I sat down with Producer/Emcee Nysom at East Side Tattoo owned and operated by Split Divo located on Union Blvd in Allentown, the interview was lively as Nysom spoke about life, music and what inspires him. Upon asking that question, he stated “To be honest, I inspire myself.” It is not a vain statement but in fact a powerful statement. He simply strives for more.
Nysom is incredibly talented and ferocious when it comes to creating music. “I was born in the Bronx, the birthplace of Hip Hop. I started playing piano when I was six years old, and growing up it was just me and my mom. When I was around nine years old, my mother put me in The Diller-Quaile School of Music. It was dope, they put me on a full scholarship and even donated two grand pianos. It was a lot of fun, but they wanted to impose classical piano on me and I’m not one to conform, so I left it alone and started doing my own thing.”
He would continue to thrive in the music world, “I continued playing piano and using the skills I learned from music school, and was eventually introduced to Dj Piperz, a DJ in the Bronx who owned recording equipment and showed me the ropes. He was the one to teach me about Hip Hop and taught me how to lay down the foundation necessary to make a beat.”
Nysoms influences?
“Ironically, I grew up listening to a lot of rock music. I found myself listening to bands like Audioslave, System of a Down and Incubus for a good portion of my childhood. One day, my mother bought me a Linkin Park CD and I thought… hey… this is pretty cool, because they were both singing AND rapping. From there I became a loyal fan of their music and three albums in I became hooked. I think Linkin Park was really what bridged the gap for me from Rock to Hip Hop. Listening to the radio, I would hear artists like 50 Cent, Eminem, and Ja Rule. I would study what I heard, eventually applying it to my own craft.”
“When I was 18, I went to Job corps. One day I saw my roommate making music on his computer, and I thought it looked really cool. That day I was introduced to FL studio, the program that I would use to make music to this day. That’s how the digital portion of my music came into play.”
An enthusiastic hello mid-interview from Split Divo introduced Nysom’s inspiration, “To be honest, I inspire myself. I mean, whatever everybody else is doing is great for them, but I really just try and set the bar for myself. It’s important to continue surpassing all the goals that you thought were difficult in order to really be where you want to be. You have to set your own goals in life.”
What does Nysom want to see in an Artist? “I want to see lyrical content, delivery and substance. Tell me what’s going on in the community and show me how you see the world through your eyes.”
Nysom no longer listens to the radio and now finds Inspiration in his competitive spirit. “If it’s being done, I will strive to do it better.”
Nysom has been a member of the BattleAxe Warriors for close to 2 years. The East Coast division, led by Split Divo, is based in Pennsylvania. After coming to a few Baxwar meetings and getting to know his PA brothers and the music scene there, Nysom decided to make a life altering change and moved to Allentown, PA where he currently resides and represents for the local scene. “I emcee and produce, and watching these guys do the same thing and have the same hunger as I do ultimately made me realize that I needed to change my surroundings. I want to be involved with the movement that is taking place here.”
Nysom frequently reaches out to many of the artists in his network to create music. He has worked with several artists from Locations such as New York, Pennsylvania, Colorado, even as far as France and Canada. He recently released a series of cyphers, better known as his “Nysom Productions Year End Cypher Series” which feature 15 emcees including Split Divo, Pizzo, Sunblaze, Mercy Gang, and more. “I was blessed because I aside from the dope artists that blessed the track, I had my buddy Dep J who is absolutely phenomenal on the mixing tip mix the project. He co-facilitated everything with me on the 2014 Cypher and was a big help versus me doing everything myself like I did on the 2013 cypher. I also reached out to James Dean 718 in Staten Island, NY, an experienced engineer and fellow emcee/producer, who was gracious enough to facilitate the mastering portion of the 2014 cypher. DJ TMB out of the U.K. and Deejay Toshi of Brooklyn NY were also involved, and they did the cuts for the project. Tha Soloist, who is an amazing emcee/sketch master did all of the album artwork by hand. I was fortunate to work with a good team. This project wasn’t as dope as it was because of me, it is as dope as it is because of all the amazing artists that contributed.”
Nysom said if he could write a song with any person, dead or alive he would choose Pun.
He has several upcoming projects with the 610nly family, as well as a slew of other artists such as the Dead Rabbits Diabolic Judah Priest, and Mercy Gang. Also Be on the lookout for his production album, coming soon!
When asked about his own album and when it would drop, Nysom responded “I’m gonna drop an album. When? Soon!!!”
What advice does Nysom have for upcoming and current artists? “Humble yourself, educate yourself about the craft before you try and dip into it and don’t be opposed to learning . I think learning is the most important thing a person can do because knowledge is power. Avoid the words: thot, ratchet, turnt up, swag or fleek because we may be forced to shoot you (just kidding.) I guess the biggest thing I can say is you don’t have to follow a trend to be successful or to be somebody. You don’t have to do what everybody else is doing. Personally, originality is the most important part of my life because without being original I would not be able to do what I do.”
The process for Nysom’s music making is this: “I’ll always consider myself more of a producer than an emcee. Making a song begins with the beat and the lyrics are there to compliment the beat. I have a very intricate flow. I want my words to intertwine with every snare hit. I feel like other people may be more lax on tracks but my aim is always to attack the track so that when you hear it, you feel like I want to eat you… like I want to eat your soul!”
What motivates this focused, driven individual?
“We have one life and I want to live mine the way I want to live it! If I don’t make it for myself, nobody is going to make it for me. I just want a successful future for myself and my 610nly family.. Split, Gibbs, Oskee, Ben, Solly, Pizzo, City, Victoria and everybody down with our cause!”
Nysom’s talent continues to exceed all expectations, while he continues to stay purely motivated in succeeding in his musical endeavors. “Even if you are not a fan of Hip Hop, after listening to at least two of my songs, you may just change your mind.”
And lastly, his final words?
“Stop rapping over industry beats and if you need good production, come see me.”
-NYSOM
If you want to work with Nysom or listen to his music go to his Facebook page and
NysomProductions.com/beats.html
Small list of projects
Songs- nysomproductions.com/songs.html
“It’s going to be sick so stay tuned.”
Make sure to “LIKE” NYSOM on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TheRealNysom?fref=ts
Marsten House “610nly” Cypher – Ft. Pryme Prolifik, NYSOM, Oskee, Pizzo, Split Divo, Gibbs, City
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFB0v477FJU
MARSTEN HOUSE “CATCH THE MEMO” – FT. VOSS, JUDAH PRIEST, PIZZO, LTC, URBAND SHOCKER
Nysom Productions Year End Cypher Series
https://soundcloud.com/nysom_productions/sets/nysom-productions-year-end
DJ TMB – https://www.facebook.com/DJTMB.ROK?fref=ts
TABOOHIPHOP – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Taboohiphop/1420553421293617?fref=ts
