When I wrote my review for Bad Hair, I said Price City was to show that he could really rap just as good if not better than most cats in the game and that Bad Hair seemed like it was intended to showcase his musicality more than just the raps. Now with Strings and Bling, it sounds like he managed to strike a balance between the gritty Price City raps and melodic flows and wavy deliveries from Bad Hair. If you are a fan of Price City, there is something for you. If you are a fan of Bad Hair, there is something for you too. I remember how ninjas went 8 ball when they heard “Hallelujah” only to find that that ain’t even the trick he had up under his sleeve. Hallelujah was really a microphone test while so many cats in the game called it defeat. Before he announced the album title, the notion was that we were getting his “Ivyson” album but I think that album was part of the bulk of music he lost?! Either way, here we are – Strings and Bling. When I did the Bad Hair review, I made some technical suggestions in terms of sequencings and other things – when Bad Hair Extensions came out a few weeks later, some of those suggested changes I made had been incorporated into the updated version of the album. The album dropped on my birthday and so, I feel like a godparent to this baby!
Blisters:
“When I count my blisters, I count my blessings,”
This intro track opens up with some melodic keys as he raps, “I was talking to god like I was talking to my bro!” not long after that the hard hitting 808s are brought in and suddenly the song has a bounce to it and Nasty delivers flows we haven’t heard in a while. Perhaps one of the standout moments on this song come from when he says, “Too much power for one Zulu man/ That’s why I’m out here acting a hooligan/ I thank god for blessing me ngempumelelo!” This last line in particular stood out for me because it’s really the first time he has incorporated isiZulu in his raps. There was one or two Instagram videos he uploaded last year where he was rapping an entire verse in isiZulu but he has never really done that on an actual track.
The lyric, “When I count my blisters, I count my blessings,” in the chorus is very reminiscent of a loose song released last year called “Changed”, where he said, “My conscious is conscious-less. Contradiction. Contradicting/ I’m the victim, but I count the blisters when I count the blessings!”
This intro is as good as intros come. Not only on this song but the entire album, his various cadences and ability to utilise pockets is sublime. Lyrically, he manages to touch on many topics in just less than 3 minutes as a way of giving the listener a glimpse into what the album is about: Love, religion/spirituality, anxiety/depression, money and relationships.
Strings & Bling:
“Strings and Bling and strings & bling, the peace they bring to me. I sing for peace, for love and peace!”
The title track further articulates the aforementioned themes. In this second offering he talks about his anxiety and depression and how turning to the Bible was some sort of survival mechanism for him. This is an interesting observation because just two years ago on Bad Hair he was talking about weed and alcohol as the remedy for this.
“Evil runs lose every day and night/ Love only visits on your birthday night/ Can’t judge a torn soul till you felt its pain/ now heal me with all these chains!”
Nasty has a way of putting words together that perfectly paint a picture of what’s going on in his mind and its through this that his listeners can identify with his story as their own.
On “Changed” he said things like,“I toss and I/ turn and I/ might just ending up sleeping with a cross tonight/ These are not the things that I never wanted to come across in life/ my conscious is conscious-less!”
“Way too much going on in my head/ Thought I was just sleep but I was dead/ Parasites..these voices in my head!”
“I get no rest for my brain/ can’t sleep at night/ voices in my head say I’m doomed – I don’t know what the fvck I should do!”
On this title track he not only adresses his mental health but also admits that he’s living “untidy” since serenity walked out on him and for that reason he needs Jesus and his pieces to shine on him. Strings and Bling: Strings is the attachments he has with god, his girl, his fans, family and friends and those around him. Bling is the other side of his life; the money and the flashy lifestyle.
No Respect:
This song basically serves as an interlude and good one at that! This is one of the songs on the album that any Price City fans will enjoy. It is very gritty, disrespectful (the good way), fun and even explicit to a certain extent. Very reminiscent of songs like “Bamm Bamm!” Other songs on the album such as “Do U Digg” and “Jungle” and this one are reminiscent of Price City.
