FRATPACKER WORLD.

A 9 YEAR HISTORY ALBUM REVIEW

2025 has been a great year for music and especially in the hip-hop space whether locally here in South Africa & Africa or internationally with it various mainstream and cultural echelon caliber artists releasing full bodies of work. Being proudly South African, with no DNA but purely RSA making up my genetic code, I’m going to focus on South African hip-hop and the month of September.

In the southern hemisphere the months of August, September and October play a huge and important role in the music and entertainment industry. Those three months are the beginning of our springing and beginning of the people starting to choose not only their summer hits or bangers but their year-end as well. It’s quite the double 2 for 1 special when you look at it and explains why as South Africans, December just isn’t a month but a lifestyle and in usual Erratic fashion…that’s a topic for another day. Back to the music.

As previously mentioned, August – September is a crazy time in the entertainment industry with everyone trying to catch a wave or capitalise on the festive season of people wanting to be out and about in the summer to celebrate life. It only makes sense that most artists and creatives would want to release their projects during this period. In the hip-hop and r&b world we received musical projects from artists both established & emerging such as Dee Koala, Phiwo, Nomfundo Yekani, Flow Jones Jr, Iam6teen, Juni Kobe, Nanette, Blue Pappi, Belo Salo, Kiddo CSA, ZRi, Flvme, Shekhinah, Priddy Ugly and I would carry-on counting if I could keep count. With so many notable artists dropping within this two-month period, two people stole the show and spotlight from everyone for the month and September and I’m going to break it down for you.

The two names that stole the show happened to be A-Reece and Nasty C. Reason being, that Nasty C had announced on the 14^th of August , that he would be releasing his album Free on the 12^th of September 2025. This being a big deal because it would be his first album as an independent artist released under his own label. Nine Days later on the 23^rd of August 2025, A-Reece announced that he would be releasing his latest offering Business As Usual on the 8^th of September 2025, four days before Nasty C’s album. This set the hip-hop community ablaze starting and causing a whole lot of think pieces, arguments and conversation around the two artists and their relationship.

I’m going to give a quick history recap and explanation on why that shook up the South African hip-hop community and the relationship between the two artists so that you can understand the magnitude of the situation. It all starts back in 2016 when after his mixtape Price City went platinum in the streets Nasty C was ready to give us his debut studio album Bad Hair (I bought the CD and still have it) release on the 23^rd of September 2016 and people loved it. A month later on the 21^st of October 2025 A-Reece, signed under Ambitiouz, releases his debut album Paradise, which was also loved by fans and the culture. Now with both rappers being born in 1997, having released their debut albums a month a part, one being from Durban and the other Pretoria and finally both have two different sonics and sounds of their rapping; it caused fans to start up debate around who is next to the take the crown and who is better than who.

Now both rappers never engaged on the topic, but the fans kept running this narrative and most accusing A-Reece of trying to sound or being obsessed with beating Nasty C in terms of sales and stats. This ran on for years and whenever being asked each rapper saying that they don’t have any personal issues with the other and would love to work together, something the positive fans always championed for and thought they were finally going to get it in 2018 when they rapped alongside each other in the 2018 BET Africa Cypher and then Nasty C announcing that A-Reece would be joining him on the Durban leg of his Ivyson tour taking place on the 6^th of October 2018.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned with A-Reece not performing at the show. This caused a frenzy on social media with people claiming Nasty C was jealous or getting outshone in his hometown of Durban. It later came to light, through an interview with Nasty C, that A-Reece had shown up late for his set and by the time A-Reece had arrived to the show it was time for Nasty C to close the show but A-Reece was suggesting that instead he still goes on to perform after Nasty and close the show. Nasty C took this as blatant disrespected and denied the request. This also made Nasty C question that maybe there is a silent beef between them. It’s also important to note that 6 months later on the 6^th of April A-Reece held his own concert titled the Reece Effect at 012Central in Pretoria and boooooy it was a time. I still have videos from then, hopefully I can attach them in the article but otherwise just trust me fam.

Through their history up until this current date, one starts to notice this pattern of Nasty C making a move and A-Reece either following right after or making a flip of his own.  Now in recent tweets and interviews A-Reece has claimed that he holds no ill-will or has beef with Nasty C but that he sees it as healthy competition that the entirety of South African hip-hop benefits from and that he would love and hope they get to work together one day.  Having gone through their history you see why this moment is so important. We were introduced to their debut projects 7 years ago only separated by a month and 7 years later with all the chitter-chatter and drama we get their latest offerings 4 days apart. It feels reminiscent of when 50Cent & Kanye West dropped on the same day using their competition as roll-out for fans to go buy their albums, so the highest selling artist wins when in fact they both win from the marketing and hype of this media frenzy.

You’ve been patient with me as I take you through this journey that is the relationship of A-Reece and Nasty C so let’s talk about what we all came here for. The Music.

