Nigo Bands was Born and raised in Northern Virginia, Rapper Nigo Bands (formerly known as SadBoySmoke) always knew he had something unique and different going on. He started rapping in a juvenile prison when he was 12, freestyle battling other inmates and occasionally writing rhymes to help pass the time he was serving. 

Drawing influence from artists like Lil Wayne and Eminem, all the way to Rock icons like Kurt Cobain and The Smiths, he knew from day one that he didn’t want to be your typical rapper stereotype. With a unique aesthetic, mixed with wavy melodies and raw lyrics, he has managed to merge the worlds of grunge rock with hard-hitting trap music.

It was a rare privilege to have this exclusive interview with Nigo Bands and hope you read more below:

QUESTION:

1. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

  Nigo Bands:  Well since I was a young boy I’ve always wanted to do something in music, I was just never exactly sure of what. Then as I got older I started rapping and I noticed that I was pretty decent, so for years I just rapped as more of a hobby and something to do at parties to get girls. Then I started to realize that I can do something with this talent instead of wasting it on dumb nonsense. So I started writing and recording music and the rest is history. 

2. Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this career?

 Nigo Bands:  One of the most interesting stories I have would probably be meeting Polo The Don in Nashville super randomly. I was downtown with my manager and a few of my friends when one of them was like “hey is that polo the don?” So I look over and sure enough, he’s right there with his camp having drinks right next to our table. So my manager goes over there, introduces himself, and eventually, polo invites the rest of us to his table to have drinks. So we’re drinking and chatting, taking shots, and all of a sudden one of his friends starts rapping right? So in my head, I’m like, “don’t try to battle this guy man” but sure enough my boy says “aye you won’t battle him though” so at this point I’m like screw it, so I and him have a rap battle, super drunk and super loud in the middle of a restaurant, curse words and all hahaha. Of course, I won, he disagreed but that’s a whole different story haha. Then after we just continued drinking and having a good time. 

At the end of everything we all swapped contact info and I was just surprised how down-to-earth and chill they all were, cause I always had the “celebs are jerks mindset” but that wasn’t the case this time.

 3. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

 Nigo Bands:  I’d say the funniest mistake was falling for a fake email from adam22 and no jumper back at the beginning. It’s a little embarrassing because looking back, it was super obvious if you think about it, but I was mad green at the time. But what happened was one night I’m just chilling in bed right, so I get an email saying “hey it’s Adam22 from no jumper and I’d like to get you for an interview and blah blah blah send 50 dollar deposit .” So my stupid self gets mad excited and sends the $50, no questions asked, and sure enough, the person went ghost. So later that day I’m on Twitter and Adam tweets “if any artists get an email about money interviews then it’s fake” and I swear I felt so dumb and played man. But it was a lesson for sure, so if anything I’m kind of glad it happened.

4. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

 Nigo Bands:  Well right now I’m working on an EP that I want to drop later this summer if everything goes as planned. Can’t quite reveal the name of the project but just know it is going to be a banger man. I’ve got some talented artists featured on it and some dope producers so definitely be on the lookout for that when it comes out. 

5. Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?

Nigo Bands:  Hands down one of the most interesting people I’ve ever interacted with within this industry has got to be Lil B The Based God. A very kind guy, very respectful and he’s not too cocky or big-headed to reach out to the newer artists. That’s something rare nowadays, to find an established artist that shows support and love to the smaller guys. But it started with a tweet I had posted, can’t exactly remember what I said but I know it was something stupid. So Lil B Retweets it then DM’s me out of nowhere, just saying he rocked with the music and what I was doing. We chopped it up and the guy was just mad down to earth, not how you would expect a celeb to act. It was Overall a refreshing experience for me, especially at a time when I was getting used to the idea that the music game is cold. We haven’t gotten the chance of doing any music together or anything like that but I wouldn’t rule it out for the future so yea keeps on the lookout for that.  

6. Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

 Nigo Bands:  Honestly, I’d say just be true to yourself and don’t chase trends. I’ve seen so many people just crash out trying to be viral or fit in with what’s currently Poppin and it never lasts. There’s so much fakery going on now that the people will appreciate authenticity and relatability from an artist, not some guy constantly doing internet stunts but yet their music is lazy. So I encourage people to just stay true to themselves and try to remain unique. Don’t be scared to experiment or to try something different, because you never know, you might be the one setting the next trend. 

