Tyler Makenzie is Mr. Nobody
Tyler Makenzie is a f-cking weirdo. It works for him though. Leaving the orthodontist, I’m heading to McDonalds to conduct an interview with Tyler.
Most of you probably remember him from the April Issue. A lot has changed for Tyler though, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to interview him again. It’s late July, he’s with a girl who’d do anything for him, he is preparing to release his debut album, and he’s not affiliated with Nova Klan anymore. Yes the complex creature known as Tyler Makenzie is finally a lone wolf, and honestly he’s better off.
Tyler can’t drive to McDonald’s for the interview, so he invites me to his house. After 20 minutes I pull up to his house, adjacent to a house with 2 cop cars parked. If anyone’s familiar with Tyler’s music you can find references to the house in his lyrics. I’m taking all of this in as he opens the door and welcomes me into his crib. We immediately go back to his room/studio, and I before I know it I’m listening to his album and more unreleased music. I asked him if the album has a title, and he replies, “Mr.Nobody.” I put it on everything I love, Tyler Makenzie has one of the best albums you’ll hear in 2015. Although he didn’t play the entire album for me, I heard pivotal tracks and experience great production, emotion and delivery blasting from the speakers. And then in typical Tyler fashion, he stops the music and asks, “Can we start the interview now?”
Still in the studio, I’m amazed at what this dude has put together. I’m amazed at what put him in this space and pushed him in this direction. “It’s crazy because it’s kind of the reason I feel better about not being in Nova Klan any more. That being the space where I had all this good ass music but I was getting no love. As far as me writing, I had recently watched this Movie called Mr. Nobody on Netflix. It was basically about the oldest man in the year 2091 or something, and he was the only mortal one. He was trying to explain his life to someone before he died. He considered what possibilities could have occurred had he made other decisions. It was really mind opening. I didn’t have the name until then, but I knew I wanted to tell me and my life story to the fullest of my ability I’d say. With Nova Klan, I wasn’t the star. I was never jealous or anything cuz I’d push him and kind of manage him. I would showcase him for opportunities, and being a rapper myself that was hard. I would never get feedback either. As long as we were a “team” it was never really like that. I was always in my own space. It was Asante and me helping Asante, but it was never the other way around. And I don’t know what it was that sparked it. I was always passive to a lot of shit. Yancy was my artist, but he insisted that she was Nova’s artist. I came up with the idea of Nova Klan, but he was the CEO. It was just a lot of shit.”
After explaining, he exhales heavily and announces that he’s “hungry as hell.” We then migrate towards the kitchen. As he pours himself some Raisin Bran Crunch, he proclaims his love