After tireless months of prepping his highly anticipated Mix
tape, “No More Mr. Nice Guy” (#NMMNG) and the setting up of the long awaited
show at Rehab nightclub in Oakville on March 28th2013, RAM
representatives had the great opportunity to sit, chat, and get some personal
insight from Nadim.
Here is how the Q&A unfolded;
RAM: Describe
who Nadim the Rapper is in 3 words? And why?
Nadim:
Intimate, Intense, Intelligent.
Intimate because I always give you a piece of me in
every song, whether it be a silly song to a poetic song or even a very relevant
political track, you always have my intimate expression.
Intense because if you listen to my music it can be
very aggressive at times, and if you ever watch a live performance from me, I
put a lot of energy into it. I always say “If I ain’t sweating after I show, I
didn’t give my fans what they paid for!”
It can also mean that I am so very deeply involved in my craft and
brand, where I handle all of my self-promotions, marketing, creativity and
productions/engineering. Basically I am
in control of my art from birth to abroad.
Intelligent, I do not consider myself not your
prototypical rapper. I am very aware of
my surroundings, my global atmosphere, and the lineage of the craft. I am a big hip-hop head before anything. I address every reality in my music, whether
it be political injustice to heart
break.
I believe every artist
needs to have these three qualities in order to help speak on behalf of their
generation and on behalf of every individual out there in order to make their
music relatable.
RAM:
Is image in the hip-hop more important
that skill?
Nadim: Growing up listening to hip-hop, mid 90’s,
skill was the most important thing. I
grew up on lyricists like Nas, Eminem, Big Pun, Big L, DMX, Talib Kweli, Mos
Def. These are all guys that took pride
in what they said and how they said it.
The way they looked is just like you and I, “tims and hoodie”. Now a day, fashion seems to have a bigger say
in Hip-Hop than ever before. Even something
as small as not wearing the same tee-shirt in 2 different music videos is
something that I watch for. What’s funny
is that my first mix tape cover was put together by me and a few friends,
whereas now I have recruited one of the most premier graphic designers in
Canadian hip-hop, Jesse Galati (KOTD), to help brand myself as an artist. All flyers, album covers, banners will relay
the same message throughout, so that I can help transform my music into a
lifestyle for fans. Going back to music
videos, I am more particular about how I look in music videos than ever; I have
taken down videos, even though they garnished mass views because I didn’t like
the way I was portrayed in them. So to
answer your question, image and skill in 2013 need to go hand in hand because
not only does your music have to be relatable but your persona must be believable
as well.
RAM: I understand you are currently wrapping up
a project named “No More Mr. Nice Guy”, what will this new EP/Mix-tape offer
existing fans and potential new listeners?
Nadim: A lot of my fans know me for my older series
named “I Miss Hip-Hop”. Both of those mix tapes were in my eyes very amateur,
from writing, to production, engineering and branding. These 2 first mix-tapes were very critical to
help build the foundation of my fan base now, but they lacked in revealing
exactly who Nadim is. I mean both had
their gem tracks but in the end were more geared towards niche “backpacker”
listeners and they weren’t created for the masses. “No More Mr. Nice Guy” is really going to
show my diversity and maturity as an artist. I don’t expect everybody in the
world to LOVE every song but rather enjoy 2-3 where they can really relate
to. So for new fans there will be those
couple of songs that will be their gateway into my discography and for current
fans it will give them the chance to see how I have grown and evolved as a
musician/lyracist. In a nut shell what “No More Mr. Nice Guy” offers is the
evolution of Nadim.
RAM: What does “No More Mr. Nice Guy” mean?
Nadim: No More Mr Nice guy is a statement
Ep/Mix-Tape! It means to me, I no longer fear or will hold back what I have to
say as a musician. It also means that
there is no topic, no boundary, no issue that I will not cross or speak
about. During the beginning of my career
I was a Hip-Hop purist. Then main topics
I covered were how Hip-Hop itself was in a bad state and how I really missed
the golden era of Hip-Hop. As I grew
older and matured as an artist I realized hip hop is alive and well but has
just taken a new direction. But many of
the new leaders in Hip-Hop are scared to speak their mind, and that is where
NMMNG comes into play. There is a No
More Mr. Nice Guy or No More Mr Nice Girl in everyone!
RAM: What are your views of the current
Mississauga Music scene as a whole?
Nadim: Honestly I have very mixed views. Mississauga has produced some extremely
talent acts, to name a few; Billy talent, JD era, Gully the Kid, and Ozz, but
then Mississauga has also produced a pile of garbage! The problem is that music
as become too accessible to make it eventually will begin hurting our
scene. What is meant by that statement
is that whenever something is mass produced it loses quality, and that is the
problem with any local scene. When I
started to make music 5 years ago, myself and a handful of rappers were making
a scene, or a garnishing a huge buzz at the time. Now rappers are a dime a dozen and I can
honestly say I know of 30 rappers within 5km radius of my house. As much as the scene is thriving and growing
where there is a lot of new talent coming through, it is almost doubled in
talent that is irrelevant. Who am I not
to tell someone not to follow their dreams in music but what they should
reconsider is taking a look at the people in their local area that actually
have the talent and step into other roles such as management, publicists,
agents, assistants etc.. Rather than trying to be the talent themselves. A part of taking on the persona of NMMNG, it
is being a brutally honest critic of the music coming out of my city, I have
worked my ass off to get where I am at and built the rep that I have to have
someone who is an amateur come and saturate it.
