Nasty C’s fourth studio album, I Love It Here, offers a riveting exploration of the rapper’s innermost thoughts and experiences. Through 19 tracks, he explores the profound impact of fatherhood and the relentless pursuit of authenticity in the unforgiving spotlight of fame. “The title refers to the physical and mental spaces that make me happy,” Nasty C tells Apple Music. “So when I say I love it here, I’m talking about fatherhood. I’m talking about being with my girlfriend. I’m talking about the headspace that I’m in right now when it comes to making music.” Through raw, emotionally charged storytelling, Nasty C invites listeners into his world, sharing his triumphs and tribulations with unapologetic honesty. Here, he talks us through the key tracks from the album. “Crazy Crazy” “‘Crazy Crazy,’ if I think back to the day I recorded it, it was just one of those sessions where I felt really creative. I had that beat for a while, maybe a week—I just didn’t know what to do with it. I didn’t know where to take it. But when I was in the studio, I felt super creative. I wanted to do something different and just play around with the high-register tones. I was trying to challenge myself vocally and see how far I could take it. ‘Crazy Crazy’ was the result.” “Release Me” “On ‘Release Me,’ I speak about letting go of all these things that I’ve been a slave to for so long. It’s a very introspective song where I go into my own skin, talk about who I really am and what I really love and what I really enjoy doing. But I also talk about being released from the things people expect me to take part in because I’m a rapper (clubs, girls and all that).” “Prosper in Peace” (with Benny the Butcher) “I had the hook and the verse of that song for a while. In the beginning, I was experimenting with a bunch of different artists I could potentially feature. When I was in the studio with [American DJ and producer] Khalil, he said, ‘I’m pretty close with Benny the Butcher. It would be really dope if we could get someone like him—who usually raps over super hard boom-bap beats—and put him on this.’ We were both showing our versatility. We could have gone for something everyone expected but decided to go left of centre. There’s a lot of bars in there but it’s still a wavy song you can bump in the club.” “Sunset Walks” (feat. Tellaman) “‘I started working on the song when I was in London, and we finished it off in Cape Town. I had this camp in Cape Town where I invited all my favourite artists and producers and we made tons of music there. We had such a great time, just getting creative in this very safe space, where any idea is a good idea. There were no bad ideas. This is one of my favourite songs from that time.” “No More” “‘No More’ is just one of those super fun songs. There wasn’t even a lot of thought to it. As soon as I made the hook, I knew I had to finish the song. I’d just play it wherever I was, whether it was a house party or a gathering. And then eventually, I decided: ‘All right, cool. Let me finish it, but let me add a little bit more substance to it.’” “See Me Now” (feat. Manana) “I featured Manana on this joint and he’s one talented guy. He has a very specific sound but I’m glad we’re putting him on hip-hop albums now. He’s featured three times on the album but ‘See Me Now’ is more of an Afroswing vibe.” “Temptations” (feat. Manana) “This isn’t a song about the temptations that come with fame. It’s about the temptations of street life and the temptations we face growing up. I was narrating a story of someone who chooses the street life instead of the academic route and the consequences that come with those choices.” “Kill the Noise” (feat. Anica & Maglera Doe Boy) “This song is a story. A very graphic one. It’s about this person who’s dealing with abuse in their house. This place that’s supposed to be their safe space, this dream house that they’ve always wanted. They’re in this house now, but now they’re facing abuse. So now they’ve become a slave to what this house represents. Eventually, they snap and kill their abuser. That’s what the title is about as well.” “Pops” “This is a song about my father. It’s one of the very few songs where I actually just give my father his flowers and I give him props and I salute him. I’m a man now. I’m a father too, so I understand all the stuff that he had to go through to raise me. I understand that from a kid’s perspective, it just looked like he was having his way and carrying a lot of things on his plate. It wasn’t easy. I’ve had so many stepmothers in my life, so now when I think about that, it’s quite sad. You know what that means? He was trying to give us a mother, a mother figure in the house that many times.” “Hard Choice” (feat. 25K) “When I got that beat, I did the hook and I used it for a promo video. When I put out the promo video in question, people kept saying, ‘Yo, that joint is hard.’ So I decided to put some more work into it. It’s one of those motivational songs. It just gets you in the mood to go get some money. When I was thinking who to feature, 25K was a perfect fit. He’s super talented and pushes the culture forward. He hopped onto the song and killed it.” “Dear Oliver” “I had a lot of fun making this song, man. I recorded the first verse a month before my son was born and the second verse a month after he touched down. I did that on purpose because at the end of verse one, I say, ‘When I get to hold you/I’ll come back to this mic and tell you some more.’ Then what you hear is the soundbite of him actually being born. You hear him crying, you hear the doctors speaking, the scalpels…and then the beat kicks in. It’s such a beautiful song. I can’t wait until he can actually understand it.”