Let me introduce the next Toronto rapper on the rise: Nuw. Nuw was born in Nairobi, Kenya where his passion for music began. He grew up listening to many genres of music such as R&B, Reggae, Hip-Hop, Afrobeats, Dancehall, Soca and much more. However, his interest in Hip-Hop and R&B developed after he started listening to iconic artists such as Tupac, Biggie, Lauryn Hill, Outkast and other legends of the time.
As he grew older, he started to deal with issues regarding his adolescence. He lived in a strict household where academics was first. It wasn’t long until music became his escape from reality. A sanctuary where he could be his true self. Once he turned 18, his passion for music was becoming a form of expression. He was inspired by the current chart-dominating artists such as Drake, J Cole, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem and Lil Wayne.
Nuw says his writing style is even modelled by these rappers. Much like them, he hopes to excel in lyricism and interpretive storytelling and bring it back to music today. His goal is to initiate emotion, perspective and introspection within his music because he believes “true artistry is not only rhythm and cadences but also being able to use life experiences to relate to his listeners.” He wants to help those who are dealing with anything life is throwing at them, from mental health, struggles of young adulthood, to finding yourself. He intends to add a new spin on music by blending both traditional aspects and modern ones. For instance, the classic wordplay from notorious rappers to incorporating popular genres now within his work. Genres such as Afrobeats/Afropop is a new form he would like to explore, considering its cultural importance to him. Working with this new genre would bring him much closer to home as he says.
Nuw believes in using music to express, educate and help the lives of those around him. Due to the recent events involving injustice and racism towards the black community, he created a track that focusses on the struggles his people have continuously faced for hundreds of years. This track is titled ‘Revolution’ and you can listen below.
