Discover the vibrant tapestry of Nigerian culture and hip-hop mastery in an unforgettable conversation with the one and only prophet Najee. From Memphis to Lagos, Najee's life is a captivating tale of beats, rhymes, and the relentless pursuit of artistry against all odds. As we unravel his story, you'll be transported to the bustling streets of Nigeria, where he rekindled his connection with his cultural heritage, and back to America, where he navigates the complexities of being a Nigerian artist in a foreign landscape. His candid reflections on the challenges he's overcome and the cultural expectations he's defied to stay true to his passion for rap will resonate with anyone who's ever dared to dream big.
Then, step into the studio with Najee as he breaks down his spontaneous 'punching in' technique, a raw and intuitive approach to laying down verses that has come to define his authentic sound. This episode isn't just about music; it's a deep dive into the heart of creativity itself, spanning sonic influences from Tupac to Drake and a foray into the fashion world with Najee's own clothing line. As the year winds down, we share ways to stay connected and tease what's in store for 2024—more inspiring stories, more groundbreaking conversations, and more Najee. Tune in for an episode that's as much about the rhythm of life as it is about the music itself.
If your in the music industry- singer, songwriter, composer, indie, neo singer, rapper, country artist, promoter, manager, music lawyer or blues please email me to be a guest on my show at myguest@spit2dabeat.com I would love to hear your Spit about the Music Industry.
Discover the vibrant tapestry of Nigerian culture and hip-hop mastery in an unforgettable conversation with the one and only prophet Najee. From Memphis to Lagos, Najee's life is a captivating tale of beats, rhymes, and the relentless pursuit of artistry against all odds. As we unravel his story, you'll be transported to the bustling streets of Nigeria, where he rekindled his connection with his cultural heritage, and back to America, where he navigates the complexities of being a Nigerian artist in a foreign landscape. His candid reflections on the challenges he's overcome and the cultural expectations he's defied to stay true to his passion for rap will resonate with anyone who's ever dared to dream big.
Then, step into the studio with Najee as he breaks down his spontaneous 'punching in' technique, a raw and intuitive approach to laying down verses that has come to define his authentic sound. This episode isn't just about music; it's a deep dive into the heart of creativity itself, spanning sonic influences from Tupac to Drake and a foray into the fashion world with Najee's own clothing line. As the year winds down, we share ways to stay connected and tease what's in store for 2024—more inspiring stories, more groundbreaking conversations, and more Najee. Tune in for an episode that's as much about the rhythm of life as it is about the music itself.
If your in the music industry- singer, songwriter, composer, indie, neo singer, rapper, country artist, promoter, manager, music lawyer or blues please email me to be a guest on my show at myguest@spit2dabeat.com I would love to hear your Spit about the Music Industry.
Thank you, benefit that can make fit to the beat. And u Welcome to Spit to the Beat podcast. I'm your host, stacy aka Beyond Stoppable Per Year. You can definitely catch this show on Facebook as Stacy Beyond Stoppable Per Year or Stacy Spit to the Beat Per Year. Don't forget to go to my YouTube channel, spit to the Beat, and subscribe, like and hit that notification bell. I really would appreciate it. Thank you so much for joining me in the studio. Got a very special guest all the way from my lounge. He's in the building with me, live and in living color. Yes, sir, yeah, we're going to get him on in just a second. I want to thank all my fans, my sponsors, as well as my listeners. Continue to tune in to Spit to the Beat podcast, where you can catch all the latest episodes on Facebook as well as YouTube. And now, joining me in the studio, my guy, my friend, new man I'm just meeting right now. He's got to go by the name the prophet Najee. What do you say? What do you say? Yes, sir, ski, what's going?
Speaker 1:on, Mr Stacy, how you doing man.
Speaker 2:Good, good, good to have you man. Tell people a little bit about yourself All right man.
Speaker 1:Well, once again, as you just announced, my name is the prophet Najee. I'm a Nigerian rap artist from the great city of Memphis. You feel me? I mean, I've been doing this for a long time, but officially. I went independent in 2017 when I was living in New Orleans. Okay, but I mean I've been around the music since I was like a kid, you feel me.
Speaker 1:I wrote my first rap when I was in fifth grade at Ross Elementary School and when I was going to buy Bad Boy J. So if you know, you know, you know what I'm saying, like okay go back you know way back when we'd been everything like that. That's how long I've been around the music man. That is great.
