working on a clothing brand, which fans can look forward to. 

“Since I’m independent now, I can pretty much drop whatever I want, which is exciting. A lot of music, a lot of new content, a lot of collaborations, a lot of music videos. 'The Ivyson Tour' is coming up very soon,” he said.

For aspiring artists, Ngcobo’s advice is to enjoy the journey while having fun creating the music 

“Have fun making music, have fun being the artist, and really enjoy the process from the ground up. Don’t only look forward to the times when you can spend all this money. 

“Really cherish all the moments from the moment you start. I find myself missing those days a lot. It’s not really a struggle, it’s the process.”

When asked if independence is the best route for upcoming artists, he said yes, but that they should proceed with caution. 

“I definitely would, provided that they still make connections with people who are either behind the scenes when it comes to record labels or people who are signed. 

“You can still get that knowledge secondhand. Be a student of the game, study it through and through. But yeah, definitely being independent is the way to go, in my opinion.”