thePULSEBy Jennifer Russo
Once upon a time not too long ago, there was the birth of the hip-hop movement. Okay, okay ~ so it hasn’t all been fairytale-like for many people who perform and listen to rap music. The genre has been flooded with bad press, associated with gang violence, and labeled as a nuisance by people who can’t appreciate its bold intensity. I wonder if those same critics have taken a listen to it lately.
Old style rap has given way to a fresh new sound and look, and female emcee NyneWest is its poster child, almost literally. Her style is a combination of urban and glam, which is inspired by the 1940’s pin-up girls. “I just love that era. I always thought the women were so beautiful,” Nyne says.
Don’t let this pretty, soft spoken and fun-loving girl fool you, though. She loves what she does and wants her listeners to feel how much fun she has and how she lives for her music in each song, but she means business when it comes to her success. Hailing from Worcester via South Carolina, she made the decision to become a hip-hop artist when she was just 13 years old ~ and she’s never looked back. Her music continuously evolves into new ideas and style. “Now that I’m older I have had a lot more experience, and so I have a lot more to talk about,” she explains. She mentions that though there have been a few female artists who have made their mark on hip-hop culture’s pages, it is still a male-dominated genre that she hopes will balance out.
Nyne has collaborated with several well-known artists in the industry, but mentions that she would love to work with Kanye West because “…he is a trendsetter who sets the pace and people follow in his footsteps even if they don’t realize it.”
She does all of her own writing, and the inspiration for her songs can really come from anything at any time. She muses, “Sometimes I’ll be in the shower or in the car and I’ll have a beat in my head and just start freestylin’ and I need to go write it down.” Her newest song, “Overdrive,” daringly pushes the limits of what’s considered “allowable” regarding sexual content, but she hasn’t received any negative feedback to date. People seem to really love the racy song wherever it’s been played. Nyne and her producers are currently building the concept for the song’s video ~ bound to get the hormones raging ~ and a show line-up that will no doubt throw her over the top and into the limelight.