Speaker 2:Tell us a little bit about your background. You see from Nigeria. Yeah, man, how long did you stay in Nigeria before you come to the States?
Speaker 1:So actually, man, I was born here, I was born in Memphis.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:So when people came to America in 95, I came in 96. So you know, I actually just got back from Nigeria in August. So it was an amazing trip, bro.
Speaker 2:I came in like two years back.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was crazy, cause I had not been since I was like five.
Speaker 2:I was getting ready to say when did you actually? So you said five when you went back. And then going back, at what age? Now, at 26. Wow, everything you didn't know nothing anyway yeah exactly.
Speaker 1:So like for me, going there the first time as an adult and you know what, you know my consciousness and everything being aware, it was just like it was so different, bro. I was like, wow, this is like really where I'm from, and it felt so good being home. I was like so grateful to God for the opportunity to be home, bro. I was like, wow, like this is, these are my roots. I met my cousins. I just saw how life was, bro, and I can tell you like it's way different than America, like, way different.
Speaker 2:Yeah, do you have a big family back in Nigeria?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I have a big family back in Nigeria.
Speaker 2:What's the native food in?
Speaker 1:Nigeria, and you know it's a couple things. But one delicacy that's real popular is Pufu. Of course you know what I'm saying With the different soups that come with it. Of course, rice is always a nice delicacy as well. We have pound of yam, we have it's a couple of things, bro. You know I'm saying. Goat meat is a thing out there.
Speaker 1:Yes, it's a couple different things, bro, you feel me, but yeah, it's real nice man. The food is offensive, right. I think like it's crazy, and plus you're not paying that much for no meal like yeah. You convert it so American dollars. You like playing like five dollars for a really big deal. It's crazy bro. So you know you meant it a little bit. I can't lie bro. I miss it bro.
Speaker 1:It was like and, and one thing I will say I definitely miss is um is it seem like everybody over there was carefree. Everyone's in their hustle, everyone is, you know, going for their, for their money. Each and every day they're waking up hustling by the same time like a carefree energy over there, and the sense of community was just like beautiful.
Speaker 2:That's one thing I definitely do miss that was definitely a long flight, though what?
Speaker 1:man, I like 17 hours boss 17 hours man ain't never, boy, that's on. You got you used to. Even even if you mentally prepare for it, you, you can't be prepared for it.
Speaker 2:You're right jet lag.
Speaker 1:It's crazy.
Speaker 2:Right. It's crazy times on and everything changed like that they stay are literally on.
Speaker 1:There's six hours ahead of us.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay.
Speaker 1:So I mean.
Speaker 2:Let's get into you now more. I mean, there's a little Heritage of you coming in up and everything like that. So, being a young rap artist, um, what, what, what's, what's your take as far as there been any challenges that you have faced?
Speaker 1:I faced plenty challenges, bro. Like, let me just be real.
Speaker 2:Like, yeah sure.
Speaker 1:I mean so first, once again, is we're going back into my cultural background, being Nigerian and everything. It comes with certain expectations because, you know, it took me a while to understand why there's a certain Mentality to go for certain things when Nigerians are in America. Usually those things are like being in a medical field or being an engineer or Lawyer, things.
Speaker 1:I guess with, like, I guess, high, high level, ranking or high level, you know, schooling, because everyone's trying to escape poverty. You know I'm saying you're trying to rewrite. You know Generational curses or whatever case may be. So typically they want their kids to follow that path and you know, if you do anything else it's kind of like, what are you doing? You know you're wasting your time, you know so, and that was, that was my story, you feel me?
Speaker 1:I actually went to Xavier University and I enrolled as a Preman student okay to be a doctor because I mean, simply, that was what I was gonna do. I thought, well, I mean, this is, I guess, is what I'm gonna do. You know, this is the right I need to take. But man, I can't lie to you, I had no joy doing it and so when did the music hit you?
Speaker 1:the music hit me like I was like I'm ready to tell you around 2017, okay, and we so I was a mean group of guys and shots of those guys Wasn't very good. If y'all listen to this, you know I'm saying yeah, yeah, you know, you know but we actually started a Cypher for Xavier.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:I had a cypher before, so we were like the first ones to actually initiate that really yeah, we were the ones to initiate that for the school and and um, so when we started doing the, the cypher, and it was like really big on campus and everything like that, it, you know, after we had got done. I remember this day so vividly, bro, like after we had got done doing a cypher we had, you know, we shot the video, we dressed up for, did everything, man, like it was a, it was a bright, sunny day, man, it's just like the energy was just different. I feel like man, I feel so aligned right now.
