NANCE

When you first meet the rapper known as Nance, one thought may instantly pop into your head: Man, this dude is handsome!

With his perfectly coiffed hair and unblemished facial features, it almost seems puzzling why this guy would want to struggle as a rapper, instead of making a lucrative living as a male model. And don’t think people in the local hip-hop scene haven’t stepped up to this pretty boy, questioning just how legit he is as an MC.

“Over the years, I guess I’ve gotten that to my face before,” says the Raleigh-born, Wake Forest-based Nance (full name: Christian Nance), 24, discussing his past at a downtown Raleigh bar. “But I don’t see it necessarily as a problem right now. I mean, as long as I bring good material and I keep improving, I really don’t pay attention to it, man.”

It turns out Nance has been rhyming and flowing since his teen years. “I always define it as being, like, a very organic process,” he says. “I started writing in middle school and high school. Next thing I knew, I was freestyling with people and rapping at parties and, then, recording my own songs and distributing them around school and getting kids to buy them.” He looked to guys like Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West and A Tribe Called Quest – rappers who all share a flair for conscious hip-hop – for inspiration. “Like, once I started really understanding what the artists are saying and their stories, it was just kind of something I wanted to do,” he says.

For the past couple of years, Nance has been picking up fans, both in the scene and in the audience, via his live shows. When he co-headlined a show at Lincoln Theatre last year (a show that he says attracted around 250 people), he got the attention of fellow Raleigh rapper King Mez. “He hit me up on Instagram and said this is a big deal,” he remembers. “I think that’s when a lot of locals really started paying attention.”

When Nance was in Los Angeles earlier this year, he met up with Mez, who has made LA his home ever since he began collaborating with Dr. Dre. (Mez appeared all over the Grammy-nominated “Compton: A Soundtrack” album the gangsta-rap icon released earlier this year.) “He was kind of showing me the stuff he was working on and I showed him what I was working on,” he says. “But just seeing his progress from, you know, when he was here to out there, and seeing him out there with what he was doing and the kind of songs he was making, it was very inspiring.”

But it’s not just rappers he’s been buddying around with. He recently collaborated on a cover of Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself” with Chapel Hill-bred, YouTube/Vine star (and notable “America’s Got Talent” performer) Anna Clendening. “We knew of each other – we were Facebook friends and whatnot,” he says. “She does a lot of cover songs, so I just threw my own original verse in the back end of that song she covered. So, yeah, it was a lot of fun, definitely out of my comfort zone as far as the type of song we did. And I really liked the turnout of it.”

Nance is still striving to get people to look past his dashing demeanor and appreciate his skills on the mic. He will headline a show this Saturday night at Kings, where audiences will hear tracks from his 2014 “Thank You for Having Me” EP, as well as tunes from his upcoming “Everything I Need” project, scheduled for release early next year.

“I definitely want to make a living off music, provide with music and travel with music,” he says. “As long as I can work on my music and have fun with it, it doesn’t matter what you really look like, man. I mean, music touches everybody. It happened to touch me in a way that made me want to re-create it and make it pop.”

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/entertainment/music-news-reviews/article48779780.html#storylink=cpy - News & Observer

North Carolina native, Nance recently stopped by 88.1 WKNC and delivered some choice bars during in on air freestyle. Stream the radio ripped session after the break! - hiphopsince1987

Name: NANCE
Beat: A Tribe Called Quest - "Check the Rhime"
Hometown: Raleigh, NC
Listen: Thanks for Having Me EP
The Next Step
Interview by Ryan Cocca • Photos by Carter McCall

Rapper NANCE has been playing a game of double dutch since he started rapping back in middle school. Steeping into it when he feels the need to express him self then falling out again when he feels he's said his piece. That's how he's conducted his on-and-off career, releasing a series of mixtapes and opening for local heavy hitters like Kooley High and King Mez. But, with the release of Thanks for Having Me, his first EP he hopes to find some consistency in his career. NANCE sat down with Glass Reflex on Monday, January 12, 2015 to talk about his album and how although he's been spitting for awhile, he feels like his career's just beginning.

Glass Reflex: Tell us who you are and how you got started rapping?

NANCE: My name is NANCE and I am a musician located in the Raleigh area.. I rap and dabble with producing. Rap was a huge part of my life since I was young. My older brother would listen to it around the house and eventually over time I naturally gravitated toward writing poetry, rapping and freestyling. I was kind of unaware of what I was stepping into. It started as a hobby for me in middle school and my early high school years and once I started to put my music out there for people to listen and provide feedback, then I began to take it a seriously.

