Young, gifted and ready

Local emcee looking to make positive impact on culture

In early December 2015, 3^rd World Music Entertainment (3ME) and rap artist Nsikak (N-SEE-KA) hit a milestone, putting on their first show as they aim to “take over the city.” While the milestone serves as a great place to look back, it also allows time to look ahead, and the MSR was able to catch up with Nsikak to do just that.

Nsikak, 25, tells the story of 3ME’s beginnings in his college days in St. Cloud. “I was in college, at the end of my freshman year,” recalled Nsikak, explaining that his original plans included going to New York to make it into the music business. “One of my guys, who had the same aspirations, hit me up like, ‘What are we waiting for? We don’t need to graduate from school to do this. It’s the music business; we just have to jump in it.’ He just suggested we get a company popping.”

Following the conversation, they contacted their third business partner, Truman Boone, to see if he was interested, and as Nsikak said, “The rest is history.” As of today, 3ME has grown from three guys, to a team of around 10 working collectively to accomplish their dreams in a positive manner.

Of the entire team, Nsikak is the label’s main artist. Previously going by the name NCredible, he decided to drop it and go by one of the most unique names he knew, his own. The St. Paul emcee told the MSR that he didn’t need an alias or stage name as he was looking to convey truth and honesty. “I figured I might as well use the name my mom gave me,” he said with a grin. “I need to make sure the whole world says my name right.”

Nsikak is Nigerian for “nothing is too heavy for God,” a fitting name for the man who said that he believes “God plays into everything” and he sees God in everyone he comes into contact with since he and his 3ME team stepped out on faith back in 2009. “Only God could’ve got me here… I feel like this is my role, this feels right,” he said.

Nsikak’s journey as an artist hasn’t been easy by any means. Following his decision to leave school, he would also leave St. Cloud and head back to the Twin Cities. He stayed for a few years before moving to California to see if he could meet the right people.

“The connects were definitely there, but out there it was just like I was a fish in an ocean,” Nsikak recalled. “I knew I needed to come back. It made sense. [Out there] didn’t feel organic. Out here I can really build something organic.”

With California palm trees, balmy weather, and everything that comes with it tugging at him, the rapper slowly made his way back to St. Paul, where he and his company began to rebuild their fan base. In 2013 he dropped These Moments, and within the next few months he’ll put out his second compilation The Lost Generation.

For this new project, Nsikak told the MSR that he was very hands-on, producing all but two tracks for the album and doing all of the mixing. The new project will speak on topics of money, self-identity, being a diamond in the rough, moving like water, and more topics that he feels relate to people in their mid-to-late-20s.

The project will also feature Nsikak’s soon-to be-released record entitled “Everybody Loves Chocolate,” which he feels is perfect timing considering the issues of racism in the news. “I go by feel, and right now it feels like it was the right time to put out that record,” he said.

Nsikak also said the record is sort of a statement to the death of ego. “It starts off more egocentric and [then] it breaks down into [how] I can’t do it by myself,” he said.

He continued, “When it comes to our team, this is in-house for real. Truman really coded that website, Brian did those designs for real. That’s the thing I get so excited about — it’s not just me, it’s not just this one rapper, it’s this powerhouse of young, Black and talented individuals.”

For more info on Nsikak and 3ME visit: www.3me.co. Khymyle Mims welcomes reader responses to khymylewrites@gmail.com.