Nasty C Fires Back At Nota After SAMA32 Win
Nasty C Fires Back At Nota After SAMA32 Win. South African hip-hop heavyweight Nasty C has wasted little time responding to one of his most outspoken critics after adding another major accolade to his name.
Fresh off winning Best Hip Hop Album at the 32nd South African Music Awards for his independent project Free, the Durban-born rapper appeared to turn his attention to Nhlamulo “Nota” Baloyi.
Speaking on his famous streaming platform, Nasty C stated that Nota was talking smack about the album as he addressed the music executive as “freckle face.” “Freckle face and them thug, freckle face was going crazy on me, talking smack about the album. Now they have to eat that; now everything they said is invalid, out of the window, toss it out. It doesn’t matter; nothing they said is valid,” Nasty C said. “My brother, tour, merch, award album of the year,” he added in a celebratory tone.
The remarks also carry plenty of history. Nota has repeatedly shared his opinions on Nasty C and his career over the years, touching on everything from the rapper’s musical direction and use of isiZulu to his appearance, tattoos and perceived authenticity.
Nasty C, meanwhile, has never been particularly reluctant to push back when he feels targeted, making the latest clip another chapter in a relationship that has largely played out through public commentary and social media.
The timing is particularly notable because Nasty C is coming off one of the biggest moments of his recent career.
Free, released independently through Tall Racks Records in September 2025 following his departure from Def Jam, represented a major step in the rapper’s journey towards greater creative independence. Its SAMA32 victory for Best Hip Hop Album further cemented the project’s reception and highlighted the continued support of his Ivyson Army fanbase.
Instead of allowing the award win to be the only headline, Nasty C appears to have added some extra spice to the celebrations by addressing one of the voices that has consistently questioned his career.
Fans were quick to turn the clip into a talking point, with reactions ranging from laughter and disbelief to claims that the rapper had “cooked” Nota. Others focused on the now-viral “freckle face” line, treating it as another memorable moment in South African hip-hop’s long-running tradition of lyrical and social media exchanges.
Nota has yet to provide a detailed public response to the latest video.
For now, the exchange remains a one-sided shot, but given the history between the two figures, fans will undoubtedly be watching to see whether Nota answers back.
Nasty C may have left the SAMA stage with another trophy for Free, but his latest social media appearance ensured that the victory came with a little extra noise. And this time, “freckle face” was the phrase that had Mzansi talking.