Legendary:
“Love follows me like I retweet!”
This song came a couple of weeks before the actual album dropped as an incentive for the Pre-Order. It was the third song released after “Jungle” and “King” featuring ASAP Ferg. Both “Jungle” and “King” were generally received well by the public. However, there were some people who were critical of the songs basically being about nothing and the same thing. I guess they wanted two different songs that were about two different subject matters rather than the overlapping topics of money, women and sex. I get it. These are the same people who loved “Legendary” because it was a bit different from the other two tracks.
While this song was well received by most, Nasty did catch a bit of backlash for his lines, “My white friends let me touch their sisters/ I ain’t got time to be racist!” and “Ape take care of one another/ an ape don’t give a fvck about colour!” These lines were also referenced to an interview he did last year on VLADTV and Sway In The Morning where he basically said that even though South Africa has such a huge history with racism, he himself personally, has never experienced racism. I don’t really want to get into it right now but all I can say is that on this album and songs before this album, Nasty seems to touch on racism but never really dwells too deep into it and maybe it’s better that way.
U Played Yourself:
“Take my relationship advice or go through the same thing twice!”
While gathering up data for this review, I realised that many people resonated with this song in particular and I think it’s largely due to the fact that this is a conceptual song – not necessarily Nasty’s own reality. He tells a story from the outside looking in which makes it more personal for the listener because they can see themselves in the narrative if they have had a similar experience. He is basically giving advice to both men and women by providing two different narratives for each group to relate to. The concept doesn’t feel forced at all – he is able to take what he has previously observed (and possibly experienced) and put it into words for his listeners to listen and hopefully identify with some off the things being said. This is a testament to his growth as a writer.
Gravy:
“This was no surprise, it came at the perfect time!”
This song, for me, is probably in my top 3 on the album right now. Perfection. I just wish he could’ve had a second verse. There is an audio clip at the start of the song of what sounds like Teddy and someone, I think playing Fifa. A very simple song about enjoying the journey with his brothers. The melodic hook is simple yet so wavy. The different flows he uses in the verse are some of my favourite on the album. The harmonies he uses at the end of the song were a good touch and were a perfect mood setting for the song that follows.
SMA (Ft. Rowlene):
“You’re gonna have to run from me..cause I still love you!”
This song. Damn, bruh! WOW! When I did my review on Bad Hair, I remember saying I might have dropped a thug tear when I heard “Phases” – this was no different. The execution on “Phases” was second to none and so, when I caught wind of the news that Rowlene would once again be working on a special song for Strings And Bling, I was mad excited!
The song opens up with a chord arrangement borrowed from Adele’s “Someone Like You” – already, this sets the tone for the rest of the song.
“She asks me, ‘Junior do you like it when I cry? Do you ever consider my feelings when you lie?!’” In essence, this song is about the struggles of maintaining trust and loyalty in a relationship, particularly a long distance relationship. The way Junior wrote and delivered the second verse here reminds me of “Love The Way You Lie” by Eminem and Rihanna. The energy is aggressive and passionate and the content is vivid and dramatic. “Love The Way You Lie” was basically about two people who love each other but at times are bad for each other – quite similar to this song. The execution, however, is more J Cole – Lost Ones, in a sense that he is rapping from both perspectives and ultimately feels like a conversation between two people.
June 6th, exactly a month before Strings And Bling release date, Rowlene released a song called “143” featuring Nasty C. Listening to “Phases”, “143” and now “SMA”, dare I say the songs are connected?! I’m not gonna spell it out for you entirely but will mention a few things to help you connect the dots.
For starters, I’m almost certain that this song is linked to his relationship with long-time on and off girlfriend Sam. Don’t know who I’m talking about? On the intro of Price City is when I was introduced to Sam when he said,
“I met a girl named Sam..and I fell in love with a girl named/ Yea I had to rub it in like Birdman’s hands!”
On his ode to her on an old song called “Note” he said things like,
“Every part of me is imprinted with your name/ we’re two years running and I can’t say I feel the same, no/ I’m in it deeper now, I swear I’m in it deeper now/ I’m at a place where I’d even hurt myself just to see you smile!”
