(New Written Interview) DN3 And Nick Norris Talks Music With Hip Hop On Deck
1. DN3 And Nick Norris, how long have you guys been doing music?
DN3: Nick and I have been at it for over a year. I've been producing and DJing since 1999
Nick: I've always been a huge fan of DN3's production. Even before I knew him personally, I liked everything he did with Mega Ran and other artists around the city.
2. DN3 And Nick Norris, what made you guys want to start to make music together?
DN3: my first interaction with Nick was through an EP I produced for fellow Arizona Hip-Hop Artist, Prophetiko. Being that I'm always down to build and make dope music with the local talent in Arizona, Nick and I came together and made a few tracks. The tracks came out VERY dope. Although we may come from 2 different backgrounds, our musical philosophies and influences were very similar. He is quite a producer himself. So it just seemed natural to rock it out from there
Nick: I've always been a huge fan of DN3's production. Even before I knew him personally, I liked everything he did with Mega Ran and other artists around the city.
3. DN3 And Nick Norris, who did this team come together and what do you feel both parties bring to the table?
DN3: I felt Nick had a lot to say on this album regarding personal life and he had some great musical ideas that I wouldn't have normally created. I felt as though he was much of a producer as I in the sense of guiding the sound of the album. There are some tracks where he would pick out some samples for me to chop up and bang out. Then he would just spit however he felt on the joints. I would drop a rare verse here and there as well.
Nick: A couple years ago I came through DN3's spot to record a song with Prophetiko, and we kinda hit it off, musically speaking. One day I asked DN3 if he would consider working on a record with me, and he surprisingly said "Yes"! DN3 brings a LOT to the table. Everything from: production quality, insanely dope beats, creativity, even his bars are lit. He has a great vision, and I learned pretty quickly that allowing him to do what he does best is the only way to do it.
4. DN3 And Nick Norris, "How To Ruin Everything" is the name of the project. How did you guys come up with the title and how long did it take for you guys to complete this project?'
DN3: I never even heard of the Punk group, Propaghandi, until Nick put me on to them. I thought they were extremely dope and told me the title should be 'How To Ruin Everything' as a play on the album, 'How To Clean Up Everything'. With the themes and topics of the tracks of our album, I thought it was perfect.
Nick: How to Ruin Everything was an idea I thought of one night when I was listening to my favorite punk album ever "How to Clean Everything". The concept was already underway, I was having trouble articulating how I wanted the album name to appear. I liked the idea, and shot it over to DN3 for his input, and it just fit. It took about 15 months to complete the project.
5. DN3 And Nick Norris, what do you guys feel this project brings to the music industry and what do you guys feel you bring different to the music industry?
DN3: I really like the amount of variety that this record brings. People will call it an underground backpacker album, but musically there are various inspirations from genres such as blues, punk and rock (of course), and I had to keep my own version of soul into it as well.
Nick: I feel like this album doesn't fit into the traditional "hip hop" mold. It's not a "bars over a beat" album. There's a lot of nuance to it. Yes, it is very hip hop, but at the same time there are live guitars, 3/4 timing structures, and all types of different flows. I honestly don't know any other albums that sound like our, it's very unique.
6. DN3 And Nick Norris, what is the hardest thing in life you had to overcome and how did you overcome it?
DN3: It may seem like a lifetime ago, but I lost my father to heart failure and got divorced around the same time. My family and the ones who I could call my true friends really held me down through that period. I moved from Philly to Arizona and sort of started new.
Nick: I lost custody of my 2 sons for over 2 years. That was by far the worst thing that I have ever experienced. Honestly, this record helped me overcome that. I wrote some of the realest shit I had ever written about my experience feeling like a bad father (track 15, Deadbeat). I also worked my ass off to get my kids back, and regained full custody back in May 2016.
7. DN3 And Nick Norris, are there any tours planned and what is the game plan behind promoting this project?
DN3: We don't have any tours planned as of now. But, we do have some shows to do and we are planning a follow up to the album this coming 2017 year.
Nick: Nothing planned yet, we do have a show planned in February with Pharoahe Monch, but that's about it right now (as far as performances are concerned). We're also conceptualizing some videos, so we should have some new visual content rolled out in Q1 2017.
8. DN3 And Nick Norris, if you can work with any three artist in the game right now. Who would that be and what type of record would you create with these people?
DN3: Kendrick Lamar, Black Thought, Anderson.Paak... With The creative imagination of Anderson and K Dot, the records are liable to go anywhere outside of my musical vision with those brothers. I'm just such fan of their creativity and how much they bring to the music today. And Black Thought....that's the hometown legend
.Nick: Black Thought, Pharoahe Monche, and Royce da 5'9.. I don't know what kind of record we would create, they're just my favorite emcees ever and I would love to rap with them.
9. DN3 And Nick Norris, where do you see your brand and career in the next 5 years?
DN3: Nick and I aren't just musicians. We are journalists and students of this game. Our radio shows, OFF THE CUFF and The Clean Up Crew emphasize in interviewing the nicest up and coming artists as well as people who make a difference in the communities. We also plan to invest in our community youth as well. Hip-Hop belongs to the children of today. We aim to set a great example for them to be the Hip-Hop of tomorrow. If we are to be successful in Hip-Hop, it won't just come from the music alone.
Nick: Personally, I already have a 9-5 career that I love, I'm a web developer. I'm also 36 years old, so planning to be a breakout star doesn't really bode well with me. I love making music, and both of my kids also love making music, so I see myself helping them in their journey rather than myself in the coming years. But will I stop making music? Hell no! I hope DN3 and I make at LEAST 2 more records together, haha! But on the real, I just hope that people enjoy what they hear, and come out to our shows when we play. As far as the 'Nomad Hip Hop' brand, I recently signed Luke Noble as one of our artists, he's young and VERY dope. Nomad Hip Hop won't be going anywhere anytime soon. It will always be a presence around the hip hop community, because it has been built by the hip hop community. I hope Nomad Hip Hop is still rocking 20 years from now.