Nemzzz

“I would rather grind and stay on the low” spits Nemzzz on “Money and Vibes”, which is one of the obvious highlights from his forthcoming debut mixtape, Do Not Disturb. The song has a bassline that creeps forward with malevolent dread and there’s a sample of “Rock Your Body” by Justin Timberlake that’s flipped so the previously giddy vocals sound more like a poltergeist singing the blues.

“Half these man got a lot to post but ain’t got nothing to show,” the emcee from Gorton, Manchester continues in a carefree, conversational flow. His warm vocals come across more like a late-night chat with a best friend, who is desperate to get something off their chest, than just your typical club banger.

These lyrical sentiments are the perfect crystallization of why Nemzzz feels like the next chosen one for Manchester’s burgeoning rap scene. This artist has risen up from the underground to co-signs from Drake, Lil Yachty, Skepta and Clint (Cortiez), earning over three million monthly listeners via catchy breakout singles like “2MS” and “Elevate” (which both have combined streams of 162 million on Spotify).

“To other people it might seem like I got a certain amount of streams and I might be putting my feet up right now,” he concludes, “but in my heart I’m not satisfied yet. I’m only focused on getting better and better. So many working class people don’t get to travel, so I want my music to take me across the planet. I don’t really get to show my personality too much socially, so I like to do that in the music instead. By getting to understand me, people can understand themselves better.” Buckle up, because Nemzzz is only just getting started.