Durban’s hip hop heavyweight Nasty C and acclaimed R&B artist Tellaman spent more than a year in Johannesburg studios putting “T's and C's Apply” together, working at their own pace with no label breathing down their necks about deadlines.
The 17-track album blends Hip Hop, R&B and South African sound into something that feels less like two solo careers overlapping and more like a genuine partnership, one built over years of friendship between two talented artists who have hopped on each other’s records before this project ever came up.
Nasty C and Tellaman blend genres
Speaking to "The National", Nasty C and Tellaman shared their journey about creating their genre-blending project, as well as the downside and upside of doing it independently.
“We didn’t feel any kind of pressure to make a project like this. We took our time with it,” Nasty C said.
The album sees the longtime collaborators move beyond their individual careers to create a world where hip hop, R&B and African sounds collide on their own terms. Both of their unmistakably South African textures sit side by side, with Tellaman leaning into melodic instincts and Nasty C sliding between sharp storytelling and his own singing voice.
Neither artist loses their unique identity in the process. The collaboration succeeds because both stay true to their signature styles while pushing their artistic boundaries further than ever, growth that both artists are proud of.
The tracklist brings in a solid supporting cast too, with Oxlade, Blxckie, rising star Lusanda and crownedYung all lending their voices along the way. It also represents the next level of a creative relationship that has produced some of their most memorable collaborations.
One of the interesting facts about the project is the title itself. “Ts and Cs Apply” is a play on “terms and conditions,” however it’s also just their initials stitched together, the “T” for Tellaman and the “C” for Nasty C.
“It was simply a play on words that not only serves as an invite into our world, but also as a way to express how we feel without any limitations. The project is about the breaking and establishment of rules that make us human, such as living life to its fullest and allowing oneself to be hurt. Pain can hurt for some time, but it can also make room for healing and positivity,” said Nasty C.
From idea to final product
That idea shows up in how the project is built, too. The album’s theme is well thought and executed, it is interestingly framed as a radio broadcast, with radio personality AyandaMVP stepping in as the voice tying together the concept of “Isinqa FM”, the title of the radio show.
There is also a listener competition tied to the album that’s very much real according to both artists. A couple stands to win a trip to a destination being kept under wraps for now.
“The theme revolves around a radio show. The intention is for somebody who is listening to the project to feel like they are listening to a radio show,” said Nasty C
“T's and C's Apply” is a project built for the car, for cooking, for the kind of background listening that made the earlier four track preview EP click with fans in July.
That EP opened with “Intro,” featuring AyandaMVP setting the scene, before moving into “Call Me” and “Come Over” with Oxlade, and closing out on “Sally’s Interlude,” an early taste of the chemistry the full album leans into.
Both artists released the album independently, through their own companies, Nasty C’s “Tall Racks” and Tellaman’s “Select Play”, instead of a major record label, and that shaped more than just the rollout.
“There wasn’t like this chain of command that we needed the project to go up to and get all these levels of approval. Once we feel like we’re happy with it, we ship it as it is,” Nasty C said, speaking on releasing the project independently.
Creative Freedom
That freedom came at a cost, though. The “Big Timing” hitmaker revealed that clearing samples without a major label’s name behind them is its own battle.
“When you’re signed to a label, it’s much easier because whoever the artist you need clearance from just hears ‘UMG’ or whatever big label. It’s like, ‘oh yeah, they have a budget’.”
Going into it alone meant more legwork and more patience, but neither artist sounded like they would trade their independence for a more straightforward and quicker process.
Singer, songwriter and producer Tellaman has been steadily building his own solo lane in the industry with hits like “Drinks and Music” and the success of his 2019 album “God Decides”, the timing was less a grand plan, and more of a natural drift.
“I guess I didn’t think too much like that about it,” he said of deciding to commit to a joint album instead of his own.
The two naturally spend more time together as their creative relationship goes beyond studio time, following years of friendship, the idea of a joint album came naturally and they let the music follow.
Tease for the future
His solo project was not close enough to finishing to compete for his attention, he said, which meant that throwing himself into this collaboration made sense.
As for when that solo record lands, he is not saying yet. “I do, but I don’t want to disclose that yet,” he confirmed.
With the album now out, following its September 1 release, Tellaman shared that the focus will shift to getting it in front of people the right way.
Beyond the usual run of videos, merch and touring, both artists are angling for something more intimate this time, stripped down shows with a live band, built for songs that don’t necessarily want a festival stage.
For two artists who’ve already made their names on their own terms, “T's and C's Apply” is not about proving they can work together, but about two established catalogues stepping back from their own lanes to build something neither could have made alone, while still letting each of them grow individually inside it.
This collaboration provides a genuine window into the duo’s artistic synergy and a unified ambition to push local sounds past conventional categories and borders.
nomathamsanqa.sithathu@nationalmg.co.za