Nickelus F

Nickelus F (formerly known as Nick Fury) is an American rapper, songwriter, and producer[2] from Richmond, Virginia. He is best known for being the Black Entertainment Television 106 & Park "Freestyle Friday" champion seven weeks in a row and being inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2007. Nickelus F is also known for his collaborations with rapper Drake. On the Cut the Check mixtape, Drake and Nickelus F released the song "AM 2 PM" by FTP Productions, which was also included on Drake's first mixtape, Room for Improvement, a project which features Nickelus F on several tracks including "Money", "A Scorpio's Mind", and "S.T.R.E.S.S.".

Nickelus F
Also known as
  • Nick Fury
  • Sweet Petey
[1]
OriginRichmond, Virginia, U.S.
GenresHip hop
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • songwriter
  • producer
InstrumentsVocals
Years active2000–present
LabelsAuthentic Music Group/Rayni Day Entertainment

Music career

Nickelus F first began rapping in the 4th grade while at summer camp but he did not begin to take rap seriously until he was in the 6th grade. His first official song was recorded over LL Cool J's song "Hey Lover."[3]

In 2000, Nickelus F got his first break into the hip hop industry when he competed against 300 contenders in the regional "Source Unsigned Hype Emcee Battle" where he placed second despite having no formal recording experience. He was also named "Unsigned Hype" in The Source in 2000 at the age of 17.[4]

Nickelus F then went on to participate in BET's 106 & Park Freestyle Fridays where he was crowned champion after winning seven weeks in a row in 2007.[5]

In November 2009, Nickelus F was featured in Complex's "Ten Most Underrated New Rappers".[6]

In 2015, Nickelus F collaborated with rapper/producer Lil Ugly Mane, under his production name Shawn Kemp, and released the album Trick Dice. This album was released on cassette and according to Nickelus F, sold out in one hour.[7]

In 2016, Nickelus F made his return to battle rap in a league, "Southpaw Battle Coalition" against Danja Zone, and in 2017 against Bigjinya.

Nickelus F is currently part of a collective in Richmond, Virginia, known as the Association of Great Minds or AGM. It features fellow artists Radio B and Michael Millions, producer Namebrand, and photographer/videographer Monsee. [8]

Drake has described Nickelus F as "one of the most gifted people I know at finding flows".[9]

As of 2018, the last released collaboration between Drake and Nickelus F was in 2013, titled "Number 15," which was released as a bonus track fifteen on Nickelus F's "Vices" album.

Ghostwriting

In a 2010 interview with Complex Magazine, when asked if he had ever ghostwritten for Drake, Nickelus F responded "Yeah, I've done that. I know the rumor going around. I don't want anything I say to be misconstrued. I helped out, you know."[10]

Influences

Nickelus F considers himself to be a "true student"[4] of hip-hop and hip-hop culture. He cites Project Pat, Drake, Tha Dogg Pound, C-Bo, Spice 1, Lord Finesse, and high school friend J.R. The Great as a few of his hip-hop inspirations. However, he cites Kanye West, Jay Z, MF Doom, Raekwon, and Future as his top 5 rappers.[2]

Personal life

Born in Portland, Oregon, to a father who served in the military, Nickelus F moved frequently as a child. He spent time in his childhood living in Berlin, Germany and lived in various places across Virginia, United States including Hampton, Charlotte, West Virginia, and Richmond.[10] While battle rapping on BET's 106 & Park Freestyle Fridays, Nickelus F was working as an exterminator for Terminex, a pest control service. He would head to New York from Richmond, Virginia after work on Thursdays to compete in Black Entertainment Television 106 & Park "Freestyle Friday" every week.[10]

After the birth of his two twin daughters, Nickelus F began his undergraduate degree at the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. He credits school for making him more efficient with his time and music as it provided him with structure in his life. Nickelus F, with art director Daniel Green, has won several awards in the advertising industry, including the Gold Addy for Art Direction presented by the American Advertising Foundation. [11]

In 2015, Richmond, Virginia street artist Nils Westergard painted a mural of Nickelus F on the side of a building in Oregon Hill, Virginia.[12] Nils Westergard created the mural because he believed that Nickelus F deserved recognition from his hometown of Richmond, Virginia and he was in a unique position to provide it via street art.[13]

