Nickelus F (formerly known as Nick Fury) is an American
rapper
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
,
songwriter
A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...
, and
producer from
Richmond, Virginia. He is best known for being the
Black Entertainment Television ''
106 & Park
''106 & Park'' is an American hip hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that was broadcast on weekdays at 6:00 pm ET/5:00 pm CT on BET; it aired on a one-day delay on BET International. It was the network's highest- rate ...
'' "
Freestyle Friday
Freestyle Friday was a segment on BET's popular show ''106 & Park'', in which two aspiring rappers compete in a freestyle battle before the studio audience and the cypher (from 2006) and three celebrity judges (the DJ sometimes acts as the third ju ...
" champion seven weeks in a row and being inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2007. Nickelus F is also known for his collaborations with rapper
Drake
Drake may refer to:
Animals
* A male duck
People and fictional characters
* Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name
* Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* ...
. On the ''Cut the Check''
mixtape,
Drake
Drake may refer to:
Animals
* A male duck
People and fictional characters
* Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name
* Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* ...
and Nickelus F released the song "AM 2 PM" by FTP Productions, which was also included on Drake's first
mixtape, ''
Room for Improvement'', a project which features Nickelus F on several tracks including "Money", "A Scorpio's Mind", and "S.T.R.E.S.S.".
Music career
Nickelus F first began rapping in the 4th grade while at summer camp but he did not begin to take rap seriously until he was in the 6th grade. His first official song was recorded over
LL Cool J's song "
Hey Lover
"Hey Lover" is a song by American rapper LL Cool J, released as the first single from his sixth album, ''Mr. Smith (album), Mr. Smith'' (1995). The song features vocals from American Contemporary, R&B group Boyz II Men. It was released on Octobe ...
."
In 2000, Nickelus F got his first break into the
hip hop industry when he competed against 300 contenders in the regional "Source Unsigned Hype Emcee Battle" where he placed second despite having no formal recording experience. He was also named "
Unsigned Hype
''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the magaz ...
" in ''
The Source
''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the ma ...
'' in 2000 at the age of 17.
Nickelus F then went on to participate in BET's 106 & Park Freestyle Fridays where he was crowned champion after winning seven weeks in a row in 2007.
In November 2009, Nickelus F was featured in ''
Complex
Complex commonly refers to:
* Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe
** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
s "Ten Most Underrated New Rappers".
In 2015, Nickelus F collaborated with rapper/producer
Lil Ugly Mane
Travis Miller (born May 13, 1984) is an American rapper, singer and record producer from Richmond, Virginia. He has recorded under multiple aliases in various genres since his first known released project in 2005, including Lil Ugly Mane, Shawn ...
, under his production name Shawn Kemp, and released the album ''Trick Dice''. This album was released on cassette and according to Nickelus F, sold out in one hour.
In 2016, Nickelus F made his return to battle rap in a league, "Southpaw Battle Coalition" against Danja Zone, and in 2017 against Bigjinya.
Nickelus F is currently part of a collective in Richmond, Virginia, known as the Association of Great Minds or AGM. It features fellow artists Radio B and
Michael Millions
Michael Bass, better known as his stage name Michael Millions, is an American rapper and songwriter from Richmond, Virginia. He is the co-founder of Purple Republic Music Group and has collaborated with fellow Richmond natives Nickelus F and Ski ...
, producer Namebrand, and photographer/videographer Monsee.
Drake
Drake may refer to:
Animals
* A male duck
People and fictional characters
* Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name
* Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* ...
has described Nickelus F as "one of the most gifted people I know at finding
flows".
As of 2018, the last released collaboration between
Drake
Drake may refer to:
Animals
* A male duck
People and fictional characters
* Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name
* Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* ...
and Nickelus F was in 2013, titled "Number 15," which was released as a bonus track fifteen on Nickelus F's "Vices" album.
Ghostwriting
In a 2010 interview with ''
Complex Magazine'', when asked if he had ever ghostwritten for Drake, Nickelus F responded "Yeah, I've done that. I know the rumor going around. I don't want anything I say to be misconstrued. I helped out, you know."
Influences
Nickelus F considers himself to be a "true student"
of
hip-hop and
hip-hop culture. He cites
Project Pat
Patrick Earl Houston (born February 8, 1973), better known by his stage name Project Pat, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He is the older brother of Juicy J, the co-founder of Three 6 Mafia.
Houston was formerly a member of hip h ...
,
Drake
Drake may refer to:
Animals
* A male duck
People and fictional characters
* Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name
* Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* ...
,
Tha Dogg Pound
Tha Dogg Pound is an American Hip hop music, hip hop duo made up of rappers Kurupt and Daz Dillinger. They were signed to Death Row Records in their early careers and were key to the label's success.
Kurupt and Daz went on to release solo albu ...
,
C-Bo
Shawn Thomas, also known by his stage name C-Bo, is an American rapper.
C-Bo, notoriously known for his relationship with law enforcement, was one of the first rappers to be jailed due to his lyrical content, a scathing critique of political off ...
,
Spice 1
Robert Lee Greene, Jr. (born July 2, 1970), better known by his stage name Spice 1 (an acronym for "Sex, Pistols, Indo, Cash and Entertainment"), is an American rapper from Hayward, California. He began releasing albums in 1992.