Starting with A-Reece’s Business As Usual. To start this off I want to say that I’m a big fan of A-Reece and listen to him more than I do Nasty C, just cause his brand of rap and sound is the style I enjoy and relate to more. Now with that said it pains me to say that this project didn’t feel special or felt like there was any passion or heart in it. It felt like A-Reece was just in the booth to go and do his job and then clock out. Nothing crazy. Nothing out of the ordinary just business as usual. I don’t know something about this project didn’t have the usual hunger of proving to be the best lyricist and having one of the best flows in the game. His usual talent of being able to give the streets, real n*gga anthems and quotes wasn’t as prominent as usual. Even the content and how he addressed it was very lack-luster compared to the standards that we as a community have for him. How he addressed that he is a father now to a beautiful baby girl, congratulations and welcome to the Girl Dad club slime, just felt like it was flat and that he didn’t really want to address it but felt like he had to or that it was owed to the fans.

This was my feeling for this nine-track project. That it was just something he didn’t want to do but felt that he needed to do. Maybe now with being a father he feels as though he needs to spend more time practicing and being a dad for a while and putting down the pen to focus on life but one of the major criticisms about A-Reece is that; he lacked the work ethic or drive and push to be the superstar and reach the heights he should and could reach with the fanbase and loyalty he has built within them, and maybe now with having a daughter he feels he needs to stop doing to just for the love and passion but something bigger as well so even when you don’t feel like getting in the booth you got to find that inspiration to get to work as if it’s business as usual. I’m just speculating off what I feel from the project, I have no inside trader information, but my logic just leads me to believe that A-Reece could be caught and stuck in this limbo and would explain maybe why this latest project sounds like it.

That was one side of the coin of this story so let’s flip to Nasty C and his project Free. Before we get into this project it’s important to note that in 2020 Nasty C signed a deal with American record label Def Jam which was crazy, and everyone was excited to see what is to come. What was to come was his album Zulu Man With Some Power that didn’t pack the punch most of thought it would and a disappointing delivery. It felt like Def Jam was trying to make him more palatable for the States and overseas and cause a separation and disconnect from his day ones and fans in South Africa. From this disappointing turnout it seemed as if there was some tension between Nasty C and the album with him expressing, he is disgruntled as an employee and releasing mixtapes such as the Ivyson Army which allowed him full creative freedom without the label getting involved.

In 2023 he released his project IVYSON, which was a pleasant surprise for fans because the one criticism about Nasty C was that he has dope beats, songs and bars but lacks depth in terms of speaking on issues and being vulnerable with his self and fans. Ivyson was exactly that and the perfect way to “comeback” from the reception of Zulu Man With Some Power.  Now with his latest offering, Free, he had told HYPE Magazine that the reasoning behind the title of the album was that he was free from his contract with the label but not just that only. He was free from living a perceived lifestyle that comes with being signed to a label and being a rap superstar, free from the alcohol and drugs, free from people’s perception of him, free from the pressures of being a people please and he’s now free to be who he truly is and express it freely.

When I heard all this, I can tell you for free that I was super excited for this project. Felt like we were going to get Ivyson pro max plus but instead got Bad Hair pro max plus. Now when I say this it’s not a bad thing at all. As I mentioned in the beginning of this article, I love Bad Hair, I bought the album but that was 7 years ago. With all that Nasty C has been through and now being a father and going through the motions of an international album and them trying to make him what he’s not and now he’s back in the Ah [South Africa] wanting to fly our flag high knowing he has our support. It just felt like we were going to get the evolution of Nasty C into his final form. The promotion run he did of working everyday blue- and white-collar jobs and all the media run he did make it feel as if this was going to touch the common man and hustlers in a soft place that only the realest of bars and feelings hit. I was wrong and it wasn’t that. Instead, it was someone who found their inner kid again and just having fun making music like they did when they first started. No worries and no cares of being something bigger than what he needs to be but just being him at the biggest level that he can be. It’s a really fun, jiggy rap album to bop along today. It can feel too commercial or pop at times with songs like Soft, I’m not a big fan of it and don’t really enjoy the song that much but I see its appeal and what it does at partied and I understand it. If you’re looking to pop in an album that you can freely enjoy without having to think too hard and let play freely then Nasty C’s Free is the album for you.

To end this review on both artists I believe their case study to be one of talent and work ethic. Where A-Reece is more talented at the art of rapping and lyricism, Nasty C’s work ethic to want to be the best and keep improving on his talent seems to keep him inspired and energised. When listening to the two projects I would rate A-Reece’s Business As Usual a solid 6.5/10. A-Reece is dope as usual but the lack of energy and just feeling really bought down the rate of the project and I don’t see myself running back to it like I do a, From Me To You And You Only or Reece Effect. With Nasty C, I would rate his project, Free, a 7,5/10, just because I feel if it had a less commercial and pop feel it could be an album just full of bangers and with some added depth and a little more conscious raps it could definitely start entering the conversation of a classic South African project like Price City or what should be and will be in that conversation, Ivyson. All-in-all both artists are amazing and keep elevating South African hip-hop at the benefit of the fans and artists alike and can’t wait to see the next level of evolution in these young men’s lives and wish the all the best on the journey of fatherhood.