Notable projects and discography
  • Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better (2002)
  • Pistols and Teks (2003)
  • B stands for Burglars (2004)
  • Cut The Check (2005)
  • How To Build a Buzz for Dummies (2006)
  • The Relapse (2007)
  • For the F of It (2008)
  • Rayni Day Entertainment Presents... Umbrella Up Volume 1 ft. Radio B (2008)
  • Thank You (2009)
  • Thank You: Version: Pi (2009)
  • Heathen(2009)
  • Go Time (2009)
  • R.A.R.E. (Reliving A Real Experience) featuring Portishead (2009)
  • Season Premiere (2010)
  • Commercials (2010)
  • Season Premiere HD (2010)
  • Yellow Gold (Nickelus F & Ohbliv) (2011)
  • Faces (2011)
  • Vices (2013)
  • PTPT (2013)
  • Yellow Gold 2 (Nickelus F & Ohbliv) (2013)
  • "Triflin" (2015)
  • "Trick Dice" (Nickelus F & Shawn Kemp) (2015)
  • "Stretch Marks" (Nickelus F & Namebrand) (2016)
  • "Acapellas" (2017)
  • "Stuck" (2018)
  • "The Gold Mine Volume 1" (2019)
  • "The Gold Mine Vol 2" (2019)

Music videos
  • "Nurp!/Toast & Jelly" (2005)
  • "The Motions" (2008)
  • "Everything That I Should" (2009)
  • "Heathen" (2009)
  • "The Beast" (2009)
  • "You Too" featuring The Silverust (2009)
  • "Aggressive Content" (2010)
  • "What Am I Suppose To Do" (2010)
  • "Take You With Me" (2010)
  • "Reese Witherspoon" (2010)
  • "Crushin' Your Toes" (2010)
  • "Handsome" (2012)
  • "GotDamnMURDAH!" (2013)
  • "Painkillerz" (2014)
  • "Tanqueray" (2014)
  • "Laced Weed" (2016)
  • "No Feel" (2016)
  • "DUMP YOU IN A RIVAH" (2019)
  • "Got Eem / Vibes (Refrain)" (Made 2016, Uploaded 2019)
  • "Might As Well" (2019)
  • "Sleazie Wonder" (2020)

References
  1. Clark, Michell (17 December 2014). "A Conversation With Nickelus F Part 2: Sweet Petey, Battle Rap, & What To Expect From "Triflin"". Artistic Manifesto.
  2. "Nickelus F on working with Drake, ghostwriting, and Triflin". Mass Appeal. Archived from the original on 2017-10-07. Retrieved 2017-10-06.
  3. "Nickelus F interview with hustleGRL – hustleGRL.com". hustlegrl.com.
  4. "Nickelus F". hiphopdx.com.
  5. "Nickelus F interview with hustleGRL". Hustle GRL. April 11, 2009. Retrieved July 6, 2010.
  6. "Complex Presents: The 10 Most Underrated New Rappers". Complex. November 24, 2009. Retrieved July 6, 2010.
  7. Diamond, Samuel. "Lil Ugly Mane and Nickelus F's joint tape Trick Dice sells out in one hour". Tiny Mixtapes.
  8. "A Conversation With Nickelus F Part 3: The Richmond Music Scene, Kanye West Rants & Drake". 4 January 2015.
  9. "Surprise: Drake Has a History of Using "Ghostwriters" (If You Want to Call Them That)". Complex. Retrieved 2016-04-20.
  10. "Interview: Nickelus F Talks Exterminator Day Job, Discovering Portishead, & Writing For Drake". Complex.
  11. Clark, Michell (10 December 2014). "A Conversation With Nickelus F Part 1: Marvin Sapp, Petey's Premium Du Rags, & VCU". Artistic Manifesto.
  12. "Cruising around Richmond with Nickelus F — Barbershop". Cruising around Richmond with Nickelus F.
  13. "Nickelus F Nils Westergard and Agm speak on Nick's mural in Oregon Hill". August 27, 2015. Archived from the original on September 18, 2016. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
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