Started.

I don't like labels. That shxt pisses me the fck off. I'm not a rapper, though I love to rap. I'm not an artist. That's not me. So, when people say "Pssh, Naj got out of the Marine Corps to be a rapper"... I laugh at you. I'm just creative. I don't like to be held in a box.... Whether it's my friends, what I eat... anything. I have to be out of the norm. In high school, that was considered weird. I was a football player (Who only did that to get girls to notice me...) who didn't even sit with the other players at lunch or do anything with them outside of football, but I hung with other people. I guess that's why I won "Best Personality" in Senior year. I even saw that as, "Hey Naj, you're not that cool... but you're not really lame either... You're just a guy who EVERYBODY knows." Anyway... I don't like being tied to just ONE thing. I have to create... I have to do something with my mind because my mind races all the time.

I knew when I got out of the Marine Corps that I didn't want a job. I knew that driving two days from California to South Carolina. I knew that when I masqueraded that I wanted one. A job wasn't gonna satisfy me. I felt once again, that I was being put in a box. You go to school, you graduate, you get a job. You get out of the Military and depending how you got out, you either go to school or get a job. I flunked out of college once. I didn't wanna do that again. I've worked before... I didn't want to do that again either. I felt pressure... IMMENSE pressure. Pressure to do something... to BE something I didn't wanna be. Not by my family and friends... but by SOCIETY.

"I just dont wanna be labeled... I also dont wanna... I just don't like working for other people."

- Donald Glover/Childish Gambino

I woke up one morning in the bed that me and my ex-girlfriend shared and it hit me. "I'm NOT gonna get a job. I'm not gonna work. If I want to pursue this career. I have to put my all... because putting 50% into it wont work. I tried that before when I was in the Marine Corps, spending my check to record in studios. I couldn't focus. I didn't want to focus... I just wanted to do music. I just wanted to create. I know that I can't do that underneath a glass ceiling. I saw my mom work and be unhappy... I didn't want that for me. So, I know people will ask...

• How do you eat?
• How do you survive?
• How do you live?

Fortunately, there's people who believe in the dream just like I do. I have friends who encourage me and help out. No, I'm not just bumming around... I'm just doing what I can. I guess I'm in my "starving artist" thing now. Thru my soul searching, I found Donald Glover or Childish Gambino. I had always listened to him, but now his words rang true. I began to understand him... Then I saw "Clapping For The Wrong Reasons"... Which is like THEE greatest short film I've ever seen. I understood it all. I began to watch interviews, read articles... Read his Twitter and all of a sudden, I felt like I saw me in the mirror. He inspired me... He changed how I wrote. He made me look at words differently... my rhyme schemes... I'm not setting out to be him... But I'm setting out to be a better me. A better NYCE.

"I feel like as an artist... As a creative... There's not a lot of people that can do what they want to do... Especially as Black male. I can't do what I want to right now... But I'm in a position where I can at least START... But being a rapper isn't apart of it."

And that's how I feel. In South Carolina, I couldn't do what I wanted. That wasn't gonna happen. The music community in Charleston especially, wasn't gonna let me do what I wanted. I don't trap. I don't have a grill. I don't have racks on racks. I'm not killing people. I'm being me. A 26 year old, who watches wrestling, plays video games, knows an insane amount of movie, sports, music, random facts, and loves to smoke weed. That's me. That's what I rap about. I know who I am... I think I'm centered enough for that, but its not how I see myself unfortunately. I live in the WORLD. And automatically, people in the WORLD look at you differently. When Drake said, "I get to wake up every morning and be me." I thought that was the most retarded thing to say... Because, you're not progressing. I know people will read this and might see contradictions and what not... But, honestly man... This isn't for you.

This is for the dreamers. 

For people who want to break thru the glass ceiling and get to the other side... 

Keep banging because I'm right there with you. 

If my best shot can't break it... I know the crack that I left will help. 

After all, Its a start.

...With Attitude.

#IBAE

THE MOTTO.

If you're not family... If you're not getting money with me... If you're not with the movement... If you're not on my team... If I dont fck wit you... Then I dont feel sorry for you. I've reached out to countless people. Some bonds have been forged, some have fell on deaf ears... I've been unanswered. I've been passed over. That shxt stops now...

What makes YOU so exclusive?

What makes YOU better than me?

What makes YOUR squad BETTER than mine?

Who made YOU the head of the cool table?

No one.

That's why I'm gunning for all of you... Some MORE than others. Paul Pierce once said when he was drafted 10th in 1998 NBA Draft, that he looked at the other 9 teams that passed on him and made a vow to DESTROY them every time he faced them. So that's my vow... To destroy everyone who I came into contact with and never gave me a 2nd look... People I reached out to for opportunities and ignored me, never to respond... I aim for you. I wish you all success. It makes passing you on my way to the top, that much sweeter.

N Crowd is not "THEM" or "THEY"... even "ME" or "YOU"

N Crowd is "US".

And its N CROWD or NO CROWD.

Music has always been in the family. My Lil Sister rap too...

Listen one time...

#NCrowdGo

We Major...

Be there... or Be ■.

What The Hook Gon Be?

So... As I sit here listening to beats and planning a studio session tomorrow. Something takes me back to an earlier conversation I had with someone. It was actually quite gratifying and wierd at the same time. I was walking thru work and this guy, who I didn't think knew me at all, and didn't know I made music said to me:

"Yo man... "DayToday" is sick. Real sick man..."

Bewildered and humbled, I reply:

"Thanks man, means a lot. I worked hard on it."

Then he comes back and asks...

"Sooooo... How come there's NO CHORUSES?"

CHORUSES? You mean HOOKS? 