Overall, Mississauga is a place of plentiful talent from everything like
rappers, singers, Djs, bands, graphic artists. With the saturation of the game it’ll
be a great shame that these truly talented people will never get to shine. Some artists in the city will look at this
statement as if I’m “hating” but what they need to understand is that they are
entering the entertainment industry and if I’m thinking it, imagine what a
record exec is thinking?
RAM: Name some local musicians who helped
motivate your musical career? And why?
Nadim: There are many that have come in and out of
my career over the years, but there are a few that mean the most to me. To start off the band Golden Orchard, this
was headed by 2 of my best friends, Philip Delle Donne and Chris Berry. They
were the 1st to recognize my way with words and I used to love being around
them while they practiced and sometimes I would freestyle during their
intermissions. They were the first to really
nurture my lyrical skills and I remember my first recordings where at Phils
house using his closet as a recording booth.
They were the foundation of me even considering making music.
Another very important
musician out of Mississauga was NES. He
was the first Arabic born rapper that I have ever heard. To me, that legitimized that as an
Arabic-Canadian emcee, I had a place in Hip-Hop. He made Hip-Hop that sounded like the music I
would hear over the radio, and to me that was an incredible feat. Without him knowing, he was a huge mentor to
me.
Another big influence
was a rapper by the name of Mezziah. He was the well-known rapper/basketball
player in my school and I used to look up to him a lot, no pun intended since
he was like 6’6 or something. So, when I first started dabbling in the elements
of Hip-Hop, I started off as a beat boxer.
I used to beat box in the staircases while Mezziah and the other emcees
would freestyle and/or battle. To me
those were the days that made me sit in class and rather than take notes, I
would write rhymes. His clever word play
and voice had a large influence in my starting stages as a rapper.
Other notable mentions
would be; Feta, Rony Montana, Nix Da Beat Alien and Ozz. All 4 of these individuals have stood there
and watched me grow and evolve into the artist that I am now. I am a big fan of Hip-Hop in general and
especially my local scene, so when you think no one is listening to you, I
probably am.
RAM: What Mississauga artist are you a big fan
of right now?
Nadim: Number one is Ozz, he to me is the perfect
combination of commercial catchiness, rawness and realism in a rapper. His life story is so colorful and he has no
fear in talking about it. Not only has
he been a big influence in helping create “No More Mr Nice Guy” but he is also
one of the most genuine artists I have ever encountered. He is an artist that has continuously
progressed and improved every project. I
have heard sneak peeks of the project he plans on releasing and let’s just say
I’ve gotten goose bumps from the music being so raw.
Another artist that I
am a huge fan of right now would have to be NES. His creativity and concepts are so mature and
beyond his time. To me I feel like his
music is always a head of its time. His
last project “Adventures of a Dream Chasing Champion” was one of the best
releases I have ever heard from a Mississauga artist.
Recently I have also been put on to another
rapper/singer called “David Versis”. His
talent is unheard of, style so unique, and makes music that appeals to
everyone. Lastly a few notable mentions,
Gully the Kid and his involvement with KOTD, in which every single time you see
him on screen he’s shouting out “Saaaaauga”.
That alone is very important because he is helping create awareness
around our city to their global KOTD fan base.
There are a lot of Mississauga artists right now that I’m listening too.
Some Other Notable Mentions: Rich Kidd, JD Era, Smash Brovvaz, Fatta.
RAM: If you had to give some advice to new or
established artists out there, what would it be?
Nadim: Number one, follow YOUR heart over anyone
else’s, because “Opinions are like a**holes, everyone has one and some are full
of sh**”. There is going to be a lot of
people that are going to tell you not to pursue a career in music, some will
tell you it’s a waste of time, some will even tell you that you aren’t good
enough. Don’t allow those people to be
the major influence in the decisions of your musical career. Just because you are a great rapper does not
mean that your music will appeal to everyone, also just because you have a
great image does not mean you are a great rapper. Make sure you understand you need both in
order to survive in the competitive market of hip hop. Lastly, always put your
fans/supporters/listeners before anyone. They are the reason why you continue
to exist. Without satisfying what your
listener needs and wants, you will just end up another flash in the pan. Always be yourself so that in the end they
will want to be you.
RAM: We know here at RAM that you used to go by
the name of “MC” Nadim. Is there any particular reason you decided to drop the “MC”?
Nadim: The major reason I dropped the “MC” from my
name was to let my fans know that the music I am embarking on now has nothing
to do with the “I Miss Hip-Hop” era. I also feel like jus “Nadim” is a little
more marketable. It also symbolises the evolution of myself as an artist. Plus
MC Nadim sounded really cheesy HA HA HA!
Shout outs
LARGE
THANKS to Jonathan Kendall of Sound Resolve Studios, Ozz, Farqy, Jesse Galati,
Top Left Recordings, Feta, Rony Montana, Nix Da Beat Alien, Vino Corleone, J.
Prince, Jehf Slaps, Young K, Tipz-Z and the SH Brothaz, Westnyle FX, Young AK,
and last but not least, all the fans and supporters who have been by my side
throughout the years. Without you I am
nothing and I am extremely humbled.
RAM would like to thank Nadim for his time and participation in the Q&A. We wish him well on his new project and can't wait to attend his months end performance.
Connect, listen, and follow Nadim at:
Soundcloud.com/Nadim13
www.nmmng.net
Facebook.com/MCNadim
“Best Of 09’-13’” Mix-Tape
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