Speaker 1:You feel me and that's when I was like you know what, bro, like I'm not gonna lie, like this is really giving me a lot of joy. I can't really see myself doing anything else because, like I was telling you, I've been around music since I was a kid. Yeah, you know. So it had always been a dream of mine, and a reality to me, to be an entertainer, be on stage and really give a piece of me to the people through music.
Speaker 3:So that day I was like man.
Speaker 1:I gotta go full force with this. Where I was like I can't see myself doing nothing else.
Speaker 1:And After that day I I locked in, said I was gonna make the journey, started recording Tracks in my dorm room. I was going to another guy there was actually another guy that was, you know, recording everyone on campus in his dorm. We go there recording everything like that. I was driving drop-drop music like all the time and I got to a point Coming up into my junior year. Oh, when I switched my major. I switched my major before my junior year to mass communication because it only made more sense, you know, for me to be in an area where I can deal with communications and everything like that. I feel like in a line with what I was doing I. But as I had got into my after my first semester, I dropped out. I was like I don't wanna be doing school, like I literally wanna lock fully into the music and really like find myself.
Speaker 1:I wanted to go into the darkness to find out who I was, you know, and I feel like I couldn't do that when I was in school. I mean, I know it might've been premature or anything like that, but like it was just my journey and I just felt like I was called to do that to go into the wilderness, go through the fire and really figure this out. And, like I said, I jumped full force into music recording, trying to figure out how to do shows in New Orleans, traveling, going from New Orleans to Atlanta sometimes, or just anything I could do to get my name out there. But you know, my parents found out cause they didn't know I dropped out. They didn't know. Yeah, that's right, that's exactly the reaction Cause when they found out, they found out, like I believe, that that summer of 2018, they found out that summer of 2018.
Speaker 1:You said junior year yeah, it was my junior year. Oh. So I was like really almost the finance line. I really couldn't, I really couldn't solve it through back the same time, Like I don't really blame. I don't really regret anything, because everything happened for a reason. It happened the way that needed to happen. But they found out that summer that I wasn't in school, no more, and boy that was. That was crazy Beach that was crazy.
Speaker 2:Well hey, hold tight, we'll take a quick break. We're gonna come back and talk about you. Of course, you already talked a little bit about your passion getting into the music, but also wanna talk about who influenced or something influenced. Okay, mr Cool. Hey, this is Stacey aka Beat, unstoppable Per Year with Spit to the Beat Podcast. Would you like to be my guest? If you're a singer, songwriter, musician, producer or promoter, give me a call at 901-341-6777 or email me at myguestsatspit2thebeatcom.
Speaker 3:You're listening to Spit, to the Beat Podcast with your host V1, the only Stacey Beat Unstoppable Per Year.
Speaker 2:And welcome back to Spit, to the Beat Podcast. I'm your host, stacey, aka Beat Unstoppable Per Year, and joining me in the studio, my guide from Atlanta, georgia, the rapper, the artist, a proffit, nizzy. Yes, stacey, thank you, yeah, yeah, yeah, hey. Now we was talking about you was talking about earlier, when Pobie went on break the school, how it came about everything developing, y'all singing, making tracks and all that in the dorm and things like that. So what is some of your music? Icon influencer.
Speaker 1:Man, I'm gonna be real. When the first person I got introduced to musically as a kid that I remember was Tupac, that was the first person I remember. Like I was the first person I remember and it's kind of crazy because, I tell the story all the time vividly back of my mom's Toyota black Toyota she had like I think she was driving like a 96 Toyota, whatever the case may be.
Speaker 1:On the back of her car she's taking me to school and Tupac's Hail Mary is playing and that's literally like the first song I kind of like was bobbing my head soon, was like kind of conscious of, and I was kind of like mumbling words or whatever the case may be. My mom looked back and I was like she was like oh wow, are you feeling this? You know what I'm saying Like she didn't even know.
