NyceWitIt is a spoken word artist specializing in captivating poetry, a children’s book author, and a fashion designer of Poetic Apparel.
1.) What elements and/or characteristics made you say to yourself that you wanted to do music for a living? Who are your influences/heroes/role models?
I began writing poetry when I was in middle school; it all started when I sent a letter to Nikki Giovanni, who, at the time, was a professor at Virginia Tech. I expressed gratitude for her influence over my passion and asked for advice. Initially, I thought, “Oh, this is just going to end up in a pile with her plethora of fan mail,” so when she returned the letter the next week, I was stunned and excited. The words that flowed on the paper with what looked like a dip pin gave me the drive to stay consistent through the highs and lows of the business. Later down the line, I thought adding music to my poetry gave a better visual of the story.
2.) If you could compare yourself to an already established artist, who would that be and why? If you don’t like to compare yourself, then music-wise, what separates you from other musicians?
What separates me from other poets is my unique and unpredicted delivery. I combine variations of spoken word. It may have slam poetry, blues, R&B, rap, and a haiku all in one poem.
3.) Everyone in life goes through adversity of some sort. Is there anything in your life that has any influence on the kind of songs you write? What is the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure on your path to becoming a musician?
Real-life events influence 80% of my poems. The rest is entirely creativity and imagination. The most challenging thing I’ve had to endure on my path was having to pull myself out of depression and get back to work after the murder of my 33-year-old baby sister in 2023. Most days, I didn’t want to get out of bed or leave the house. I would go three days without eating, and I was sleeping about 3 to 4 hours a night, but in the end, she loved my poetry, and I knew that wasn’t what she wanted for me, so I had to tap into my resilience and push through.
4.) How do you prepare yourself to write certain songs? What is your song-writing and recording process?
My process has no rhyme or reason. Some weeks, I can write a poem a day, and some months, I may not write at all. It’s completely intuitive and sporadic yet consistent.
5.) Unfortunately the music industry is full of talented individuals who just don’t get any recognition for their talent and/or hard work. What do you plan to do to make sure you stand out and get noticed? Would you rather be on a major label or would you rather stay independent? Why or why not? In regards to the music industry itself, do you think that the traditional music industry model as we know it is dead?
I will remain authentic and original to continue to stand out. I refuse to fit into what “Industry” Poetry should look like. When it comes to signing to a major record label or staying independent, I would only consider signing to a label if I had complete artist control. Too many people play puppets, and I never enjoyed being a part of that type of audience. However, I am what major labels need. There hasn’t been a thriving poetry label since Motown. Yes, the traditional music industry is definitely dead.
6.) Are you able to make a living with your music? If so, how were you able to attain a career doing what you love? If not, what do you do in order to fund your music career? What advice would give to someone who’s interested in pursuing a career in music?
I have a traditional 9 to 5 and do my passion on the side until my passion no longer requires me to work a 9 to 5. My advice to anyone wanting to pursue their spoken word career is to be their authentic self and speak to relevant topics. Do not get discouraged by the lack of likes or sales. Be deaf to negative criticism and use it to your advantage. Derogatory exposure is still exposure. Make it generate some revenue! Don’t get discouraged when your family and friends don’t support you because most of your support will come from strangers, and if you only have five fans, you give those five fans the same raw talent, you would provide 5 million.
7.) How do you think the internet and social media affected the music industry and how musicians are able to market themselves? Social media is obviously an extremely important element in today’s world, especially when it comes to business, branding, marketing, etc. With that being said, do you think an artist will be able to survive in today’s music industry if they’re not social media savvy?
The social media algorithm affects any business because the platform controls the exposure, and the less favorable on the algorithm could be the most talented. Still, because of the lack of exposure, you would never know. In my opinion, someone who is not tech-savvy or social media savvy would be unable to sustain themselves in this business. They would need to hire a third party to assist if they were unknowledgeable.
8.) Artists who try to make music for the general public and make more money are usually seen as “sell-outs.” Do you see it that way and if so, what do you plan to do to make sure your music stays true to your brand and make a good living at the same time without having to “sell out”?
People in the industry choose to be sellouts. Look at Katt Williams; he did not conform for currency. Will Smith did not conform for currency. He’s never had any swearing in any of his songs, so the people who view these artists as “sellouts” need to understand that they didn’t change; they are just exposing their true character that was previously camouflaged.
9.) Professionally, where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
Five years from now, I see myself as a world-renowned poet and author, able to generate enough revenue that I no longer have to work building someone else’s company but monopolizing on my own.