GR: What was your motivation for starting to make music?

N: Music was just a huge part of my life and I wanted to express my own emotions by using it. I always had some kind of interested towards creating music. Plus all of my idols were musicians. I looked up to the way they would sing, rap, dress, and just express themselves in general.

GR: Who are some of your influences?

N: Honestly, I listen to so many styles of music. Especially rap and hip-hop. I am can find inspiration in an artist such as Lupe Fiasco all the way to an artist like Rick Ross. I really appreciate the art form as a whole. When I first started to put out my own music I really looked up to artists like Kanye, Lupe, Pharrell, Tribe, and various members of Dipset, and the list goes on. Nowadays its pretty much the same, plus artists such as J. Cole and Gambino. I could literally sit here and go on and on about all of the artists and groups that inspire me. I am also really influenced by myself and the idea that I can put my mind to something and write it, produce it, create it, and put it out there for people to hear.

GR:Tell us about your latest project, Thanks for Having Me. What was the process of creating that album and was was your goal with making that record.

N: Well I have been actively rapping and releasing music since I was 15 and I will be turning 24 next month. I put out a few videos on the internet and different songs here and there over the years. Plus I released a few mixtapes over 5 years ago but I've taken time since then to really develop myself as an artist and I figured that if I want to do this as a career than I need to find something that has longevity. I feel like I found a sound and a style since then and it was time to create a small compilation of music that I could release. Also over the past two years I have been able to perform a good amount of shows opening for bigger acts that came into town. Such as Action Bronson, MGK, Dizzy Wright, Chevy Woods, Mike Stud, King Mez and Kooley High. A lot of people in my area have been coming out to support my friends and I at these shows and honestly I was super surprised about the turn out at all of these events. Thanks for Having Me the EP was my way of thanking everyone for coming out and supporting us.

GR: How did you feel about it once it was done and how was it received?

N: I feel good about the EP and also I received a lot of positive feedback and some great critiques. I feel like that project was only the beginning of what I have to offer. I am ready to take it a step further and dig a little deeper with my raps and producing.
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GR: You've worked with other artists like Drique London. Can you talk about the collaboration and connections in the Raleigh scene?

N: Actually its crazy. I used to be in a group with Drique London. I used to be in a group back in high school and we would post our music on MySpace and Drique found me there. The good ole MySpace days haha. This was probably in 2007 or 2008 but Drique reached out to me via email and at first I didn't reply because I was actually in the process of taking a step back from rapping. Then I ran into Drique London on two separate occasions while I was shopping for new shoes. It was kind of ironic. Drique showed me the song that he wanted me on so I went home and wrote to the beat then I met Drique at the studio a few days later. Drique introduced me to the studio engineer there that would be recording and mixing my music for the next 3 or 4 years. Honestly, without Drique I don't know where I would be today with my music. As far as the connections in the Raleigh scene, I feel like it is a pretty small scene. We are all connected in some way or through someone.

GR: How would you describe the Raleigh scene?

N: I love it. I feel like the Raleigh scene has a lot to offer. Plus a lot of the musicians in Raleigh are continually taking their music to the next level. I'm excited to see where the scene can take all of this talent.

GR: What's next for you?

N: Next for me, I have plans. I'm always coming up with new ideas, writing, and producing. I'm ready to take things to the next level with my music, my videos, my live performances, etc. I think it is time to really get my music out in the world. I'm excited about it all. - Glass-Reflex.com

Today on #919Radio, Nance, dropped by K97.5 to premiere his new single, “Feelings.” While at the station, he sat down with Mir.I.am for an interview, where he discussed his music influences, how he got started rapping, and more. Nance also talked about his recent visit to L.A. where he linked with King Mez, and his upcoming projects.

Take a listen to the full interview and stream his new single, “Feelings,” below. - Hip Hop NC

Ace, Drique, Shane (and I would assume Alex and Danny) all had their moments with the crowd, but when Nance took the stage, it was clear who they had come to see.

He rapped from inside the crowd. He threw out beer coozies. He brought out a dude in a studded leather backpack and Yeezys to rap a song with him. He kept the energy high at all times. At one point in the middle of the set Drique turned to me and said something like, “this kid is marketable as hell,” and it’s hard to disagree.

Performing in front of a giant banner bearing his name as well as the polite-kid-next-door slogan, “Thanks For Having Me,” to a crowd that featured multiple people rapping every word in Nance t-shirts, it was quite the headlining debut. He performed old material from the Thanks For Having Me EP, freestyled to the crowd for a bit, and gave a taste of new music yet to come, which sounded like it could be huge.