“I’ve always been on some ‘All or nothing’/ ride or die or get ran over/ Some down for you shit, get up and I’ll stand for ya/ Power Couple shit, some Beyonce and Hova/ So drunk in love, I ‘d die for my hangover!”
In an iconic verse on “S.C.H” from Bad Hair, he updated us on his story with Sam when he said,
“See, things between me and Sam was just, not strong/ the bond was weakening/ the distance was too long to reconnect/ her patience and arms too short to reach for me!”
I’m sure by now you’ve heard “Phases” and know what it’s about. Also, “143” includes a vocal sample of Rowlene singing “Phases” taken from her dope ass cover video. On “143” Nasty has lines such as, “You’re the light to my room/ You’re the pain(t) to my art/… It took me quite a while, I didn’t think I had this in me/ So, let me take this time and put you what we’re meant to be..You and me” and “See, I decided the truth should come before our friendship/ cause that’s what friendship is built on to begin with.” The hook has Rowlene saying, “All good things come to an end…” It’s like they keep going through phases in their relationship where one moment they want to make it work and the next moment they want to call it quits. “Just forget about them hoes, that you meet at your shows/ I know that life on the road can cause a damage/“
In the second verse of “SMA” he tells the story of how they both played the blame game about who cheated first and who’s right or wrong. By the end he says, “But I’m not sending you away/ so you’re gonna have to run from me..cause I still love you!”
There’s a lot more to the story but this is enough for you to connect the dots by yourself.
Sidenote: In my review for Bad Hair I literally said, “I really hope that, come 2017 and 2018, she [Rowlene] will have made an imprint in the game and will be well on her way to a major project. I need to hear more of her.” Fast forward two years later and she’s fast making a name for herself and has a big project coming soon! Well done!
The songs that follow “SMA” are, “Another One Down” and “Everything” – this sequence makes sense to an extent. “Another One Down” is where explains why he is the way he is when it comes to relationships and general relations with people. It’s very introspective and, in a way, makes you see his side of things regarding the ups and down detailed in the previous song SMA. “Casanova” seems randomly placed when you consider that the 2 or 3 songs that come before are telling a story and the 2 after it are also detailing the same relationship. I rearranged this part of the tracklist on the album and realised that the listening experience is somehow much better when the tracklist plays out like this:
Gravy
Casanova
Everything
SMA
Another One Down
Mrs Me
My Baby
Anyway, that’s just me being a low-key executive producer and being very technical.
This album finishes strong, on a positive note with the two songs, “Givenchy” and ”Jiggy Jigga” respectively. It sounds like he was genuinely having fun making these “turn up” songs on the album. Sonically, there’s a lot of growth from Bad Hair. The engineering on this one sounds a lot better, I mean a lot better. All the levels across the songs seem to be consistent, unlike some parts of Bad Hair. The production is flawless. To my knowledge, he produced majority of the album and co-produced the rest.
There is a variety of songs for everybody for every mood. It’s important to acknowledge the appearance of Kaein Cruz on the track “Everything”. I have been following her cover videos online for more than a year now and I think this plug from Nasty C is gonna do a lot for her.
The role out for this album has been second to none. He has a really great team behind him. Several weeks prior to the album release date, he was everywhere promoting this album – Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, London, Germany, Amsterdam – everywhere. This album was released after major releases from the likes of Pusha, Kanye, Cudi, Beyonce & Jay, AKA, and Drake – and even with all of this, Strings and Bling manages to cut through the traffic and commands its place. I just wish I could somehow have an actual in-person in-depth conversation with him about the music. This is a solid offering.
So, whether you are a day one fan, or a one day fan: “It’s Jiggy K.dot, Jiggy Rakim, Jiggy Jay, Jiggy Ye, Jiggy Jigga!”
Let me know your thoughts on the album: @seezyray
Support the artists, sustain the culture: https://nastyc.lnk.to/StringsAndBling
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