Nickel and Dime Ops is New York City's breath of fresh air. They're a hip hop group with roots in jazz, fronted by one hell of a rapper - Nickel Killsmics. With a residency at SMOKE in New York every Thursday at 11:45, they've proven themselves to be a fixture in the ever competitive NYC music scene. I did an email interview with them recently, speaking to them about their influences, upcoming plans, and their take on the music world.
When and how did you get started in music?
I was 17 and a freshman in college. One of my homies in my dorm was already rapping and had some recording equipment in his room. He asked me if I had ever written rhymes and recorded before, so I went over and tried it out. I have been hooked ever since. I am always writing. Him and I had a nice chemistry on wax so we started a group. At first we were just jacking instrumentals from singles. Eventually we realized we had to start making our own beats to be true artists. This propelled me into getting my first MPC 2000, and learning about music. We began incorporating live musicians into our shows. Those days were really the foundation of my musical career.
How would you describe your sound?
Nickel and Dime Ops is a unique opportunity for me to fuse my lyricism with some of the finest musicianship in all the land. I'm truly blessed to be working in a circle of arguably the greatest jazz musicians in the world. We tend to call our brand jazz/hip hop fusion. But really, in my eyes, we are a hip hop band primarily. We have a 7 piece ensemble of top level jazz cats making hip hop music, myself rapping, and a vocalist. During the course of our show, everyone gets a chance to stretch out and solo. We always let the music shine, then we take it back to that hip hop pocket which is the true core of our sound.
Who are your influences?
You can imagine the myriad of influences in a 9 piece jazz/hip hop fusion band that also incorporates, funk, rock, R&B, into the formula. If one of us is spinning tunes at the after party you can expect to hear anything from The Roots, Digable Planets, Guru's Jazzmatazz, Pharcyde, De la Soul, to The Meters or Tower of Power, to D'Angelo, to Badu, to what we call that 90's baby makin' music... As for myself, I also take inspiration from all types of music. My early years writing, I was very into MCs like Big Pun, Boot Camp Click, Redman, Hieroglyphics, Tribe, Outkast, Black Starr. But I also love to study artists that have transcended pop culture and become iconic. I find inspiration in listening to Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra, Jack Johnson. I love Rage Against the Machine. My favorite artist of all time is hands down Jimi Hendrix.
What is coming up for you? Music? Shows?
Our main focus right now is to finish writing our new album and figure out how we will record it and put it out. We are taking on the process differently than past records. We are writing new songs and working on them in front of live audiences so we can fine tune before we hit the studio. In the past we have made studio records and learned the music so we could perform them. This process is a little more extensive but more gratifying. For this reason we have not been accepting many shows outside of our weekly residency at SMOKE Jazz Club. We are blessed to have this platform to work on our craft consistently. There are a few other shows coming up but the dates are still TBD.
What projects are you involved in at the moment?
My main focus for the past 6 years has been on Nickel and Dime Ops. Working with this band is once in a lifetime opportunity that I am grateful for. I also do various MC and production collaboration work. Earlier this year I released an EP with my musical brother Whichcraft under the alias Signz of Life. I'm really proud of that record. Some new collaborations on the horizon with MHB coming up as well. I do have a lot of fans around the world hungry to hear another solo record from me. So after we finish this Dime Ops record, that will most likely be my next project.
How would you describe your local scene?
New York City is like a rich father that can give you everything in the world that you need but purposely doesn't give you a thing and makes you work for everything so you can you learn a life lesson. LOL Nothing comes easy here. The city is oversaturated with bands so promoters short change you. There are thousands of people applying for the same job you are, so getting an interview isn't always an easy thing to accomplish. We have been extremely lucky to have been offered our residency at SMOKE. This has given us an opportunity to continuously play and expand our brand in this city.
What are some of the pros and cons of your scene?
The biggest pro about working in this city is the sense of community amongst musicians. We are all in this struggle together. So if a musician digs your sound, most of the time, they will be willing to work with you and build, regardless of the money. The greatest con, I stated before, the scene is oversaturated and promoters and take advantage of that.
What are some challenges you have faced being based there? Do you think you would benefit from being elsewhere?
It's difficult to connect with promoters, club bookers, writers, executives, agencies, etc, which are all necessary to push forward. We have established our name pretty well around the city, but even still, if you do not know someone who can link you with a person you are trying to reach, return emails and phone calls probably will not happen. I know the west coast will dig us, so will Europe, I have a nice following in South Florida, but ultimately New York City is our home base. Our sound comes from here.
Are there locals that you collaborate or play shows with often?
Being embedded in the jazz scene, there are plenty of musicians which we all mix and match and play with and share evenings with at various venues. Some of my favorite bands that we have had the opportunity to close out for have been Gregory Porter, Jean Baylor, Gregory Generet. We had Daru Jones join us on drums a couple months back which was a real treat. Public Enemy's drummer, T Bone Davis sat in with us one night. I was friends with his father Dennis who used to play for Stevie Wonder and David Bowie. He sat in with us one night and rapped which was really great! I also had an opportunity to sit in with Marcus Strickland's Twi Life band a few times which was a lot of fun.
How do you pay for things like studio time, practice space, and marketing expenses?
For the most part we have been lucky and/or creative with band expenses. Rehearsals mostly take place in one of our basements. We have had supporters contribute money to get us into the studio and press CDs. We did do an online fundraiser which helped us with the marketing of our last album. very often my portion of pay from gigs will be reinvested into various band expenses.
What would you look for in someone you might take on tour with you for management/merch?
In a scenario like that, I would need to have someone I trust and I am close with, that knows the music game well. Someone who wouldn't mind driving extended hours. I can think of a few off hand.
Do you book your own shows and tours? What was the experience like and what advice would you give?
To this point I am doing all my own booking. It is not ideal. It would always be preferable to have a booking agent with some clout who can help you slide into the right avenues. In the meantime, as a bandleader, one has to remain diligent. Unfortunately when it comes to booking, "the squeaky wheel gets the grease" mentality seems to be necessary. But it's also imperative to find a good balance and not become a nuisance or too needy. Once contact is made all the way through the gig, it is so important to be professional and comply to the requests of the person who booked you. If not, you most likely will not get a call to perform again.
How has new technology (streaming, social media, etc.) affected your experience in music? Has it helped or hurt you?
Social media and streaming services have leveled the playing field in the music industry. It has given every artist a platform to be heard and thrive. I have fans all around the world who have purchased my music and it is all due to finding us on online. I do have to say that I wish MySpace was still relevant. It was such a conducive tool for artists to find fans and get their music discovered. Nothing like that exists now. For larger artists, I don't think they feel the same way about streaming etc. The music industry no longer has control over what music gets heard and played, therefore it is not so easy to channel return funds into smaller streams. If you want to be monetarily successful in the industry today, more than likely you will need to perform regularly.
Any other advice?
Be you. Be true to yourself and your art form. If you are making music because you believe you are going to be a big sensation and one day this will be the answer to all your problems, you are doing it for the wrong reason. You have to love it. You have to love performing, and writing, and rehearsing, and grueling hours in the studio. You have to live that life because it is who you are. The rest will come when it is your time. But make music because you love it. If not, you should consider a different path.
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