Q&A with up and coming artist Niño Brown

A- A valid question that I get all the time. From a young age I always listened to everything I could get my hands on. Growing up in Atlanta there was a very eclectic presence in the radio industry. I went through various phases but Rap was my first love. I was always a fan of musicians that evolved over the years and I’ve taken a personal stake in some of those changes from these artists. So throughout my musical journey I always challenged myself to do an about face and take on something completely different. To be honest I had never really listened to folk music at all when I took that on. It was truly a process of learning something from scratch. So circling back to rap music is more of a homecoming.

Q- Do you receive backlash from the community given your previous musical exploits?

A- I think that’s just part of putting yourself out there. The industry is unforgiving and if you really believe you are going to succeed in anything in life and not get any backlash then you are in for a surprise. To me the more hate or lack of support I receive from people I know or don’t know is more of an indication that I struck a nerve in some way and If I can keep that internal dialogue between me and these individuals going then maybe I can win them over.It’s like in sports, the closer you get to the goal, the stronger the defense gets, again its an indicator that I’m getting closer. I will say that for the most part I get a lot of support and love from the community because real recognizes real and it’s that simple. I try to back up everything I say in my music with facts and bangers.

Q- So is this something you plan to continue to do for the foreseeable future.

A- God willing, music is something I plan on doing for the foreseeable future. I’m a lifelong musical artist and I have to be doing this on some level to feel complete. I created this project to be able to explore all sides of my personality that I didn’t feel was available to me under the previous moniker. Now I’m unfiltered and there is no limitation. To answer your question, I have no plans to exclusively be a rapper. I do it all, next question.

Q- What’s the significance of the gym that’s in the intro of your latest video “The Internet” ?

A- It was sort of my James Dean moment, I’m a huge fan. Beyond the homage we were going for, I’m always trying to showcase the places in the community that are of some importance to me. I use music videos as well as the music itself to process whatever it is I’m going through in life and I felt a healthy amount of fear and uncertainty when it came to the decision to include the big sign in that opening shot. So that’s how I knew we were doing something right. I need to challenge myself in all aspects of this thing and facing my fears and insecurities is paramount. I need to expose myself or this whole thing is nothing more than a clout chase and I may as well be a politician telling the people what they want to hear. To conclude, in my opinion, the realer you are, the better the music.

Q- What’s your biggest fear?

A- Fear itself.

Q- What’s your basic message? What do you hope to accomplish with the music you make?

A- That real change comes from the inside. No matter who you are or what you look like, you can’t love another person until you love yourself. That it doesn’t matter how many times you fall, it’s the getting back up that counts. I’d like to help people realize that perspective and context are everything in one’s ability to win in the game of life. It was only when I overcame my victims mentality that I could truly be free.

Q- Top 5 musical influences?

A- Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, Amy Winehouse, Tupac Shakur, The Weeknd. Not necessarily in that order.

Q- Any final thoughts before we go?

A- My album “Redbone” will be out February 9th, 2022 You can expect a few drops in the meantime!