Duke Ellington…Billie Holliday…Louis Armstrong…Nike Nando?

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, but Nike Nando aka Nando McFly put his name in the hat of local performers looking to make it big with a performance at the Bohemian Caverns.  The nightclub, most famously noted for its cavelike atmosphere and famous jazz acts, was this time host to The Beat Clash sponsored by One vs. Many and Dream City Entertainment.  Accustomed to the cool, laid back style of famous jazz musicians, Nike Nando seems to fit in just as well.  Nike Nando is young but his style says throwback as he commands the audience in his faded jeans, black graphic tee, ripped up denim jacket, dark shades and baseball cap worn in his signature Nike Nando style. His style also comes in his latest mixtape entitled “Super Nike Nando” featuring songs like “Dopage” and “Talk to Me” with a sample from Marvin Gaye.  With his new freestyle “Donuts Freestyle” getting plenty of plays on the site, DMV Unplugged got the chance to talk to Nike Nando about his motivation, his message and whats makes him so authentic.

Nike Nando performing at the Beat Clash on November 24th, 2009

DMV Unplugged: What motivates you?

Nando: My Life experiences stuff that I go through…the fact that you know you gotta struggle to get your money, if you tryna become an aspiring artist you don’t have a machine behind you like other artists would to get to where you want to be.

DMV Unplugged: What’s your message to the DMV?

Nando: Pay more attention to me because its some thing amazing, I’m probably one of the coolest people you will ever meet in your life!

DMV Unplugged: What separates you from all other artists in the DMV?

Nando: The fact that I speak my mind. It’s a lot of people that won’t speak their mind because of politics, they’re scared that if they say what’s on their mind that these machines won’t look to them or sign them. They have that barrier on what they say and with me I don’t give a fuck, I say whatever. I don’t care about putting it out there at the end of the day. I‘m a human being, that’s what America is about any way. Freedom of speech don’t take it up with me take it up with the Constitution.

DMV Unplugged: What influenced your new song “On Top of The World”?

Nando: Just basically like every day struggles through anybody’s life. Like if you’re going through some things and you express your self in music or poetry, you get frustrated at times so ya know that’s what made me make the song.

DMV Unplugged: What other artists and sounds have influenced your music?

Nando: Me!!! Sike naw, (laughter) Wale, Kid Cudi, AB the Producer, a couple local artists. I’m really a fan of my own music as opposed to other people.

DMV Unplugged: What’s your next move?

Nando: I’m doing an album “Perception of Reality”. You can look forward to that, just more flyness more shows, cool ass short big head mothafucka like me.

We can expect to hear better lyrics, beats, and concepts, just overall growth from his last projects to his new album “Perception of Reality”. Nando’s new album will drop early to mid January.

Check out some of Nike Nando’s music here.

Nando – On Top of the World
Nando – Donuts
Nando – Dopage

Interview by Laura Escalante