Nk is an independent musician who has just released his debut EP, “Spirit Flow (Original EP).” The EP addresses contemporary issues such as narcissism, generational trauma, and love problems while blending jazz, blues, and hip-hop to produce a tonal and eclectic sound.
Born Neko Reid in Suitland, Maryland, and raised in the United States, Nek has used his time wisely and adapted a musical flow, finding his own sound. As a child born into a musical family, most things were taught to him in his dad’s garage studio with his siblings and cousin. Throughout his upbringing, Nek played the saxophone and cello with an AP music theory class in high school, where he learned history and combined it with hip-hop. Nëk is a decade-long household name, and his sounds are a combination of jazz, blues, and hip-hop. With an extremely diverse range of influences, Nek was able to create a sound that not only helps you gain knowledge and feel good but also gets you in a kicking mood. The artist’s inspirations include Tame Impala, the early 2000s Kanye West, Younger Eminem, Juice Wrld, Nipsey Hussle, XXXTentacion, Capital Steez, Isaiah Rashad, Method Man, and Ms. Lauryn Hill. In Nek’s words,
“Music codes the minds of the masses and alters moods, so when creating songs, I think about the people that are younger than me.” I agree with the fact that music heals both the creator and the listener, but there’s a balance when approaching it. Often times, you’ll feel one way but not fully understand the impact it has on other individuals, so I’m very critical of myself when it comes to that, but not to the point where it limits “artist freedom.”
Currently an independent artist, he has only done solo music and hasn’t collaborated with anyone by choice. He just believes there’s no point to working with unestablished artists unless they have talents. Some artists he would like to work with one day are J.I.D., Joey Bada$$$, J.Cole, and Westside Gunn. The COVID pandemic allowed Nëk to create a business and helped him stay inside and focus. He kicked off his career with his first single, “Toxic Drama,” and his debut project, “Spirit Flow (Original EP).” Released on January 23, 2023, Spirit Flow is a collection of modern topics currently being debated throughout the world, such as narcissist behavior, generational trauma, and love difficulties in the modern era. It’s a tonal EP, hitting on lo-fi with its melodies, pacing, and texture. They’re smooth, eating away at your soul with conservative persistence. The textures are high, fine, warm, and glassy. They twinkle against the backdrop of hard bass, mellow streets, fine rap lyrics, and flow. “Divine Fem” is the opener. Instantly, you get the vibe. It’s the first chord. Dive down into a glowing sphere of flow, a red-hot warmth that oozes charm and swagger. It’s retro, future-retro, and it feels so good to get lost in its groove. The lyrics join in, the beat etching them along, and the song gets underway. Each track on the EP feels more like spoken-word poetry. Even subjects of wealth, sex, power, and fame are spied on through an illuminated looking glass. It’s witty and clever, and it makes for some great lyrics.
“Generational Curse” solidifies the tones on the EP. Some guitar harps on in the back. Heavy bass hits you in the mid, the sporadic percussion mixing up the flow as the vocals sit steadily on the river Styx, passing bars down to you with functional bliss. The trend of bleeding edge rap continues: “Karma,” with its uptempo and hard rap style; “Deserving Love,” with its funky soul core that mixes up the hard edge that preceded it; “Narcissist Breaker,” which speaks to the soul and comes back classic—simple bass and a percussion section that keeps you in the moment. Throughout each track, the vocals prevail. Each song is built to serve the vocal; each texture, harmony, and chord meets a word or phrase and lights it up. “Spirit Flow (Original EP)” doesn’t sit on what works; it diversifies, experiments, and grows. This shift-ball-change approach to album construction means that you will never get tired of the sounds that live within it. They flow into one another, cascading ideas down to each other, borrowing, tinkering, and stumbling upon eureka moments every few moments. “Pieces” marks the EP’s drawing to a close. Its jazz tones and textures bring forth images of a sunset. It’s smooth and funky and could stand alone as a single. In the mix, however, it makes the EP even stronger. “Taking a Walk” continues this jazz flow but mixes in the lo-fi vibe from before, blending its sound into the low and slow Barry White vibe of “Mind Games.” This original EP covers you from head to toe. That’s the deficiency with a lot of rap in recent times. Nëk nails it time and time again. His music is available on all platforms.
Go check it out now!
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