—-

In the end, Nance brought all the performers from the night on stage for a wild rendition of “Talk About It,” the bass-rattling opener from Dr. Dre’s Compton, which begins with the strained shouts of none other than Raleigh’s King Mez.

In one sense, it would be easy to see this all as wonderfully naïve; the pack of largely unknown, unheralded local acts on stage in Raleigh, momentarily basking in the peripheral glow of one of their own and imagining that the floodgates will now simply open for them by association. But the moment felt a lot more genuine than that.

Before “Talk About It,” Nance spoke to the crowd about visiting Mez in Los Angeles, being driven around and having conversations about the industry that Mez was now fully, and suddenly, immersed in after less than a year in LA.

That story, despite being a pretty gratuitous name-drop, coincides with flickers of light from around the state. Whether it be the now-famous Eric Tullis writeup in Noisey or the massive inroads Well$ seems to have made in New York, it all raises the possibility that Mez won’t be the one diamond that gets found in the Carolina rough, that an act like Nance, (or Ace, or Drique) may actually make it too.

Over the loudspeakers, Mez kicked off his second verse: “What the, fuck, was y’all, thinkin?”

The collective answer in the minds of those on stage could be easily assumed: “I’m next.” - Super Empty Blog

One of the artists featured on #919Radio this week is none other than Raleigh’s own, Wake Forest-based, Nance. Take a listen to his latest single, “Feelings,” and let us know if you’d like to song to be added into regular rotation at K97.5. - Hip Hop NC

“Wasabi” is the latest audio leak from NC native emcee Nance. Stream his rendition of Migos and Drake‘s smash hit single “Versace” after the jump! - hiphopsince1987

Wake Forest, NC based Hip-Hop/Rap music artist Nance’s debut album is only days away from being released. The name of the highly anticipated new studio album is “No Excuses” which features 12 songs, and it will be dropping this Friday, April 27 on iTunes. It has been over two years in the making. The 28 year old North Carolina native has the vibes and sound of Drake.

The new album was produced by Fourth Shift, mix and mastered by Brett Scott, and recorded at BNB Audio in Chapel Hill which is a full production local studio that caters to individual artists and bands. Christian Nance, better known as just “NANCE” to thousands of his Raleigh area fans and many more virtual admirers, is an up-and-coming local rapper from North Carolina that has been putting out music for a while now primarily through social media.

No Excuses Release Date: Fri, April 27th, 2018 [iTunes]

1) Perfect (on the internet)

2) Mentions

3) Show Up

4) Gotta Go

5) No Excuses

6) Coffee Shop (skit)

7) Caffeinated (Ft. Danny Blaze)

8) Follow Back

9) Carolina at Night (Ft. 3 AM)

10) Hate (Ft. Well$)

11) Be Alright

12) They Don’t Want Us to Win

Nance’s new album features a couple of other familiar faces and music artists which you may have heard of: Well$, 3AM, and Danny Blaze. He tells us that he linked up with Fourth Shift (producer) a little over 2 years ago and since then they have been locked in the studio. The two also became very good friends since 2016, and he’s helped Nance develop the sound he has been trying to create over the years.

Nance feels like the upcoming album is an excellent representation of who he is as an artist and in general. For Nance, it feels like a completely fresh new start in the right direction. Nance always enjoyed creating music but never really had this much fun creating a project which he is so excited about for people to hear and discover this side of him.

” I feel like this compilation is the most me I’ve ever been on a project. I’m extremely happy about the sound, vibe, and quality of music on No Excuses.. My producer and good friend Fourth Shift helped me bring out the best of me with all original music and no samples…

– Nance


In 2018, Nance has been laser-focused on his fans and going all in on social media. He has dropped engaging content like freestyles, promo videos, new music and the list goes on. Nance tells us that he has been staying busy outside of the studio as well, collaborating with various photographers, clothing brands, etc.

Nance is excited that “No Excuses” is finally complete and the rollout of that will be starting in the coming days and weeks. Additionally, Fourth Shift and Nance have already started working on the following project (no release date yet) but their plan is to keep music, freestyles, music videos, and content coming slowly but surely in the coming months and to continue to try and breakthrough on the local and hopefully national stage as well sooner than later.

Nance has released over a dozen music videos since 2011 on social media and about a half dozen professionally produced singles on iTunes since 2015 which include “Mentions”, “Hate”, “Show Up”, “Feelings”, and “Be Alright”. Nance has performed all over the Raleigh – Durham area in recent years and plans to headline a couple of shows that will be announced soon in Raleigh once No Excuses officially drops. You can keep up with all the updates by following Nance on Instagram, Facebook, and SoundCloud.