And I answered matter of factly, "Because I don't really dont like hooks that much. I'll do one or two songs with hooks... But I kinda like to get to the point."

The thing is... I really don't believe in myself as a "HOOK" guy. I can't make a hook like "Good Kush & Alcohol" or "No Lie". For every one of those, you'll get a...

"Diamond in the back... Suede roof... We in the ol' school baby we dont need a coupe... Why we standing here? What you wanna do? We on the top floor... (The liquors top shelf too)"

"Top Floor" (Which you'll hear soon) is probably one of my favorite and greatest hooks I've ever done. That was also a nod to Curren$y, one of my FAVORITE rappers. To be honest... Curren$y inspired some of "Life at 20,000 Feet". He inspired ALL of "DayToday"... Not so much as style, but because he really doesn't use hooks that much... He rarely does. And he songs rarely goes over 3 minutes. After talking to Spencer and Brian... and calculating my own theories, The listener really only catches up to 3 minutes. So I give you E V E R Y thing. Some don't notice there's no hook... But if you listen carefully on some tracks, there is... Its at the end. Four bars. That's it. I'll get there as a hook guy soon, and I am trying. So, you'll get a hook sooner or later...

I would like to thank everyone... (That means the 40 of you) who have like my band page on Facebook and the many who have made me #14 artist in Vista on Reverbnation. This is quite wierd and baffling to me because... How is that happening? Anyways, I was featured on a guy from Colorado (Joseph AM) track the other day... The song is called "What it sounds like". I actually did the verse back at Studio317, the old stomping grounds before there was Karma and Dungeon Studios... LOL. It came out dope so ima throw it on here somewhere...

#JaxTellerChronicles... Actually starting on that tomorrow with Karma... 3 hour session... Yessir.

#TunnelVision

#WaveGang

NYCE.

The Day Has Come...

The time has come...

I'm glad you decided to come on this journey..

LINK ONE

Link TWO

Remember, Remember... November...

So... Ive been working on this EP of mine for about a week and a half now... And needless to say, I'm so excited for you to hear it. Some of it is personal, some of it is fun. Some of it you can vibe to, some of it you can just put on if youre have a bad day. These are my thoughts, feelings, fears... All in a week. So i hope you download when its released... That date will come soon. All it needs now is one more song and the album art. Both of those should come soon. November... I'll see yall there.

Day One: 515 Wake Up Call

Day Two: For The Wave Tho

Day Three: You're Welcome

Day Four: Pound

Day Five: Check

Day Six: Chaos Theory

Day Seven: Solana Beach

There it is. The list of songs. 7 songs for 7 days of the week. November... See you there.

And now for a commercial break.....

  Commercial Break by The NYCEST 2 Do It...

Enjoy. #ChannelLive

I havent talked to you in sooooo long... So I wanted to give you a present.

Consequences & Repercussions...

See you soon.

For Dale...

11:11... My letter to Dale...

Rough with no edits...

Download

10:10...

...Open Your Eyes...

Download

The Demise of 24

If you were like me... You'd be enjoying something right now... Something so incredible... So creative that you had to keep it on repeat. You would be enjoying "24" right now. And I was so ready to give it to you. I was ready to unleash its story from my heart and soul onto yours. This was the preface to "Good Mourning". Sadly, extreme circumstances has happened and lessons were learned. I had to two choices: Start this story from scratch and push back the release, or start completely over. The answer was heartbreaking but simple. So, I regret to tell you that "24" will not see the light of day... Not in its entirety anyway. So, me and SpendSirDollars [Who was credited as Executive Producer] decided to do something new. But before we start on a new journey, I must live first. Live so I can tell you new stories, new experiences... New joys and new heartbreaks... New friends and new enemies...

I ask you to not fret... Don't be sad... I will release some of the tracks periodically... randomly... Because I still want you to hear the music. I do this to be heard... and even if its not the whole story, I at least want some of it to be heard. Music means too much to me to get attached. I apologize for this delay, but I will make MORE music... BETTER music... This can only benefit our experience better... I shall see you all soon and give you more info on what's to come. Maybe I wont... Sometimes you just know...

See you on the other side.

Najee.

#TunnelVision

...Isaiah Rider...

On some 1994 shit...

24: WTA coming soon.

Downloadhere

You Ready?

#RIP

Amy Winehouse... "Back to Black" changed my life... Enjoy your seat at the "Forever 27" club...

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#CRUSHoftheWEEK

Esther Baxter... The only thing Petey Pablo contributed to hip-hop..

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One of THOSE blogs.

So heres a rundown... Of life in the recording world of me... Um, its pretty nonexistent at the moment. I hammered out some ideas and songs for me and KJs album [Thats gonna be dope], and started prewriting for the album... "Good Mourning" will be the album, for right now tho... I'm working on "24", which is like my version of Weezy's "Sorry for the wait"...

And I mean that shit, I apologize that yall havent heard anything new as of late. I say blame Brian... He's the manager. Blame Spencer... He's the manager... Blame Ryan's ass... He's the manager... Blame me... I'm the manager... Or am I? I'm saying its kinda hard right now getting things in place... Brian got a lot of shit on his plate and helping to run a label just doesnt fit... [Thats what happens when you're a Cpl & referred to as Jesus...]

So, i've been taking every opportunity to lay shit down, but... Sometimes I dont have it... Other times, the beats just arent there... Or, when I can work... I dont want to. This is the haps of whats goin on... The ride is great when you're going, but when you have to pay the toll... Thats all Im gonna say...

The N Crowd will bounce back... Somehow.. Someway... We're in different stages at the moment... So, we'll be alright at the right time... Im hoping...

If not...

Blame Rob.

He's the manager.

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#CRUSHoftheweek

Mila Kunis... I'd do unspeakble things to you...

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