African Hip Hop heavyweight Nasty C and acclaimed R&B artist Tellaman team up for T’s & C’s Apply, a full-length collaboration that brings together two of Durban’s most influential musical exports for a project built without boundaries. Developed over years of shared studio sessions and creative evolution, the album sees the longtime collaborators move beyond individual careers to create a world where Hip Hop, R&B and African sounds collide on their own terms.
The project represents the next level of a creative relationship that has produced some of their most memorable collaborations. What began through years of making music together took shape into a complete body of work when the pair were developing “Big Timing” for Nasty C’s FREE project. That session became the turning point, giving them the sonic direction and confidence to build T’s & C’s Apply into a project of its own.
“The moment we realized that the collaboration had a lot of potential to become a complete album was when we were working on ‘Big Timing’ for FREE a year back,” says Tellaman. “That is when we locked in to really solidify what the T’s & C’s direction entails sonically.”
Across the album, Nasty C and Tellaman operate fully aware of their individual strengths, but equally willing to stretch beyond them. Tellaman brings his signature melodic approach, moving between Hip Hop and R&B through fluid flows and hooks, while Nasty C delivers sharp storytelling, raw bars and harmonic moments. The result is a meeting of styles that feels expansive rather than restrictive, allowing both artists to sound familiar while pushing into new territory.
“For us it has really been about creating something so authentic and so rich in detail whenever we get in the studio,” says Nasty C. “Tellaman brings his own vibe that dabbles between Hip Hop and R&B across melodic flows and hooks, whilst I bring a twist of storytelling across raw bars and harmonic interludes. It is a blend that many enjoy across our past works together, so we saw it fit to bring it into this project whilst still expressing our individual growths sonically and lyrically.”
Officially more than a year in the making, T’s & C’s Apply was recorded across multiple creative sessions, primarily in Johannesburg, bringing together a diverse group of producers and vocalists. The album features contributions from Oxlade, Blxckie, Lusanda and CrownedYung, while AyandaMVP takes on a distinctive role as the voice guiding listeners through “Isinqa FM,” adding another dimension to the project’s world-building.
Even the title carries a deeper connection to the artists. “T’s & C’s” is a play on their names, with the “T” representing Tellaman and the “C” representing Nasty C. But beyond the wordplay, the title introduces the central idea behind the album, life comes with rules, boundaries and consequences, but growth often comes from breaking, redefining and establishing those rules for yourself.
“The name of the project is a blend of our names, T for Tellaman and C for Nasty C,” explains 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.”
That openness is central to the album’s appeal. T’s & C’s Apply does not force either artist into a single sound or identity. Instead, it creates space for contradiction, vulnerability, confidence, melody, rap and experimentation to exist together. The project reflects two artists who have already established themselves independently now using that freedom to build something larger than either catalogue alone.
For Nasty C and Tellaman, the ambition extends beyond making a strong album. T’s & C’s Apply is designed to challenge how African music can move between genres, audiences and territories without sacrificing identity. It arrives as a statement for a generation of artists increasingly comfortable refusing traditional musical boundaries and creating on a global scale.
“We hope that the album can shape how people define R&B and how artists can transition between sounds to find themselves and detail their story better,” share Nasty C and Tellaman. “We also hope that it embraces collaborations across various genre-bending artists and countries.”
With T’s & C’s Apply, two of Africa’s most distinctive voices turn years of chemistry into a fully realized musical world. Nasty C and Tellaman are not simply revisiting a successful formula. They are expanding it, bringing their individual legacies, global ambitions and Durban roots into a project built to travel far beyond them.
Connect with Nasty C:
Instagram: @nasty_csa
X: @nasty_csa
TikTok: @nasty_csa
YouTube: @Nasty_C
Connect with Tellaman:
Instagram: @Tellamanofficial
X: @Tellaman
TikTok: @Tellamanofficial
About Nasty C:
Nasty C is a Durban-born rap heavyweight whose career has been defined by consistency, control and elite talent. Breaking through with “Juice Back,” he quickly became one of South Africa’s youngest award-winning Hip Hop voices and went on to build a landmark catalogue spanning Bad Hair, Strings & Bling and Zulu Man With Some Power, while collaborations with artists including Davido, A$AP Ferg, T.I. and Benny The Butcher expanded his reach globally. His recent projects I Love It Here and FREE further reinforced his dominance, with FREE debuting at number one and marking a new era of independent creative control through Tall Racks Records. Now fully in command of his sound and global trajectory, Nasty C continues to stand at the forefront of African hip hop, with T’s & C’s Apply alongside longtime collaborator Tellaman marking his latest evolution as he pushes his sound, influence and legacy beyond borders.
About Tellaman:
Tellaman (Thelumusa Samuel Owen) is a Durban-born singer, songwriter and producer whose sound moves seamlessly between R&B, Hip Hop, soul and contemporary African music. Raised by two singers and shaped by a strong Gospel foundation, he developed his musical ear early, teaching himself production and building his own bedroom studio before establishing himself as a distinctive voice from Durban. His early breakthrough came through Soul Candi Sessions 15 and collaborations including “Drinks and Music” with OkMalumKoolkat, followed by his multi-platinum hit “Whipped” featuring Shekhinah. Across projects including Lucid Dream, God Decides, Good Regardless and Watchlist, Tellaman has built a reputation for versatility, melodic precision and genre-defying collaborations. In 2026, he enters a new chapter with T’s & C’s Apply, his 17-track collaborative album with longtime friend and collaborator Nasty C, further cementing his place as one of Africa’s most distinctive and influential R&B voices.
