nosaprise

You have to hand it to Nosaprise. although you can't help worrying a little, too. This month the Houston rapper/musician's grownup job as an arts teacher presented an opportunity for him to attend a lecture in Nigeria -- travel expenses paid -- and he stuck around to visit family and perform a little. Late Afrobeat patriarch Fela Kuti is a distant relative; it was Nosaprise's first time in Africa.
The trip, says the man born Nosa Edebor, was "very eye-opening."

Just off the plane, Nosa said he hadn't slept in about 26 hours when Rocks Off caught up with him via e-mail late Wednesday afternoon. We hope he has now, because tonight he will release his third and latest solo CD, Book of the Dead Vol. 1, at Fitzgerald's.

The disc is his first as Nosaprise since 2010's Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. The past year or two, Edebor has been directing most of his musical energies toward his Dinosaur Jr.-ish indie-rock group Screwtape, but he decided it was time to slip back into hip-hop mode.


Book of the Dead's songs both pay tribute to and mimic departed hip-hop personalities including Notorious B.I.G., Gang Starr's Guru, Lamont "Big L" Coleman, Run-DMC DJ Jam Master Jay and Ol' Dirty Bastard. Scattered throughout is dialogue from one of Nosa's favorite movies, Evil Dead 2 ("I loved how over-the-top those '80s horror movies were"), and some creepy laughter from a pivotal point in the film.
"it's basically the turning point of the film where the main character loses his mind," Edebor says. "I wanted an absence of lyrics there to let that creepiness set in and let listeners think and draw their own conclusions."

That's fairly heavy stuff. Is he all right?

"Well, I was thinking about this concept for a bit, and over the last year and a half I lost people and friends close to me lost people," says Nosa. "I had been looking at death a lot through my eyes and through their eyes, seeing how death effects the ones left behind, and I guess it was just a coping mechanism for me."

However, if there's a statement or theme solidifying the album, it's more transformation than simply death or the death of hip-hop culture, similar to the way Nosaprise reinterprets the music of the artists he's saluting.
Raised in Southwest Houston, Nosa is a sort of transitional figure in Houston hip-hop himself. Apart from his more rock-oriented endeavors -- he claims both the Geto Boys and DRI as childhood idols -- his quick-witted, fluid rhyming style has a definite similarity to A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip, counter to the slow-loud-and-bangin' attitudes that permeate much of H-Town rap.

Asked if he's out of step, Edebor counters with "I do my own thing."

"I think it's important to keep it pushing and challenge yourself and that is what I am always looking to do," he says. "That is the beauty of this city: there is less and less segregation between styles of music, and we've really become a diverse city musically."

"Now we have so many different styles of music, it's hard to peg what a Houston artist sounds like," Nosa adds. That's the way it should be."

- Houston Press

Rocks Off has been putting it off as long as we can, but we have finally started seriously thinking about this weekend's Austin City Limits Music Festival. And the more we thought about it, the more it slowly dawned on us that, to the best of our knowledge, no Houston-based band or performer has ever played the festival. Ev-er.

Sure, there have been plenty of former Houstonians - Hayes Carll, Carolyn Wonderland, Robert Earl Keen, Blue October, Jack Ingram - who have played. But unless we missed someone (and we don't think we did because we keep a pretty close eye on such things), when it comes to current Houstonians ACL has laid a big ol' goose egg for a solid decade now. Considering how many people from Houston attend ACL every year, this just seems wrong.

On the other hand, Rocks Off can kind of understand why. Many of Houston's best and brightest are just too strange, too noisy, too obnoxious or too threatening to be palatable at a festival like ACL. (Could you imagine Rusted Shut at Zilker? As awesome as that would be, we can't.) Then there's the fact that many locals are just too far off anyone's radar, even as close as Austin, to be viable.

But not all of them. In fact, Houston is currently teeming with artists Rocks Off thinks would go over great at ACL. So just in case C3 happens to be surfing the Web and needs a few last-second replacements, allow us to list our choices.


?10. Nosaprise, Doughbeezy and/or Jack Freeman

Considering ACL styles itself as a family-friendly festival, and that it already took a fair amount of heat for booking so many "urban" headliners (read: two) this year, its reluctance to book the likes of the "gimme that pussy"-chanting Bun B or the downright scary-ass Z-Ro and Trae Tha Truth is understandable. But if it keeps booking artists like Brooklyn's Theophilus London, there's no excuse not to take a serious look at these three standouts from Houston's flourishing underground hip-hop/R&B scene - and probably half a dozen more like them besides. - Houston Press

Upon hearing rap musician Nosaprise (real name Nosa Edebor) is from Houston, one can only think of the chopped and screwed genre but Nosaprise wants to make it clear that’s not what the Houston music scene is all about. “Houston’s rap scene is actually really eclectic,” breaks the mold of “down south” rap, “it’s not what most think of when H-town comes to mind.” His rhymes are reminiscent of early Wu-Tang and have an incredible flow often lost in today’s fashionable production-heavy rap. That’s not saying Nosaprise’s beats aren’t good—they are. He samples everything from saxophone and piano solos to jazz crooners. The beats could be a coherent song all on their own, probably because of his incredible musical ability on the guitar and keyboard.