7. You have been blessed with success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?

Nigo Bands:  My advice would be to stay consistent and don’t let someone else tell you what you’re capable of. One of the hardest things can be not giving up sometimes, because trust me you’ll want to occasionally. But staying positive and motivated always helped me push ahead at times when I was just fed up. Not every song is going to do well, not everyone is gonna have positive feedback on your music and some people will even attempt to take advantage of you, but the key is not letting those things break you, but build you up into a better musician. 

8. Can you share with our readers any self-care routines, practices, or treatments that you do to help your body, mind, or heart to thrive? Kindly share a story or an example for each.

Nigo Bands:  Well lately I’ve been into meditation and stuff like that. I’ll wake up in the morning, get some tea started, put on this little app I have, and just zone out. I’m still very new to it but I’m seeing results as far as being less stressed out and whatnot. 

9. What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

Nigo Bands:  5 things I wish somebody told me when I started? Well, first I’d have to say I wish I was warned about how cold this music industry can be at times because at first, I was not at all prepared. Like I had always heard stories on tv but I always thought it was exaggerated but Nah it’s pretty accurate. I remember I had some guy who was supposed to be my “manager” but in the end, it was some scammer who actually was in the industry but was known for preying on the new artist that didn’t know any better so essentially I was getting screwed out of so much money. It sucked man.

Second, I wish someone would’ve given me a heads up about how expensive it can be to market yourself as an independent artist. Like people have no clue man, it can get outrageous at times. But it’s all a part of the game.

The third thing I wish I was told when I started would be to not worry about what other people are doing and just stay focused on your path. Like a lot of artists tend to compete or grow envious of what they may see another artist have on social media or whatever, but at the end of the day, you’re being distracted from your goals by focusing on this person and on top of all that they probably don’t even get it like they say they do. So just focus on yourself and don’t sweat what someone else has or is doing, cause a lot of the time it’s the straight cap.

Fourth is simple, only keep people around that are focused and positive. Negativity in your circle can mess up a lot. You don’t wanna let your creativity and productivity be ruined by a bunch of people that aren’t on the same page as you. 

And finally, I’d say I wish someone had told me earlier how important branding is for a new artist. The look and aesthetic of an artist these days are almost as important as the music itself. It took me a while to understand that concept. Shouldn’t be that way but that’s just what it is you know? 

10. Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

Nigo Bands:  I know this is going to sound mad corny but I’d say “you win some, you lose some, but you live to fight another day.” It stuck with me because I’ve taken a lot of L’s and I could’ve easily let that stop me or make me give up, but I kept pushing and didn’t lose focus on my main goal. The fight gotta go on you know? 

11. None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

Nigo Bands:  Yes there’s a lot of people actually but just to name one in particular I’d have to say my manager Chris Kinney for sure. He’s helped me so much as an artist as far as helping me establish a brand, teaching me the ropes, and helping me market my music to a bigger audience. He just helped me elevate and take my career to the next level and for that, I’ll always be thankful. 

12. You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

 Nigo Bands:  I wanna start a movement that emphasizes the importance of individuality and learning to love yourself just the way you are. So many people out here trying to be someone else because they feel like who they are isn’t good enough or like they may be judged for being themselves. But we gotta shake that mindset, embrace what makes you different, what makes you unique. Wear what you want, speak how you want, have hobbies that you want. Live for you, not anyone else. 

13. We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might see this.

Nigo Bands:  I’d like to have lunch with Lil Wayne and just ask him about his process and his journey as an artist. What it was like, what kept him pushing, the lessons he’s learned through it all. The guy is one of my idols as far as music goes so he’s for sure on my list of people I’d love to have a conversation with. 

14 How can our readers follow you online?

Nigo Bands:  You can follow me on my Instagram at:

 https://www.instagram.com/nigobands/

And go check out my latest single Leave Me on Spotify and Apple Music 

https://ffm.to/leaveme_