Career Jive Re ...
,
Lord Finesse, and high school friend J.R. The Great as a few of his hip-hop inspirations. However, he cites
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
,
Jay Z,
MF Doom
Daniel Dumile ( ; July 13, 1971October 31, 2020), best known by his stage name MF Doom or simply Doom (both stylized in all caps), was a British-American rapper and record producer. Noted for his intricate wordplay, signature metal mask, and ...
,
Raekwon
Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), better known by his stage name Raekwon The Chef, or simply Raekwon (), is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as a founding member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, which achieved mainstream success ...
, and
Future as his top 5 rappers.
Personal life
Born in Portland, Oregon, to a father who served in the military, Nickelus F moved frequently as a child. He spent time in his childhood living in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and lived in various places across
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
including
Hampton
Hampton may refer to:
Places Australia
*Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia
*Hampton, New South Wales
*Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region
* Hampton, Victoria
Canada
* Hampton, New Brunswick
*Ha ...
,
Charlotte
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
,
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...
, and
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
.
While battle rapping on BET's 106 & Park Freestyle Fridays, Nickelus F was working as an exterminator for
Terminex, a pest control service. He would head to New York from Richmond, Virginia after work on Thursdays to compete in
Black Entertainment Television ''
106 & Park
''106 & Park'' is an American hip hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that was broadcast on weekdays at 6:00 pm ET/5:00 pm CT on BET; it aired on a one-day delay on BET International. It was the network's highest- rate ...
'' "
Freestyle Friday
Freestyle Friday was a segment on BET's popular show ''106 & Park'', in which two aspiring rappers compete in a freestyle battle before the studio audience and the cypher (from 2006) and three celebrity judges (the DJ sometimes acts as the third ju ...
" every week.
After the birth of his two twin daughters, Nickelus F began his undergraduate degree at the
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a public research university in Richmond, Virginia. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virginia in 1854. In 1968, the Virginia ...
in Richmond, Virginia. He credits school for making him more efficient with his time and music as it provided him with structure in his life. Nickelus F, with art director Daniel Green, has won several awards in the advertising industry, including the Gold Addy for Art Direction presented by the American Advertising Foundation.
In 2015, Richmond, Virginia street artist
Nils Westergard painted a mural of Nickelus F on the side of a building in
Oregon Hill
Oregon Hill is a historic working-class neighborhood in Richmond, Virginia. Oregon Hill overlooks the James River and Belle Isle, and provides access to Hollywood Cemetery. Due to the neighborhood's proximity to the Monroe Park Campus of Vi ...
,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
. Nils Westergard created the mural because he believed that Nickelus F deserved recognition from his hometown of Richmond, Virginia and he was in a unique position to provide it via street art.
Notable projects and discography
* ''Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better'' (2002)
* ''Pistols and Teks'' (2003)
* ''B stands for Burglars'' (2004)
* ''Cut The Check'' (2005)
* ''How To Build a Buzz for Dummies'' (2006)
* ''The Relapse'' (2007)
* ''For the F of It'' (2008)
* ''Rayni Day Entertainment Presents... Umbrella Up Volume 1 ft. Radio B'' (2008)
* ''Thank You'' (2009)
* ''Thank You: Version: Pi'' (2009)
* ''Heathen''(2009)
* ''Go Time'' (2009)
* ''R.A.R.E.'' (''Reliving A Real Experience'') featuring
Portishead (2009)
* ''Season Premiere'' (2010)
* ''Commercials'' (2010)
* ''Season Premiere HD'' (2010)
* ''Yellow Gold'' (Nickelus F & Ohbliv) (2011)
* ''Faces'' (2011)
* ''Vices'' (2013)
* ''PTPT'' (2013)
* ''Yellow Gold 2'' (Nickelus F & Ohbliv) (2013)
* "Triflin" (2015)
* "Trick Dice" (Nickelus F &
Shawn Kemp) (2015)
* "Stretch Marks" (Nickelus F & Namebrand) (2016)
* "Acapellas" (2017)
* "Stuck" (2018)
* "The Gold Mine Volume 1" (2019)
* "The Gold Mine Vol 2" (2019)
Music videos
* "Nurp!/Toast & Jelly" (2005)
* "The Motions" (2008)
* "Everything That I Should" (2009)
* "Heathen" (2009)
* "The Beast" (2009)
* "You Too" featuring The Silverust (2009)
* "Aggressive Content" (2010)
* "What Am I Suppose To Do" (2010)
* "Take You With Me" (2010)
* "Reese Witherspoon" (2010)
* "Crushin' Your Toes" (2010)
* "Handsome" (2012)
* "GotDamnMURDAH!" (2013)
* "Painkillerz" (2014)
* "Tanqueray" (2014)
* "Laced Weed" (2016)
* "No Feel" (2016)
* "DUMP YOU IN A RIVAH" (2019)
* "Got Eem / Vibes (Refrain)" (Made 2016, Uploaded 2019)
* "Might As Well" (2019)
* "Sleazie Wonder" (2020)
External links
Official blogFacebookTwitter
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nickelus F
Living people
Rappers from Virginia
21st-century American rappers
Year of birth missing (living people)