Nasty C — Feel Good Live Sessions, 2018

In 2018, South African rapper Nasty C recorded episode 10 of the Feel Good Live Sessions, a South African format produced by JR that stages artists backed by a live band. At just twenty-one, the man who emerged as one of African hip-hop’s leading voices revisits the mellower songs of his second album, “Strings and Bling,” released the same year — among them “SMA,” “Casanova” and “Mrs Me.” Joined by singer Rowlene as an onstage guest, Nasty C trades club energy for an organic, melodic approach carried by live arrangements. This filmed live concert illustrates the versatility of an artist able to move from aggressive flow to sung, introspective hooks. The capture documents the vitality of late-2010s South African hip-hop, as Nasty C began his international breakthrough. A live set ideal for discovering the most sensitive side of a rapper who became a reference across the continent. Filmed with a live band, this session is a telling snapshot of an artist bridging hard-hitting rap and melodic songwriting, at the moment South African hip-hop began reaching audiences far beyond the continent.