aK Conversations: Nitty Scott, MC
aK Conversations speaks to progressive hip hop star and emcee —Nitty Scott, MC—that is!
“Born in Michigan, made in Florida, paid in New York,” Nitty Scott, MC is launching an independent music movement known as “The Boombox Family”, which specifically focuses on organic, lyrical, message-driven hip-hop. The Boombox Family is a true grassroots movement priding itself on making big strides in the industry in a very short amount of time, with no financial backing, and no major co-signs . We first got wind of Nitty Scott, MC after watching her stop Twitter and everyone dead in their tracks when she appeared on the International Flow Cypher during the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards. Nitty is a new school fly girl who can hold her own among the meanest lyricists. We were honored to have her jump on the horn with us and talk candidly about her upbringing, inspirations, and career goals.
Who is Nitty Scott, MC?
You know that person is a lot of things. I’m an MC, an artist, a daughter, a member of the youth generation, a minority, a woman in hip hop, an unsigned act. I think I fall into a lot of different categories but most of all I’m just a human being. That’s a part of what my greater message is.
On the name “Nitty Scott, MC”…
My name comes from the desire to be differentiated between a rapper and an MC. Rapping is an activity—what you’re actually doing, but to be an MC is to embody certain characteristics—to be able to rock the mic and really move a crowd. I always wanted that to be my statement as well as having my own little play on words. The way a doctor usually presents their name would be like “Doctor Johnson, M.D.” That’s their way of saying their certified in the medicine that they practice so the “MC” was just my way of saying I’m certified.
On moving to New York City…
I came out to New York when I was 17 years old. Even though my parents could have legally stopped me, they kind of allowed me to have my own journey. I always wanted to pursue a career out here. I just felt like my dreams were too big for where I was at and I wasn’t inspired and I wasn’t very happy. It was hard for me. It was a lot of struggle as far as even getting into a school and you know continuing to pursue my education—which I did do. I had to really learn to fend for myself. After a long time of really just trying to stand on my own two feet I finally ran into my manager Jules and that was when everything sort of picked up .
On how her upbringing shaped her art…
I just had this sense of wanting to be a humanitarian and wanting to be an activist and give people a voice. There were so many struggles that I went through even before I came to New York . I came from divorce and blended families . We moved around a lot. I went to at least 9 different schools growing up so you know just channeling all of these things and trying to use it for the greater good and understanding.
It used to bother me that I couldn’t say that I was from one specific place and that I repped you know one street or one crew or whatever because even my circles of friends were always changing. It actually just works to my advantage because not only does it make me more well rounded but I also see that so many different places are excited for me. I have my own little phrase where I just say “Born in Grand Rapids/Raised in Florida/Paid in New York” and I just sum it up that way and let everyone know I rep where I step. I rep where I was born and I rep where I came up as well.
On how she linked up with Mick Boogie for “The Cassette Chronicles“…
My homey 6th Sense is really cool with him and we were collaborating on the Cassette Chronicles together and he just sort of brought it up that maybe he might want to participate . So he hit him up about it and he was sort of the liason and Mick checked out some of my stuff and he was just like “Yo it’s dope. I’m wit’ it. I cosign it. I’m riding wit’ it. I want to be apart of the situation.” I also jumped on his My Adidas project recently for the “Down With the King 2011 Remix” which was with me, Tanya Morgan, and 6th Sense. It’s been really cool to just receive recognition from someone who is really just well respected in the industry so early in my career. My very first mixtape was hosted by him so it’s definitely an honor to just be able to say that.
On her biggest musical influences…
Gil Scott Heron, Bob Marley and The Wailers, Slum Village, Lauryn Hill and I’m a big classics junkie. I love Sam Cooke, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, you know, I just I kind of draw inspiration from everywhere. A Tribe Called Quest they definitely –the whole Native Tongues movement was/is something I definitely hope we can revisit that same sense of like unity and creativity.
