Up Next: Nick Grant

Donovan "Ghost" German
Feb 1, 2017
3 min read

When you think about the prominent cities in Southern Hip Hop, you think Atlanta, Houston, and New Orleans. And rightfully so...they've been holding it down for the last 20 years. One area that always seems to get overlooked is the Carolinas. Outside of J. Cole, we really don't get no love out here in these streets, albeit a bevy of talent.

But that's all about to change. Ladies and gents...meet Nick Grant, an upcoming emcee out of Walterboro, South Carolina (about an hour away from my hometown of Charleston). Been watching dude since late 2015 when he appeared on Sway's Universe and absolutely DESTROYED it. Don't believe me? Peep game for yourself.

Take some 3 Stacks and Nas, and you mix them up in a pot, sprinkle a little Jay-Z on top, and Nick Grant's what you got! Not even Jeezy could handle all that crack...he got up and left! (see what I did there?)

Ever since then, Nick's been on a tear, even stealing the show during the 2016 BET Hip Hop Awards Cyphers . The thing that stands out about him is that he doesn't sound like the average rapper from South Carolina. Whereas, most rappers to come out of the state seem to rely on copying the Atlanta sound, Nick draws inspiration from his East Coast influences...but at the same time, he never forgets where he comes from.

On January 13th, he released his unofficial debut album Return of the Cool. In the weeks leading up to the release, he went on a mini-tour to promote it via a silent listening party. Along the way, he stopped in APB Clothing Store in downtown Charleston, so I made sure I was in the building. The setting was small and intimate, and brought in a good sized crowd. Nick explained that the reason he chose a "silent" listening party was to get people to actually listen to the music. " When you think of a listening party, people normally are eating, drinking, or doing anything but listening. I'd rather see people vibing to the music, or their faces when they react to a punchline."

Finally, Nick pulled out his laptop and pressed play as everyone listened through wireless headphones. It's showtime, baby!

Clocking in at 11 tracks and a little over 47 minutes, Return of the Cool sounds exactly the way it should. From the opening track, "Sometimes", it's evident what Nick is all about: Slick and witty bars over lush instrumentals. How can you NOT get the stank face to lines like "What goes up must come down, n***a, that's a 69", or "We gon' be here forever like black people in church" ??? CRAZY! He also flexes his punchline prowess on tracks like "Drug Lord Couture", "Luxury Vintage Rap", and "Bouncin".

Even though the boy's got bars like Riker's Island, Nick's forte is talking to the ladies. On "All For You" one of my favorite tracks of the album, Nick spits game to the apple of his eye: "Your old man played you over; how he abuse a classic?" Add in a smooth hook by B. Hess, and you've got a radio hit. The single "Get Up", featuring Watch The Duck, is a groove that your mother and grandma can dance to at the family reunion.

But as dope as ROTC is, it's not without it's faults. There's no secret that Nick is a lyricist in every sense of the word. This is a good and bad thing sometimes. It seems like he's always stuck in battle mode. I would've liked to hear more personal and introspective stories about growing up in South Carolina, things he's been through....etc. That's my only gripe about the project in general. That and the fact that "PPIPP" is so damn short (there's a reason that the title is abbreviated...wink, wink).

After the album was played in it's entirety, Nick gave the crowd a taste of his next piece of work, Sunday Dinner, which will probably be his official debut on Culture Republic/Epic Records. I won't give any too much, but I will say...he's got a certain king of R&B on a track. But that's for me to know and you to find out...

So in conclusion, I'll give Return of the Cool a 7.5 out of 10. Very, very, very solid album. And the scary part is....that I don't think Mr. Grant has even begun to scratch the surface of what he can do! It's so refreshing to see someone from the Carolinas blow up, and if Nick Grant's making it cool to be cool again, then I'm all for it!

Until next time,

Ghost