Up Close with Mic Nickels

I’ve had a lot of musical associations during my time in New York City, and have performed with some amazing artists.  Mic Nickels is definitely one of my favorite artists I’ve had the pleasure to play with for many reasons.  His brand of hip hop and jazz fusion showcases the lineage of musical evolution in African-American culture with jazz and hip hop.  The rhymes he comes up with, the sound of the band, the way the crowd responds, and the energy in the room… there’s nothing quite like it!  Most importantly, he is one of the nicest and most humble cats I’ve ever met.  We had a chance to catch up on his successes with his group Nickel and Dime Ops, his past,  present, and the future for this amazing artist, whom I’m glad to call my friend…

When did you first fall in love with hip-hop? (totally stole this from the movie Brown Sugar lol!) Also, where are you from and share with us the places you’ve lived.

I’m what you call a “since day one” kind of hip hop head. Growing up in the ‘80s in Hartford, CT, we were one of the first communities outside of NYC that embraced the culture. Some of my earliest memories involve

listening to Whodini’s Freaks Come Out at Night in the backseat of my mother’s boyfriend’s car or coming across breakers outside of a carnival. Some of my friend’s older brothers had tapes of The Fat Boys and Run DMC, and we used to steal their boomboxes and emulate break dancing

on the sidewalks in front of our houses. I started rapping seriously when I was a freshman at Eastern Connecticut State University, before transferring to the University of Miami when I was twenty years old. I was part of a group down there called The Linx, which became pretty successful in the South Florida scene, but eventually, I moved to NYC. That’s where my heart always felt I needed to be. That’s where the vein of the genre I represent was born, in thrives, and that is where the bulk of my successes as an artist have transpired.

Can you share with us the genesis for your love of music, and how you got started in the industry yourself?

I’ve always been drawn to music. My family used to laugh when I was a baby, the way I’d dance every time Afro-Cuban music would play in our home. They listened to a lot of Motown too, and my grandfather was a jazz fan. But for me, it was always hip hop. We were that generation, you know? We literally grew up and matured during the Golden Era’s peak years, and for me and my people, it was like the movement was just one with who we were. When I started college, one of my homies had a four-track recorder in his dorm room that he “borrowed” long term from his high school, and asked me if I wanted to come by and try to drop some rhymes. We quickly realized we had a nice mojo together on the mic, and I was hooked. Started writing rhymes instead of paying attention in classes and whatnot. Eventually, he and I transferred to Miami and started The Linx, which I spoke about earlier, and built an impressive home studio with ProTools, and an MPC 2000XL. We played all over and recorded a super dope album called Loose Change, which was my first official release. People still talk about that album down there.

It’s rare to find rappers who want to work with live horns, let alone those who primarily specialize in jazz, yet you have done this and have had a lot of success. What prompted you to develop this concept and do you feel more artists should do this?

Well, with The Linx, performing with a live band and using live instruments on our recordings was the cornerstone of our sound. We had a sax player named Leo Casino, who was semi-retired from touring with Earth Wind and Fire, and played with us just because he dug what we were doing. When I moved to NYC I needed a part-time gig to get by and picked up a job bartending at Smoke Jazz Club. This was completely by chance and wasn’t premeditated at all. But over time, as I put out my solo work, some of the musicians I knew started to get hip to what I was doing, and they would bring me up to freestyle with them during their sets. Things changed for me when I found out I was going to be a father and motivated me to make a power move. My solution was to record an album with some of these musicians, which eventually resulted in the Tragedy & Comedy release. This perpetuated us into a weekly residency at Smoke, which I never dreamed in a million years was ever a possibility. It’s funny because I was so intent on going solo when I moved to the city, but the music came back around full circle. There is a beauty in performing alongside a band full of highly talented improvisers that when everything is clicking on stage, becomes creative nirvana, so to speak. I would caution rappers that there is a lot more give and take that comes with performing with a band. It’s not always going to go your way. But if you roll with it, that’s part of the fun, and it inspires to push your own boundaries.

What is your creative process like for developing your rhymes? 

I always equate it to tuning into a radio signal. Usually, I write to the music and try to tune into the message that the melodies and harmonies are telling me. Sad, upbeat, intense, laid back, of course, these basic emotions are presented with ease, but if you really tune in, I find there are detailed stories being conveyed. Very often, once I understand that story, my goal is to transcribe it into the form of a chorus. This process solidifies the motif within the lyrics. Once I have that broken down, it’s easy for me to syncopate the syllables into a constant flow pattern. That’s my forte. I like to push the envelope against the BPM. My wordplay patterns vary based on feel, but I like to line up key rhyme phrases in rapid succession whenever I can and recreate rhyme phrases using varied structures composed of multiple words, that use the same syllable play. When I finalize a song, I like to make sure I can perform it in one take. For me that guarantees the feel will be fluid from front to back.