Speaker 1:I was even like listening that well, but I was. And when I got older I did my research on who Tupac was and I just got you know, I felt enough for this character, you know, as an overall artist who just didn't care, you know and just unapologetic about how he made music, how he approached it. You know, really, really sad of how his life ended, but at the same time he was him.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:As I was getting more instant music and recording myself and everything like that. Another major influence with Lil Wayne. Lil Wayne is literally one of the greatest rappers a lot. I don't know how you feel. I don't know. No, no, I'm saying but Lil Wayne is literally, like literally top five, if not one of the greatest rappers of all time, and he really influenced me to like, really start spying off the dome, you know the one that I'm punching in and everything like that.
Speaker 1:When I started learning how to record myself, yeah, and then after that was Drake, you know because How'd your grist say Drake?
Speaker 2:In fact, no thanks, but yeah Drake.
Speaker 1:Drake, I mean you got. I mean what he like him or not, he knows how to use it.
Speaker 2:I mean the stats show it, you know what I mean and I like, and I like J Cole too.
Speaker 1:J Cole definitely is in my top 10 for sure because his storytelling has a reliability and just the fact that he can just give you raw emotion through music. He just knows how to create a message that you can just feel on the inside. You know what I mean. So I mean I definitely say J Cole is definitely top 10 for me.
Speaker 2:And so, with that being said, you just said something that I read about. You talk about the storytelling, the things that kind of format your music and stuff like that. So tell us a bit about your process, your creativity going into your music.
Speaker 1:I mean, depending on what that particular track is, or whatever that beat is, I really, first of all I listen to it. I try to formulate what I want to say, but nowadays I really don't even write anything. I just go to the mic and punch in, like the majority of my tracks these past couple tracks that I've made and even further down the line I've just literally just said off the dome, Because once again Wayne was really one of my top influences. I've written some tracks and everything, but I just don't know.
Speaker 1:I just feel like it's a little bit more natural for me just to say how I feel stop and then come back into it again and then just depending on what that beat is telling me to say I listen to it like we have in a conversation, like it's supposed to be a relationship. You feel me. I don't force anything or nothing like that. Whatever it is telling me to say on the inside, trust my intuition and just lay it out.
Speaker 2:That is an amazing time Because most artists of course they had to put it down on paper then singing or rap or whatever, but for you to just come off the dome and just flow with it, do you remember it?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I remember At the end of the day, I take my time to go back and study all the music that I'm making and everything. Even with my last project, love All Over, majority of that was off the dome. Even the latest track I released, which was Rockstar Lifestyle, that is literally off the dome. So, yeah, I've done this for a while. I really had taken the time to figure out how to make music that I feel like it could get played on radio, because that's really all I had when I was younger.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I pulled up on. You said Love All Over. You had like seven tracks on there. Hullo's, it Flashed in Lights Waiting for you. Paze, you Say that Need my Interlude, what's it? We in romance ends and wanted time in Paris. Talk a little bit about those tracks, a little bit about how they came about.
Speaker 1:Love All Over man, I can't lie Shout out to the home team, notarati Music Group. I feel like that's a monumental EP for me. I can't lie Because that right there just showcased another side to me and as I'm listening to how I formatted this whole EP, I was, like man, I'm touching a lot of different emotions that deal with the name Love All Over, dealing with relationships, dealing with new beginnings, dealing with how things end, how they begin, in a lot of different ways. I mean, bro, it's probably one of my favorite projects.
Speaker 1:bro, I can't even lie to you. It has a lot of diversity to it and I don't want to. I told my friends up at Hype New York but they were telling me it was like it was giving them Drake vibes and it's not coming from me. I'm not trying to, I ain't never say that. But they were telling me that I was like man. That's a really high accolade, a really high comparison. But you don't take that because, once again, I take the time to be, diverse in what I make, Okay cool.
Speaker 2:We're going to come back and talk about the clothing line I have to show them now? Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 3:You're listening to Spit, to the Beat Podcast with your host, the one, the only, stacey. Be unstoppable per year.
Speaker 2:Hey, this is Stacey aka Be unstoppable per year. Thank you for listening to our show, spit to the Beat Podcast. If you would like to be a sponsor, visit our website at wwwspittothebeatcom and click the support tab and leave a donation. We really will appreciate it. Thank you again for listening. Also, catch every episode Thursday morning at 8 am. We're talking about these in the building with me on Spit to the Beat Podcast. Yeah, yeah, let's talk about this clothing line man, I didn't see this coming. Tell us a little bit about it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you know, love all over, bro. So it's crazy because it started with the EP and you know my boy, Ken, was telling me you need to go ahead and get your clothes. I came right to you Because at first it was going to be merch for the EP.