Nosaprise is the grand-nephew to the African jazz legend Fela Kuti. When asked if his grand uncle influenced him musically, Nosparise says that Kuti’s “Philosophy influenced me more then his style of music,” but that doesn’t mean Nosa doesn’t have stories of his late uncle: “I’m related to Fela through my mom’s side of the family but my dad used to travel around Africa with him when he was young. Pops played Fela all the time growing up, what I loved was that Fela took bits of afro rhythms and jazz and created something totally new. He didn’t stay in one box and neither do I.”



Nosa’s major influences outside of said box include punk bands like Minor Threat and the Descendants—an interesting preference for a rap musician to say the least. Nosaprise grew up as a skate kid insanely into 80s punk and preferred the “straight edge” lifestyle Minor Threat perpetuated throughout his teenage years. Nosaprise got his start in music not as a rapper but as a musician in punk bands. It wasn’t until later he got into rap music. “It wasn’t till I got into high school that I started rapping with some friends and I been doing it ever since.” Nosaprise has appreciated the radical change “loud ass punk rock” has advocated and has woven its seamlessly into his own brand of rap music; he takes two completely different genres and combines them into something astoundingly epic and refreshingly original.



Nosaprise has a new EP out entitled Horse Shoes and Hand Grenades out now and is embarking this summer on a fairly extensive west coast tour starting July 9th. - CMJ spotlight

Here's a cool bit of news for your holiday enjoyment. Today CMJ singles out Houston rapper Nosaprise in its "Sonicbids Spotlight" segment, and takes the first steps toward discovering there's a lot more to Space City hip-hop these days than just chopped and screwed.

"His rhymes are reminiscent of early Wu-Tang and have an incredible flow often lost in today's fashionable production-heavy rap," Kate Shapiro writes of Nosa's Horse Shoes and Hand Grenades EP.

Tit for tat, though. Rocks Off learned something too - we didn't know Nosa is related to Fela Kuti. The late Afrobeat legend and Broadway musical inspiration is the rapper's great-uncle.

"I'm related to Fela through my mom's side of the family, but my dad used to travel around Africa with him when he was young," Nosa says in the article. "Pops played Fela all the time growing up, what I loved was that Fela took bits of afro rhythms and jazz and created something totally new."

Nosa leaves next week for his "Robert Horry tour," named after Z-Ro's "Mo City Don Freestyle" line "I'm H-Town to Cali just like Robert Horry." Although there's no local kickoff show - "because I'm hella busy," he says - Nosa does promise a homecoming gig after the three-week run, though he doesn't know where or when yet.

In the CMJ piece, he goes on to discuss his love of straightedge punk rock. Read it for yourself.

In other Nosa news, his indie-rock band and recent Rocks Off Artists of the Week, Screwtape, is releasing a free download on its Bandcamp page today. - The Houston Press

Nosaprise

Call me a heretic if you want, but I’d gladly trade Nosaprise for any big-name H-town rapper that’s broken out of this city in the past decade. Seriously; these guys represent, to me, the best things coming out of this city in terms of hip-hop — it’s not all about grills and screwed beats, believe me. In Nosaprise’s case, I love that the guy lets his conscience shine through in his lyrics and flat-out doesn’t give a shit if you don’t want to hear it; “They Don’t Care About Us” is like the best, smartest, most forward-thinking song The Pharcyde never came up with, and “Seasons” is partly a bitterly clear-eyed look at the intersection of hip-hop and commerce, married to an emotional shoutout to rappers long gone. He’s smart, he’s clever with his rhymes, he crafts these weirdly-layered beats to go underneath ‘em, and he seems to like & pull in all kinds of sounds, not just hip-hop. All of that is a microcosm of the coolest things happening in H-town’s rap scene today. - Space City Rock

Even though the thought that openers benefit the most from the headliners sometimes rings true in hip-hop circles, both Nosaprise and Ozeal shined with Nosa especially warming people up for folks who are going to see his band Screwtape at the Main Street Block Party & his own opening set for The Cool Kids on Sunday.

Flanked by Screwtape at various moments during his set, Nosa played with the same sort of reckless abandon and freeness that might be completely acceptable in a game of Tony Hawk on the old Playstation. His demeanor didn’t change at all once it was just him, his hypeman & Elroy Boogie on stage as his stage presence made a robbing tale sound exhilarating (“Hands High”), funeral music for the hipsters be equally triumphant & solemn (“Bang”) and curtailing the early portion of weed smokers with a brisk sample of The Delfonics.

As a kid in a candy store who just saw one of his favorite jawbreakers, he would be remiss if he didn’t mention the group of four that made moves from NYC to TX and back again, vibing off of one another to produce a moving set, one that inexplicably left me without the proper contact information for them. - Day and a dream blog

Nosaprise takes an aggressive stance on Horse Shoes and Hand Grenades, his follow-up to 2008’s Grown Folks Music.

