Nasty C Shaking The Continent With His Ivyson Tour 

This is no small feat. Touring different countries on the continent as an African rapper. But Nasty C is making it look easy. At first it was in his home turf, Southern Africa, a region he has conquered. But then came Sierra Leone, Uganda and Ghana where Nasty C has been seen performing to seriously large crowds over the last few months. 

Ghana blew things out of proportion when Sarkodie comparisons started. The old rap debate; who’s the biggest of the two? This started when Nasty C listed his top 3 rappers, Shatta Wale, Kwesi Arthur and Vic Mensa during an interview on Joy Prime. Asked about Sarkodie, he said he’s in his top 5, not top 3, which was always gonna turn weird. 

Hip-hop will always find controversy even when unnecessary. But, discourse is always good for the game. It’s dope to have fans discussing African rappers, as toxic as the angle might be. 

All this because, a rapper did what very few rappers, if any, do. Controversy aside, Nasty C has been trending for the right reasons, dope performances and just a show of appreciation from fans who aren’t used to seeing him rock in the countries. 

The Ivyson Tour’s expansion across the continent wasn’t luck. Nasty C tested the waters in his and Cassper Nyovest’s African Throne Tour which had stops in South Africa, Kenya, Mozambique and Botswana in 2023. 

This time around, Nasty C isn’t going about it through vibes and gut, it’s in the hands of fans through a platform called Toorly. 

“We’re testing a model where fans decide where the tour goes,” Nasty C said in an interview with the Mail & Guardian last month, referencing his collaboration with Toorly, a platform that uses fan demand to guide tour planning. 

“Touring is mad expensive,” Nasty C said. “Every part of it becomes a huge bill and it doesn’t ease the pressure on the main artist.” 

“This structure,” he continues, “allows us to make informed decisions. Okay, it makes sense to take the tour there because fans will buy tickets. Often, you assume people love you somewhere but then ticket sales don’t match expectations. It hurts.”