Since the “Juice Back (Remix)” and “Jump” days, South African hip-hop superstars Cassper Nyovest and Nasty C have shared a musical chemistry that has given rise to more singles, collaborations, and dual tours, even as their careers and lives have taken different directions. The pair, both known for their flamboyance and range in music, recently released their latest collaboration, “Lil Mama,” a single serving as a forerunner to Nyovest’s upcoming album with the working title of 2 Seater.
Co-produced by the Family Tree founder and Alie Keys, trap and R&B, with controlled treatments of auto-tune, are at the heart of what makes “Lil Mama” a facile love song. With its laid-back sonorous bass and high-pitched piano loops, the Mafikeng star and Durban’s finest find a common denominator in the lush production, invoking the celebration of their respective lovers and singing praises, no doubt, for the special women in their lives. And besides the fact that their relationships are highly publicised, most of the songwriting extracts clear lived experience with their women being main references behind the lyricism—any other inspiration would certainly be enough to raise eyebrows.
Cassper Nyovest | SUPPLIED
Balanced on a simplistic earworm of a hook (“Lil Mama too swaggy, lil mama too much”), Cassper Nyovest’s opening verse is a tribute to his lover, and going against the grain of hip-hop artists zeroing in on physical attraction, the “Doc Shebeleza” hitmaker spotlights noble and immaterial characteristics such as doting qualities (“She chilling at home and she packing the lunch), having an amiable nature (“She don’t like the drama”), and caring for his well-being (“When I feel sick, she my medicine”). He switches to braggadocious rap for his second verse, with the lyricism touching on luxury brands and spending money on his lover.
Nasty C surfs on the momentum, picking up where Cassper left off with his own ode packed with a little more adventure in the writing courtesy of subtle wordplay, flow switches, and pocket-hopping. From tallying the loot with his boo to admiring her for being a praiseworthy woman in her own right, Nasty adds more cement to the theme without veering towards crass territories in search of a moment in the song.
Nasty C | SUPPLIED
“Lil Mama” is neither a lightshow from Cassper Nyovest nor a spectacle on Nasty C’s end; it is mindful meditation of love and monologues of men who see value in what their partners bring to their lives and also in voicing appreciation for these qualities.
