Nasty C Shares How He Made The Beat For His New Single “Psychic”

Nasty C Shares How He Made The Beat For His New Single “Psychic.” South African rap star and producer Nasty C recently gave fans an intimate look into the making of his latest single, “Psychic.” In a behind-the-scenes breakdown, the multi-talented artist walked viewers through each layer of the instrumental, from melodic choices to subtle tweaks that gave the track its unique groove.

“Today I’m taking you guys through how I made the beat for ‘Psychic’,” Nasty C began, cueing up his production session.

The beat kicks off with a melodic foundation featuring brass elements—more specifically, a sound he referred to as “brass 2 #2.” According to the rapper, the original version of the horns felt “too smooth,” lacking the aggressive punch he was aiming for. “So I did that just for the initial hits,” he said, adding a sharper brass layer to amplify the track’s impact.

He then highlighted a recurring arpeggio that subtly climbs an octave, adding a sense of momentum to the track. “This little arpeggio thing goes up to an octave, so initially it starts off as this… (beat playing),” Nasty C explained, clearly satisfied with how the melody had shaped up.

But the real transformation came in the percussion section. “We got the perks, we got the open hat—just to give it more movement, more groove,” he said, before enthusiastically pointing out his favourite element: “this very famous cowbell that I really love using. It’s one of my favourite things to use at the moment. It just fits everywhere, man—it’s crazy.”

Of course, no Nasty C production is complete without hard-hitting 808s. He revealed a clever trick he used in Psychic’s low-end: the 808s begin with a high octave note and then shift an octave lower starting on the ninth bar. “That was pretty much it,” he said, cueing the beat again to showcase the final draft of the instrumental.

To take things up a notch, Nasty C tapped long-time collaborator and fellow artist Tellaman to replay and enhance some of the horn sections. “Shout out to Tellaman,” he added. “He replayed some stuff for me, added a couple of notes in there, and made it a bit more interesting. He definitely had better plugins than me.”

The collaborative touch, coupled with Nasty C’s signature production flair, makes Psychic another standout entry in the rapper’s ever-expanding catalogue. As Nasty C continues to evolve both as a lyricist and a beatmaker, it’s clear that he’s not just rapping over beats—he’s building them from the ground up with intention, texture, and an ear for what just feels right.