On being compared to other female rappers…
I definitely get compared to female rappers that are doing their thing right now to you know MC Lyte and Queen Latifah and Lil’ Kim and Ladybug Mecca and a bunch of people. I get a lot of comparisons and I just think it’s cool. I haven’t really been in this game for too long and people have already put me on the same sort of pedestal as women that I totally respect and have paved roads and have done great for themselves and the hip hop community. I definitely don’t take any offense to it but I’m also very clear about letting people know that I’m not trying to execute anybody else’s formula. I’m not trying to be the “next” anything or a little bit of one female MC with a dash of such and such. I’m totally myself.
On people’s reactions to her lyrical ability…
I call it pretty girl syndrome. When people see an attractive or feminine female and just automatically assume that whatever comes out of her mouth can’t be anything of substance. So I know what its like for people to not take me seriously and underestimate what I’m trying to bring to the table because of the appearance. But at the same time I think there’s a positive to it because when I actually deliver something that was completely unexpected, it leaves this sort of shock value and there’s an impact. Someone I often think about is Big Pun. He was like the heavy fat dude that no one expected to have all this crazy breath control.
On the road to the BET cypher…
The executives over at BET got a hold somehow of my “Rocksmith Tokyo Freestyle” and I believe Stephen Hill saw it and was just like “We want her.” So they kept an eye on me I guess and sort of got familiar with what was going on and they reached out to my manager—my management and just said that if we were interested that they wanted to have me participate and it was just so exciting to even be considered so early in my career once again to be put on that platform.
On her relationship with Rah Digga…
Digga that’s my homey. That’s big sis. We actually have a joint together that will be coming out on her upcoming EP. It’s called “Never Back Down” and I hopped on the joint, hopped on the remix and we also just booked a joint in Oslo, Norway for February 4th. It’s actually going to be my overseas debut and she’s on the bill as well. You know a lot of times there’s the conflict you know with what’s going on right now in hip hop this divide—the generational gap of the new school and the old school and you know the bitterness. Me and Digga are the complete opposite.
On her favorite artist now…
I would say that goes to Action Bronson. He’s just a dope spitter. He’s hilarious. He’s a character. He’s my dude. He’s my nigga. I just really get down with Action Bronson. We definitely plan on working soon.
On her dream collaboration..
I would say Andre 3000 because he’s just a weirdo. He’s just one of my favorites. He’s just so creative and lyrical and full of substance and has evolved over time and has a career of longevity and quality. I think my favorite Andre verse is this verse he spits in the beginning of a TLC joint “Something Wicked This Way Comes” on the CrazySexyCool album. I think it’s like the last joint of the album and that verse is just one of the verses that inspired me to rap as opposed to just writing poetry.
On her Plan B…
I would be a journalist most definitely. That was my Plan B if I didn’t pursue this. I was on the yearbook stuff almost every year from like 6th grade up. I was the actual editor-in-chief in high school, interned at the New York Daily News when I was 17, and had like an article or two published in there and just really took it seriously. When I moved to New York I went to the John Jay Secondary School for Journalism in Park Slope and continued to study it a little bit more there so I always had every intention of going into broadcast communications.
What is something most people don’t know about Nitty Scott, MC?
A lot of people don’t know that I don’t write in bars. I never use the slash device that rappers use to separate their bars because I come from a poetry background. So everything that I write is in stanzas and lines.
On what’s next…
We’re going to put out the Boombox Diaries Vol. 1. That’s my debut EP and it’s just going to be a real intimate personal introduction to Nitty Scott, MC. I got some dope features on there that I won’t talk about just yet but I definitely have started to align myself with like minded artists and artists that I think represent the same sort of values as me. We’re also gonna do a lot of music videos. We strategically chose not to this past year because it was all about making sure that people listen and not look. We’ve got lots of shows booked. February 4th I’ll be in Norway as well as upcoming shows in Denver, Chicago, a couple of other places. Just continue to build the brand and build the following and grow and evolve as an artist and just get better in every way.
As Told to DECEMBER
Download Nitty Scott, MC’s latest mixtape, Doobies and Popsicle Sticks
Hear Nitty Scott, MC’s “Deep Cover Freestyle”
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