NANCE - Feelings02:38

NANCE - Feelings
02:38

Nance - I See Ya
02:02

NANCE - Everything I Need (feat. Cody Daniel)
04:41

NANCE - Eighteen Years feat. Mario Neville (Official Music Video)
04:29

Nance- Brand New Flow feat. Earlly Mac (Prod. Skate Bravo)
03:18

NANCE - Go Off (Official Video)
03:28

Nance - Like This feat. Richie McFly (Prod. Skate Bravo)
04:35
Who is Wake Forest Rapper Nance?

While combining energizing sample-based sonics with witty lyricism inspired by real-life experiences, rapper/producer NANCE has begun to develop his own conscious fun sound. Born February 15th, 1991, The North Carolina native started to write raps as a way to express his ideas at a young age, and today he would describe his introduction to hip-hop as an organic process. NANCE naturally gravitated towards the music industry while recording his own compilations of music in his bedroom and proceeding to sell them around his high school. After riding home one day with $64 in his pocket from selling mixtapes, he decided it was time to transform his rapping hobby into a career path.

NANCE has created a local buzz by landing performances in various venues headlining his own shows, and opening for popular hip-hop artists such as Action Bronson, MGK, KYLE, Mobb Deep, Caskey, SonReal, Chevy Woods, Mike Stud, Kooley High, and the list goes on. He has also performed up and down the east coast and touches the festival stages at Hopscotch 2016 and Packapalooza 2016 in Raleigh, A3C 2016 in Atlanta, and Art of Cool 2017 in Durham, With the creation of his merchandise brand “Nance & Company”, he has collaborated with the Charlotte, NC based clothing line/charitable organization “For Those” to help raise money for kids suffering from congenital heart disease. NANCE has also used his talents to collaborate and raise money for the “Embrace Uganda” charity, by performing at their “Save a Child” event.

When NANCE isn’t writing raps, he is creating his next batch of merchandise, writing comical treatments for videos to promote his shows and events, or studying the ins and outs of the music industry. He takes pride in his personal approach to music and the people that support him, by going the extra step to keep in touch with those that support his work ethic. He has released two EP’s so far, titled “Thanks For Having Me” (2014) and “Everything I Need” (2016). In 2017, NANCE has been gearing up to drop his first studio album by releasing stand out singles “Mentions” (racking up 12,000 plays on SoundCloud and growing) and “Be Alright.” Also in preparation for his first studio album, NANCE successfully crowdfunded $10,724 through Kickstarter help finalize, shoot music videos, and promote his new music.

So what are your thoughts about Nance and his music? Please be sure to hit us up on Twitter @919BlogNC or visit our Facebook page at FB.com/919Blog and let us know! We would love to hear from ya. - 919 Blog

There are a few indicators that can help tell if we’re passionate about something. First would be the amount of time you willingly invest in a certain hobby or activity. Second, we could say consistency. If you’re able to consistently do something without it feeling like a burden on you, you might be on to something. Third is a drive. Regardless of how long it takes, no matter how much immediate money it brings you, you still feel the need to keep doing it because, well, you can’t stop. These are the defining traits of a passion.

We got in touch with Raleigh, NC artist, Nance, who has been creating music since early high school in 2006. It all started when his brother exposed him to the hip-hop/rap industry. Nance’s brother familiarized him with old school rap artists still around today and Nance was convinced; he knew he wanted to make music. He started off recording and freestyling over Rock Band mics and making songs off of a software called Cool Edit.

He got comfortable enough where he would then start writing lyrics in middle school. It wasn’t long until he graduated to selling CD’s at his high school. He did his first show in 2009 and later on ended up opening for bigger named artists in the industry like Action Bronson. There came a point in Nance’s life where he and his mom talked about career paths and the only path Nance would even consider was making music. He says he loves all aspects of music and that he’s always been driven to pursue his own dreams. His goal is to help people understand what drives him as a person and his music.

You’ve been creating music since high school. What would you say has been the biggest motivator to keep making music?

I think it’s just the combination of my passion when it comes to music and creating my own, plus my drive to go far in life. If I wasn’t creating music, I would probably be pursing some other goals with the same kind of drive I have pursuing my goals in music. Life in general and all of its possibilities are some of the things that motivate me. I just want to get out, do stuff, experience cool things, go places, meet cool people, etc. During my years in college, my mom and I would have long talks about my future plans as far as my career goes. I would always tell her that I want to create music or do something in the music industry. It’s what I’m passionate about. She would always say that she doesn’t worry about me too much and she knows I will be successful in any career that I put my mind to. I’ve just always been driven, and especially driven to go far with my interests.

