A year on since the release of his fourth studio album, I Love It Here, and only a few months after the Ivyson Pack EP, Durban-born rapper and singer-songwriter Nasty C has returned with some heat to match the of the summer activated rather earlier than usual. Titled “Life of the Party”, 031’s forerunner has teamed up with producers Lekaa Beats and Yumbs while enlisting the expertise of amapiano star vocalists Daliwonga and Zee Nxumalo to guide him down the path of the unorthodox with his latest single.
Going against the grain and joining the slew of Mzansi rappers in crossing over to get the feel of other genres, “Life of the Party” is a textbook amapiano jam with slight influences of afrobeats consisting of pendulating percussion, polished log drums, and soft chord progressions synchronised with the piano keys to regulate the rhythm of the song. At the core of the track’s production is the intent to brew a light-hearted mood and a cheerful atmosphere, all of which come together to form the perfect storm for Daliwonga to hum his way into the song and into the heart of his love interest with his signature charm and straight-shooting lyrics: “Girl, I’m the life the party / I like it when you move your body.”
“Life of the Party” Single Cover | SUPPLIED
Telling as the name is, “Life of the Party” narrates the ethereal tale of flirtatious yet incandescent love within the confines of a space conducive to have a good time and to get the hips shaking while keeping the drinks flowing. The hook of the song, as helmed by Daliwonga, builds the shape of the single with lustful expressions of emotional yearning waiting to be consummated by her consent: “Give me the love I wanted, the love I needed”.
From animalistic metaphors (“She’s a party animal, I’m a party creature”) to sumptuous pizza party cross-references (“She’s a cheese girl, and I’m coming with the pizza”), Nasty C channels the spirit of Okmalumkoolkat with a simple one-two flow predicated on wit-freighted brevity, quickfire rhyme-making and nonsensical word selection.
Nasty not only finds pockets to exploit by keeping to the step of the beat, he maximises the vibe with cadence code-switching, transitioning between the expensive twang synonymous to his English-delivered raps and the kasi-flavored dialect with a clumpy texture to the enunciation. With his verse, Nasty goes beyond the extra mile he walked on AKA’s “Lemons (Lemonade)”, he embodies Mzansi energy and fuses it into his rapping rather than breathing on top of it as a judge.
Zee Nxumalo wraps up the song with onomatopoeic fireworks, her contribution an affirmation of the feelings expressed by Daliwonga and Nasty C and an enthusiastic reciprocation of feelings felt mutually.
Listen to “Life of the Party”:
