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Nick Grant at 97.9 The Beat

Source: Jesse Salazar / Jesse Salazar / 97.9 The Beat

Before Nick Grant hits the stage for his performance at Trees in Deep Ellum tonight (Tuesday, April 25), he made the time to revisit our studios and fill us in on how his life has changed since dropping his project ‘Return of the Cool.’

As a young man growing up on the humble streets of Walterboro, South Carolina, Nick developed a love for the rap game at an early age. He discovered he had a knack for creating rhymes and found that putting together gold bars came quite easily to him, so he decided to take the next step and forever etch his talent on tape by recording in his friend’s makeshift studio in a neighboring building. At the same time, Nick was owning competitors in rap battles on school campuses in South Carolina and in Atlanta, where he moved when he was 16 years old.

He eventually caught the attention of Jason Geter and Chaka Zulu, a few of the industry’s finest who made the MC the premier artist on their new Culture Republic imprint.  Waisting no time, the team got busy putting together his first professional introduction to the world which came to be known as the ’88 mixtape’ and featured guest appearances from Young Dro, CyHi Tha Prince, Big K.R.I.T., and Killer Mike. Nick then set his sights on his debut album he titled Return of the Cool, an 11-track project full of various textures and tempos made available to the world in January of this year and received positively by fans and peers alike.

“As far as the new generation of kings, I want to be in that conversation with the Kendricks and the J. Coles and the Wales and Big Seans and Drakes, I feel like that Top 5 hasn’t been picked yet. I want to be in that conversation.”

In true Nick Grant fashion, he’s currently gearing up for his next project that already has a name and at least one returning featured guest along with some help from a global superstar veteran in the music industry. Press play to hear him reveal who that is and watch to see which legendary Texas rapper crashes the party mid-interview below!