KDUP’s Johnny Boddy sat down to catch up with Nick Grant after his performance at the Star Theatre.
Nick Grant stepped off stage at the Star Theatre, next up that night was Lil Simz, and then Ab Soul. It was his first time in Portland, and the Southern man was feeling welcomed after the crowd vibed to his MC skills. After catching his breath, we chatted in an outside bar attached to the building.
Nick Grant: It’s fun being out here in Portland, man. The energy is good. I get the sense that people appreciate real hip hop. Genuine artists. It is a good place for me to be because I represent all of that.
You were just up in Seattle, and interviewed with Rainydawgradio correct? How was that?
Nick Grant: That was dope, they asked some good questions. Good people up there.
How has the tour been so far?
Nick Grant: This is the third day. Ab Soul has been very welcoming. It’s very rare that you meet people in hip hop that are welcoming. Everybody feels like you are trying to take their spot.
They may feel threatened.
Nick Grant: Exactly. Ab Soul is great though. I really appreciate him allowing me to go on the road with him. I love the whole Top Dawg Entertainment movement. It’s very good for hip hop. I love what they are doing, so shout out to them.
Highs and lows of touring?
Nick Grant: The highs are gaining new fans. Not necessarily people that look like you, or have lived the stuff you have lived… but are open to listening to your story, open to becoming fans. The low is being away from family.
You miss your family?
Nick Grant: Yeah all the time, family is my life. When I’m home I’m always with them. But, in order for them to have a different type of life, I have to be out here.
What’s it like in Walterboro, South Carolina?
Nick Grant: Honestly, it’s very country. There’s not a lot to do out there. People often resort to the crime side of life.
Any early life experiences that helped shape your sound?
Nick Grant: Everyday life. There were more negative times for me growing up than positive. There was street activity people around me where involved in, I knew that life wasn’t for me, but I still dabbled in it and fell back. A lot of experiences early on that I still put into my music, still grow from, and still see… but that is a part of life. You have good days. Some days you wake up on the wrong side of the bed. As an artist, you have to be able to talk about these things. That’s a good thing. Express yourself, whether it is negative or positive.
Can you remember the first time you heard hip/hop and thought… “damn? this is tight”, and did you think, “this is what I need to do?”
Nick Grant: Well, all types of music were playing in my house growing up. My mamma would put on Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, DeAngelo, Erikah Badu, everything, while I she would be cleaning. My brother would be down the hall, playing TuPac, Jay Z and Biggie… so I couldn’t escape music. But, the first time I really remember thinking that this is what I want to do, is when I heard The Notorious B.I.G.
That was when it clicked?
Nick Grant: Yeah. I didn’t really know what he was doing, but he made it look fun. He made it look cooler than anybody else.
Top five dead or alive?
Nick Grant: Well, I could put TuPac and Biggie in, but I feel like they are so beyond lists that they transcend music. Without those guys there wouldn’t be a lot of us. Without them, it would be Jay Z, Nas, Andre 3000, Scarface, Kool G Rap.
Since your latest album is titled: Return of Cool – I thought I would run some things by you, and you tell me if they are Nick Grant cool approved:
Food Trucks
Nick Grant: Cool. They are convenient, that’s why. When you’re walking down the street, you see a food truck and you can immediately eat.
Red Bull
Nick Grant: I haven’t dabbled in a whole lot of that. I guess it’s cool. For a person with no energy.
Portland
Nick Grant: Portland is very cool. We rocked the show tonight. I love the people out here, the energy, the vibe. I don’t smoke, but just to see people walk down the street with a blunt is cool.
Tinder
Nick Grant: Uncool. Not for me. I’ve only known it to be used for one thing, to get a girl and have an encounter. Make the process quicker for fornication. It’s uncool man. You gotta pick up the phone and call the girl, or you approach her and ask her number. That’s how I grew up. You gotta be able to walk up and talk to a girl. She might like you more.
Girlfriends
Nick Grant:Cool. Having a girlfriend is cool. Knowing how to treat a woman is cool. A lot of people may tell me that’s uncool, I don’t get that. Without a woman I wouldn’t be here. To have a woman and to learn and grow everyday is important. It’s the most beautiful thing in the world.
Sushi Burrito’s
Nick Grant: I’m a sushi guy. Cool.
Disco Music
Nick Grant: Disco is very cool. Hip hop is an extension of disco music so without disco we wouldn’t have hip hop.
Pineapple on Pizza
Nick Grant: Cool. I am from the South so that mix of salty shit and fruit is amazing.
Small Dogs
Nick Grant: They shed a lot! My niece had a Pomeranian husky. Very cute, small dog. Tt used to shed so much… Seeing how that was a mess, they are cool, but uncool.
If you had a radio show at KDUP, what would you play?
Nick Grant: Oh man, I am a neo-soul head so I would spin Angie Stone, Musiq Soulchild, Erykah Badu, Maxwell, D’Angelo… but I would also spin Frankie Beverly, Maze, Curtis Mayfield, Luther Vandross. A whole lot of soul music, R&B music.
If not music, then what?
Nick Grant: I would probably be a doctor, like a neurosurgeon. I’m just into stuff like that. Not even for the occupation, just the look of it. When I was growing up to watch Bill Cosby playing a doctor on t.v. – just the image of the doctor pullin up to the hospital in a Porsche, I thought that was fly. They get paid a lot of money.
First job?
Nick Grant: I cut grass in my neighborhood for money. That was more of a hustle, my first real job was Krispy Crème. I worked at the donut shop.
Krispy Crème, cool or uncool?
Nick Grant: Very cool! They hired me, so at one point they were paying me. So, cool.
Dream venue?
Nick Grant: Madison Square Garden.
What were you in a past life?
Nick Grant: Probably a revolutionary.
What is the biggest lie today?
Nick Grant: Social media. It’s cool to be heard, but it leaves room for people to be heard in an inauthentic, less genuine type of way. You could be somebody totally different on the internet. I feel like 90% of the people I see on social media are not who they are in real life. You get to set up your life how you want it to be on social media. That’s the biggest lie today.
New project in the works?
Nick Grant: Absolutely. I have two. Sunday Dinner, and I am also working on Gangsta Bills with DJ Drama. Both of these projects will probably come out by the end of the year.
By Johnny Boddy