Who or what has been the biggest influence in your life to date?

So many things have influenced me throughout my life, to be honest. My family, close friends, and musicians I look up to. It’s a combination of all of them, plus life experiences that have influenced me to want to do what I’m doing with music.

You mentioned forgetting the words to your song in one of your first performances ever. How has that experience helped your confidence in performing for an audience on stage now?

Honestly, I was never going to mention this ever again in my life (especially in an interview) but I thought it was only right to mention it to show how failure can be used as something positive in life. My first time performing live was probably one of the most embarrassing things in my life. Having dreams of becoming a rapper, and forgetting my words on stage AND all I had to do was rap one verse. It was probably the worst thing that could have happen to me at the time, but also the best thing because it inspired me to never EVER let it happen again.

I knew after that show that I had to overcome my fear of stage fright and the next time I touched a stage I would have to give it my all. That means, remembering my lines, putting on an actual performance, and not caring about what anyone thought. When it comes to shows these days, I pride myself on putting on a good performance. My friend POSADA (my DJ) and I always rehearse our shows until they are right and I think it all goes back to my first performance. I guess my first show was kind of like my “8 Mile” moment when Rabbit choked at the Shelter.

What would you say is the most relatable aspect of your music for you listeners?

I think the most relatable part about my music is that it is mostly based off of pursuing dreams and making something of your life. Most of the people that listen to my music are in high school, college, or they just got out of college. Those years are super important when it comes to staying motivated about what you want to do with your life.

What is your advice for anyone looking to pursue a passion?

As far as advice goes, first it’s always smart to make sure you are truly passionate about what you are pursing. Don’t pursue something because it looks cool, or it brings in good money, etc. Pursue something because its what you love to do. Make sure it’s that thing that you would do even if there wasn’t a way to turn it into a career. If being a rapper wasn’t a way to make a living, I would still be rapping every single day of my life. I’m passionate about it, plain and simple. - The Millennial-y

A baseball player, a New York Yankee, a Hall of Fame catcher: These are the things we typically remember about the late Yogi Berra. Being a rapper? Not so much.

But consider his love of language and his wry wit, buried in his zany sentences, and it’s not so difficult to imagine that Berra was a dope emcee a few generations ahead of his time. That’s the thinking of rising Raleigh rapper NANCE, at least, who enlists fellow Triangle spitters Tab-One and Drique London on his new song, “Yogi Berra,” in advance of his promising upcoming EP, Everything I Need.

With the backing of NovaTheProducer’s bouncy beat, Tab-One, NANCE and Drique shoot the breeze about interplanetary travel, the Himalayas, Rubik’s cubes … pretty much anything that suits their fancy. That’s a space in which Tab has shined for years; his rapid-fire verse is easily the song’s best.

It’s a strong assemblage of Raleigh hip-hop acts, spanning a range of styles and experience levels, and NANCE’s persistent work in expanding his network and profile over the past year deserves credit here. The combination of voices here doesn’t just create a better song but also forces a kind of friendly competition.

But this perk turns out to be a thorn in NANCE’s side, as the artist suffers by comparison to his more experienced collaborators. Within a few seconds on the mic in “Yogi Berra,” NANCE misses: “Flow (Flo) so progressive (Progressive), no pun intended.” But the pun is intended, and he knows it. Over and over again throughout the song, he depends on too many similes. He’s proactive (Proactiv), so there’s no blemish. His engineer mixes songs “like a chemist.” He spits tracks until his mouth is numb, like he just “left the dentist," and so on. Even the song’s title is a surface-level simile, with NANCE rapping, “dropping more quotables than Yogi Berra.”

Wasting precious words exhaustively comparing one pop culture reference to the next prevents NANCE from taking listeners anywhere emotionally or narratively, as London does in some of the song’s closing lines:

“The three of us, went from rockin’ them local pubs,
To sellin’ out Kings, I figured that crown is what we deserve/
But when they see you they nod but never notice your worth,
So I lay low and keep approaching until I conquer the earth.”

NANCE is still young, and we still have an EP full of new songs to digest. There’s a lot to like about the bubbling Triangle rapper; he exudes a natural stage presence and keeps his rhymes reliably in-the-pocket. He just needs to focus less on “dropping quotables” and more on dropping some of his more superficial wordplay. - Indy Week