You’ve had a very successful album in the past that has allotted you many performance opportunities including a performance in Athens, Greece which is to be highly commended! You’ve just released a second album during this pandemic– tell us about it! –

Well to clarify, I’ve had a bunch of albums. My first with The Linx, two solo albums, and three with the band so far. I believe the album you are talking about is The Soulygamist which was produced by The Roots’ sax player, Ian Hendrickson-Smith. We also recorded Resuscitation Music right before we went to Athens, so that was a fun run as well. All of this has been a blast honestly. As long as I continue to be creative, I feel like I’m alive. Several months before the pandemic struck I recorded my new solo album in Los Angeles, but when everything went down its release got put on hold. So what I decided to do was put out a compilation for fans called the 100, which features my favorite hundred tracks from my career. There’s stuff on there dating all the way back to ‘99, live and studio recordings with the band, songs from my solo career, and with the supergroup I belong to called MHB. A lot of rare and unreleased material… I think most of my fans only know me from segments of my career, so this is a really awesome comprehensive view of what I have accomplished. Over six hours of music!

Despite the success you’ve gained thus far you’re a very humble person who’s worked hard to get to where you’re at. Can you share with us some of the ups and downs you’ve experienced on your journey to where you are now as an artist?

I think there’s a common misconception that being the front person for a band requires a tendency for narcissistic behavior. To me, this model is unsustainable and incompatible to who we are as human beings. In the end of the day, no matter what our job is, we all still eat, sleep, and shit, like everyone else. I make music. I love what I do, and I believe that I am damn good at what I do. But that doesn’t warrant me to act superior over others the way that some do riding that ego high when they walk off the stage. I’ve had some big successes, with certain albums or music videos, or performing in Europe, an eight-year weekly residency at Smoke, smashing the Blue Note. Of course, all of those moments feel amazing, but I also once arrived at an outdoor festival late in Connecticut due to horrible traffic on I-95, and the promoter canceled us without pay. When you are the bandleader, guess who eats that expense…? So I suggest to stay humble, or this business will bring you back down to Earth real quick.

You’ve built your career in New York City, which is no easy feat. Maybe you can talk about your decision to move to the big apple, and why. Is there anything you would have done differently looking back, and what advice would you give to young MC’s moving to the city?

For me, New York was always the place to be. Growing up in CT most families either fall on the NYC or Boston side of things. We were definitely NYC 100%. The whole time I lived in Miami, I was advocating for the members of The Linx to move to New York. In my heart, I always knew that our style of artistry would flourish there. So when it was time for me to return to the Northeast to continue following my own artistic aspirations, New York was the only logical choice for me. The City is the heartbeat of global culture, and I wanted to make my mark on it. That meant being out in the scene, hitting open mics, networking, and building with other like-minded individuals. That last part is critical. No matter how talented you are, you need to be around others to push you out of your safe zone. That’s how you grow as an artist exponentially. It also opens you up to other fanbases. Just remember, New York City is a tough beast to tackle, and it’s most likely not going to happen overnight for you. Stay humble. Be true to yourself. And create as much as you can. Everything you create is just one more accomplishment that no one can ever take away from you. Build off those steps.

We’re not sure how long this pandemic will last, but I know you’re not sitting around waiting…what’s cooking next for you?

Right before the pandemic broke out, I started going in on an autobiography about this crazy life that I have lived. All the interesting people I have met, the shows, my travels, my turbulent childhood, and a whole lot of funny stories. So really the timing for this lockdown worked out well for me. It has given me tons of time to focus on this project and get everything the way I want it to be without rushing, and I’m excited to share it with the world.

The book and the new solo album will come out together sometime in 2021. In the meantime, go to www.spotmeanickel.com/100 to download the 100! Occhi Magazine family, please be sure to check out this recent release!  It’s well worth it, and it is the perfect musical reference for representing one of my favorite MCs.  Be on the lookout for an upcoming review of his album the 100, and the autobiography, which sounds like it might be out soon!  Best wishes to Mic Nickels and I hope to reconnect on and off the stage once the world goes back to normal.  Stay tuned!

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