The Introduction To The New School – Nero
Hip Hop has changed over the course of it’s 30 some-odd years as a genre and a culture. Over the years, we moved from b-boy battles to “jerking”, simple party music with basic rhyme schemes to complex lyrical metaphors and rapid-fire delivery. Artist who were born in the 90s were teenagers in this first decade of the new millennium, where hip hop had changed drastically from what is was when they entered this world. If you ask a handful of random Millennials about hip hop’s origins and what not, I’m willing to put money on it that only a couple of them could really tell you. I mean, really though? One of hip hop’s newer editions “Soulja Boy” referred to 50 Cent as “Old-School” when asked who he liked from the Old School. Yes…I am shaking my head with the rest of you right now. With that being said though, there’s always a ray of hope somewhere. This time, that ray of hope shines from “UP THERE” in New York, where an emcee who goes by such names as Young Coyote and Ro Ransom, but is better known to the new hip hop world as “Nero.”
So by now, I think my point about the internet being the biggest thing in hip hop at the moment has been driven home. Nero is no exception. He’s exercised and expended all the outlets of new age music technology, from MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and of course the plethora of blogs. But that’s about where me using the “new” term could stop. What makes Nero a little different is that his musical style could make a 1993 Hip Hop heads shed a tear to find out that Nas’ 2006 album title wasn’t completely true. A sound that has become brand to Nero is the throwback, early 90s, golden age sound he brings. For a 16-year old, born in the year of ‘93, you wouldn’t expect him to bless the new school with the swagger of almost as Smooth as C.L with the flow style of a member of classic groups such as “Souls Of Mischief” or “A Tribe Called Quest”.
Nero hooked up with Illroots Hip Hop Blog founder “Mike Waxx” in Late 2008 after featuring on Mike Waxx‘s DOOM mixtape. Mike Waxx became his manager and he was featured frequently on Illroots.Com. The throwback, retrospective style hip hop was heavily reflected on Nero’s most critically acclaimed project to date, “Alive & Vibrant”. The mixtape/album was a tribute project to 90s Hip Hop Music. Nero went in over 90s productions, creating his own remake renditions to records such as T.R.O.Y. The tape was well received in the blog world and it garnered Nero a lot of buzz and respect as a hip hop new comer who still respected lyrics and classic hip hop.
Nero recently released a special edition of the mixtape that was titled “Alive & Vibrant: Relive The Moment”. The album was re-mixed and mastered, some tracks were added, others were discarded and new tracks were created. “Bubbling Under The Radar” underground hip hop artists such as Harlem’s Cash, Truck North, El Prez, Chip Tha Ripper, J.Rocwell, TreaZon and The Kid Daytona were featured on the project.
Nero and Mike Waxx stated that the project and the release of the video “Funkorama” from the project was the end of the “90s” Nero and that all future music would be original and/or modern styles of hip hop. Nero recently stated in an interview with Chris Immunity that he had began to become pigeonholed with the retro style and wanted to show people he was more than that. Look out for new records from Nero hitting the scene soon. In the meantime, check out his latest project “Alive & Vibrant: Relive The Moment”.
Listen: Nero – Swangin’ & Bangin’
Download: Nero – Alive & Vibrant: Relive The Moment
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