I SUPPORT MY TOWN/HARLEM
19
Meet one of my personal picks for head of the class, Mr Im From Harlem himself, Nemesis AKA NYMDOT, or more readily NYMLO....
Basquiat: You're from Harlem of course; how much has that influence your style and music?
NYMDOT: 100% If theres anything more than that then attach that amount to it as well. Harlem is in my veins and the environment has definitely been influential on the music and how I move. The music I make is part of a lifestyle, it represents a culture. At a young age, I was sharpened by battling and now as a whole its just a lifestyle. the fashion, the lingo, everything in total.
Basquiat: The Audio Dope cover, I have to ask about it; what was the inspiration?
NYMDOT: The two young men that you see on the cover are my sons. They are twins; I must say that aside from the musical output, I am very family-oriented. As a father, a role model, I wanted to always make sure that I incorporate my little boys in everything I do. the entire vision started on the stoop. I looked at them and it revealed itself. At the moment, I hit the graphic designer and told him my vision and he did. It came together, and the rest is history.
Basquiat: In terms of the single, I'm From Harlem, how did it feel for the song to take on a life of its own, with all the remixes and the support that it got from the city?
NYMDOT: It felt great because in my own way I was responsible for uniting Harlem. I was repping my town and evrybody was
supporting that. To have everybody on board was a beautiful thing; being from Harlem yourself, you know how it can get with the uptown-downtown vibe, or east-west, what have you but for that time everybody was just Harlem. In case some people dont know, you have to remember I was the 1st artist to get Vado on a record, and thats big you know cause he reps the town, and he's been doing his thing. Then it Shout out to Charlie Clips, and Smoke DZA who also supported and wanted to make magic on the records as well. Getting Jim Jones on it solidified everything for me, and made me realize that I had a hit on my hands. We are Harlem man, and at the end of the day people can say what they want but they LOVE us, always have, always will; from the Dips to when Vacant Lot had it, and C.O.C. top to bottom; 'we're a city inside of a city.'
Basquiat: Production wise, how do you select your beats?
NYMDOT: I select my beats the same way I do the lyrics, its about the feel. I got people that I work with consistently, and we are connected by the sound. They know what works for me, what fits my voice. However, I am not partial though I will work with anybody if it fits, and it follows the formula that I have. My team though is the Dramatiks- Max Dollars (B-More) and Nanno (Texas); Musically we are so connected. Audio Dope was mainly production from them, and they definitely put together a project with a wide range of sounds. Its like a match made in heaven amongst us, and we all have pledged an allegiance to making that HEAT.