[Download Link & Tracklist Inside]

Nickelus F is here with his brand new mixtape, reworking some classic Portishead tracks as a lead in to some original work with the group’s front man Geoff Borrow that will surface later in the year.
Courtesy of OnSMASH.
Also after the jump, Larissa Green chops it up with Nick for an exclusive illRoots sitdown.

illRoots: So I read how you’re from Virginia. You seem like a humble guy who has something raw to bring to the table. Who would you say influenced you in the area/pushed you to create your voice in the rap game?

Nickelus F: I can give you favorites from my area, but I can’t say a lot of people from my area influenced me. Obviously Pusha T from The Clipse. I like everything that N.E.R.D. does. But for real, a lot of my biggest influences are people like Jay-Z, people like Project Pat, I got a wide range of influences.

iR: I like that you’re just a regular dude with raw talent; or so you say, there’s some rappers these days, especially the young ones/’freshmen’ that say the same thing…what do you think has changed/can change an artistafter you’ve sold records, been offered record deals, and have been marketedby big companies? How do you stay on your ‘regular raw’ steez?

NF: You got to keep real people around you at all times. I’ve got a lot of people around me, that if my head were to get too big, they wouldn’t be afraid to burst my bubble. I don’t think I would get that way because I truly am a humble type person. All that other stuff doesn’t really mean much to me. I keep a lot of true people around me. No yes men.

iR: I also read a quote you said that really caught my eye and I was wondering if you could expand on it a little more: “I’ve sold a few thousand CDs doing me. Now I want to sell millions doing
it for the people.” To go along with the previous question, often when rappers ‘do it for the
people’ it turns out to be a sell out and there’s no story or feeling in it anymore, tracks get overloaded with meaningless metaphors and catchy radio sing-song tunes–what would make you different? What could you do for the people?

NF: When I say I make my music for the people, I make my music to influence the people. My goal is to get to a certain level so that I have influence and I can use that influence to do some good. A lot of rappers don’t have a focal point for their music and no real reason as to why their doing it. I have a purpose behind what I’m doing. It’s to keep it for the people and to keep my message true. I stick to my guns at all times.

iR: I really like the song ‘Be Good’ with the Al Green sample. Who are you talking to in it? I really like it’s sorrow/deliberating voice you’re rapping from. What kind of experiences have you dealt with that have given you a different voice than ‘boats and hoes’ as main rapping-topic priority?

NF: Well with ‘Be Good’ I’m talking to three different people. The first verse is the first conflict song, it’s where you realize that I’m a person with a conscience. The second verse was to my girlfriend, which is based off of some issues that we had. The third verse is about a lot of people that I met in the industry, it’s just like my verse to hip-hop. I’m saying “I’m going to go hard for you every time so you’ve got to be good to me”. I get a lot more in depth about my journey in the music industry on R.A.R.E.

iR: Who are you signed with/who do you credit for finding you to create your first non-demo album–what was it like going through the process of finding a credible, ethical and chill ass work environment that you could be passionate about while working?

NF: Ok, that’s a good question. Number one, I’m not signed to anybody. I’m signed to myself. Everything is done through me. The music was recorded in my environment. Most of Heathen was recorded in my crib, so I can constantly have my headphones in my ears, and constantly creating. It took me a while to finish up Heathen. Like, even Be Good took probably about 6-7 months to finish. Like I did the first verse the first day I got the beat, and I didn’t record the second verse ’till I had that issue which was 3 months later. And one day after that I was feeling a particular way so I finished it up. Most of the other songs came together in the same way. As I was feeling things in the moment, I would write them.

iR: What do you want/what should people be looking out for coming from you in the next couple weeks/months? Summer’s coming around and people are going to need a good ass cruise album [Laughs]

NF: Immediately we have the album R.A.R.E. coming out with Portishead, which drops June 26th through Onsmash.com as well as other great sites like illRoots. R.A.R.E. stands for Reliving A Real Experience. It’s a very introspective album. It gives you insight on a lot of my views about life and the music industry. We’ve kept it hard and we’ve kept it heavy for the first portion of this year. After this I’m going to come out with the band Nickelus F and The Silverrust, you could look forward to that. And after that I’ve got another project, which I can’t really speak on right now. Let’s just say with the next project I’m shooting for the stars. There’s a lot to look out for. I’m going to show the people a lot of different sides of me.

iR: What music are you currently listening to? Do you only listen to rap as well or do you get inspiration from other genre’s?

NF: Yes, I definitely listen to a lot of other genres not just Hip-hop. I spend a lot of time listening to instrumentals and other beats in general. Other than hip-hop and acts like Portishead I listen to a lot of hard rock. That would probably throw a bunch of people. I listen to a lot of oldies. A lot of rap now a days doesn’t have that feeling that strikes a chord with me, so I branch out to other genres.

iR: Who out of the newcomer’s are you into right now?

NF: The truth of the matter is I like a lot of the new comers (I am one myself). Everybody is honest with the music, and they all have a focal point with the music. A lot of the music in the past is kind of like retelling the same story over and over. Now there’s a lot of people from a lot of different walks of life giving you their perspective. I plan on giving you my perspective and an honest perspective.

iR: Are there any older/’legendary’ artists you squabble with or just don’t seem to like for any artistic reason?

NF: No. I’m the type that gives everyone a chance. If something is popular it’s popular for a reason, so you might be able to learn something from it. Everybody can still learn something to better themselves. I don’t really have a problem with anybody.

iR: Lastly, I know this is kind of corny but I gotta ask, what do you suggest for any young kid–girl or boy trying to get into the game to do. What’s a 5 point checklist that they should cover before they think they could take rapping seriously?

NF: First, you have to figure out what you stand for. A lot of people don’t really stand for anything. Rapping is like the lazy n***a’s way out. Their just like they didn’t want to pay attention in school, they didn’t want to work hard, so why not be a rapper. You have to stand for something in my opinion. Two, you have to develop your own sound. Copying off of others sound is only going to last so long . Three, think positive at all times. Your going to have a lot of obstacles thrown at you, people are going to tell you no a lot of times, just think positive. Don’t let that stuff get into your head. Four, stay persistent. Just keep at it. The more you work at it the more people you will reach. Last but not least, download the R.A.R.E. album on June 26th. You could pick up a lot of lessons on that one.

This entry was posted on Friday, June 26th, 2009 at 4:55 pm and is filed under Interview, Mixtape. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.