Speaker 1:But, I was like you know what, I want to take it a step further and not just keep it at just the EP. I want to take it and make it like real high-class streetwear fashion. You understand what I mean. So I'm looking at people like Pharrell and Kanye, who have been able to successfully integrate not only into music in a successful way but into fashion as well, and I mean I think I'm a fashionable guy. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:There you go.
Speaker 1:I was like, hey, you know, I can definitely do this on this level. So yeah, bro, it's here. I literally just opened up the store online in November.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:I've been working on this since February of this year, so you know, it's still a seed that's growing. But I mean, hey, I worry with confidence. Bro, it's like one of them, you feel me.
Speaker 3:I feel your energy, bro.
Speaker 2:I was going to ask you that how did the development and creation come about with your clothing line? You said it was back in February. You started in February. Yeah, about February, Okay, cool. Oh man, that's great. You got the music going. Now you got the clothing line going. The year is almost up 2023. I know you're going to finish the year strong, but what you got coming before the last couple days, or we're going to go on job in 2024? What's happened with Lachi?
Speaker 1:I mean, I'm just keeping it real, boss. I'm getting ready for 2024 right now, but I've already been in 2024. You understand?
Speaker 3:what I mean Like.
Speaker 1:For me it's like you know you don't want to just wait until the new year comes in in order for you to like start doing the things that you already envisioned doing.
Speaker 1:I was going to do that for my clothing brand, but I was like, why do I need to wait? I need to go ahead and plant this seed now and just get better as I go. You know what I'm saying? Right, the most important thing for me is to just continue to keep the ball rolling, no matter what time or what the time is looking like. You know what I'm saying? It could be the end of the year, the end of the year, it doesn't matter. Every day is like a new day, it's like the first every day. You feel me. So. I mean, we got some good things coming, bro. I'm excited, man. So in Atlanta, we got some shows coming up. We got some shows coming up. We got some shows coming up, man. That's what I'm trying to keep on the next one, okay.
Speaker 1:So I'm excited for those things to come bro.
Speaker 2:You know me so. I'm just waiting for the rollout right now Let me ask you this feature for 2024. What's in the tour?
Speaker 1:dates, tour dates. We are sending it up right now. Me and my team are sending it up right now. So, like I said, we got Atlanta on the list, we got Memphis. We're still trying to work out those Kings for Memphis, but right now.
Speaker 2:Atlanta for sure, memphis for sure and a couple other spaces as well, man definitely keep us updated, so I want to be in the house here. Oh yeah, I got you. This is going to be all new material, everything, what, what.
Speaker 1:Well, majority of it is going to be stuff that I dropped before. You know proud flavors and everything like that Stuff from the EP, of course. Things that I dropped this year and even probably a little bit back. But yeah, it's going to be some new things I'm going to be premiering, for sure. Cool, cool.
Speaker 2:That's awesome. Look, man. I want to thank you for being on Spirit to the Beat podcast, coming in from Atlanta, and I wish you well. I wish you much success and prosperity in 2024,. Man, I see your energy level. It's like a rocket.
Speaker 1:I don't think I'm going to be able to hold you back. Hey man, look, I appreciate that brother. I appreciate you being the opportunity to be here. Man, you know, I was just like you know. I see another brother grinding doing his thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I got to come show up.
Speaker 2:Thank you, thank you, I appreciate you responding back the whole time. Let's wrap it up, okay. Yes, sir, I want to say one other thing. My brother's in the house from Atlanta, georgia, kind of give everyone a little bit of how can I get in contact with you Social media, all that information.
Speaker 1:All right, so look all the beautiful people that are listening out there. First and foremost, happy holidays to y'all, appreciate y'all for tuning in and listening to this amazing podcast, but the way that you can reach me and find me is at the profit, so I'm going to spell it out for you T H, e, p, r, o, p, h E, t and a, j E E, and that's on everything you feel me.
Speaker 1:You can also follow the clothing store at one love all over. That's the number one, and the website is love all over, dot us. But you're going to be able to get all that from the Instagram and everything else that I have, but the profit on everything one love all over. Yeah, man.
Speaker 2:Propanize me in the building, baby. Thank you again for joining us. It's been to the big podcast man, get your back on again in 2024.