“There definitely is a harder edge to the (Horse Shoes) EP than my first album. It’s just a progression,” he says. “Music documents parts of your life, and it’s where I’m at right now.”

But the rapper, dancer and teacher still couches his flow in witty rhymes and soul samples. It makes for an arresting six-song collection (including standouts Super Ego, She Isn’t Lovely and Lies Make Baby Jesus Cry).

His sixth annual Trills the Season toy drive and Christmas party is scheduled for Dec. 23. (Times and location forthcoming.) The event has donated more than $8,000 in toys to local children in low-income neighborhoods. He’ll also share the Groundhall stage in January with legendary rap outfit the Pharcyde.

Tell me about the title of the EP.
You’re the first person to ask that question. Horse Shoes and Hand Grenades, in the context of this EP, refers to the duality of life. Our lives are a balance of struggle and prosperity, strife and stability. It’s basically the war (Hand Grenades) and peace (Horse Shoes) that we all go through in our lives.

I sense a rocker poking out from the edges of several songs.
I grew up playing punk rock. I’m in a rock band right now called Screwtape, which is amazingly fun to play in. There’s something you get out of banging on instruments that you don’t get rapping. And vice versa.

Some of these songs have an old-school soul flow (and samples). Did you grow up on that stuff?
Man, I grew up on everything. My parents were big into soul and funk. My dad was heavy into African artists Fela Kuti and King Sunny Ade. A lot of reggae, too. I didn’t fully appreciate it until I was a little older. I grew up on Minor Threat, Gorilla Biscuits and Descendants. I guess that’s why my music has a lot of emotion in it.

Kam Franklin features on two songs and has become a go-to girl for hooks. What makes her special?
That’s my girl! She’s got tons of soul, and she’s so easy to work with. We both came from a similar place, black kids coming up in a scene not typically thought of as black.

Lies Make Baby Jesus Cry — please explain. It’s a really complex track.
That song’s gone through a couple of transformations. It’s about some of the bullshit you deal with when you’re making music in any community. The beat is done by my homie Joel “Brainchild” Martinez. It was one of those songs that evolved from our live shows and just grew on its own.

Christmas is coming, so what’s your favorite holiday song?
I love this song Oi to the World by the Vandals. It’s a great holiday song about unity and understanding each other. That and All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey, because it was on the Home Alone 2 soundtrack.

MySpace lists your genre as “death metal/German pop/hyphy” — really, now?
MySpace is dead. I haven’t updated it in ages. But I know the hyphy-death metal scene is getting really big in German pop circles. I’m taking it to the next level.

You’re also a dancer. Name one song that makes you move, regardless of where you’re at.
That Eddie Murphy classic Party All The Time goes hard. - Houston chronicles 29-95.com

For a while, it appeared that the adenoidal Nosaprise's Horse Shoes and Hand Grenades, his latest official EP, was going to become Houston underground rap's version of Dr. Dre's Detox; new music-wise, he had all but disappeared these last few months.

Then, without warning or provocation, the Heavens opened up and Horse Shoes was here*. In it, Nosa is obscure and original and not entirely unabstract, though he does so without compromising his hip-hop didacticism. It's a proper showing

Nosa's actual fans will be all over this. The rest of the world, however, will likely - and mistakenly - overlook it.

Best Song Title on the Album: This is a new YMF segment, made up solely to highlight the fact that there is a song called "She Isn't Lovely" (What up, Stevie?), and that it's only the second most interesting title. The best? Easy: "Lies Make Baby Jesus Cry."


Best Song on the Album: Opener "Start Today," a throbbing, lively, almost Lil Wayne-ian excursion through the estuary where rap and rock meet. Nosa twinkles on the track, which is a good sign of things to come re: his newly formed rock band.


Most Impressive Usage of Homonyms on the Album: In the aforementioned "Start Today," Nosa flips the term "Black Sabbath" to go from dark rock reference to dark religious reference.


Obscure Fact(s) You Can Pawn Off As Your Own To Make Yourself Sound Smart:

• You probably could've guessed this by looking at his hair or hanging out with him for two minutes, but Nosa's parents are poets. And Nigerian.

• Another thing you probably could've guessed this by looking at his hair or hanging out with him for two minutes: He can play the guitar.

• Scarface once sat front row at a Nosa performance and (appeared to) enjoy the show heartily. That's the equivalent to making a cast-iron statue smile. - The Houston Press

For a while, it appeared that the adenoidal Nosaprise's Horse Shoes and Hand Grenades, his latest official EP, was going to become Houston underground rap's version of Dr. Dre's Detox; new music-wise, he had all but disappeared these last few months.

Then, without warning or provocation, the Heavens opened up and Horse Shoes was here*. In it, Nosa is obscure and original and not entirely unabstract, though he does so without compromising his hip-hop didacticism. It's a proper showing

Nosa's actual fans will be all over this. The rest of the world, however, will likely - and mistakenly - overlook it.

Best Song Title on the Album: This is a new YMF segment, made up solely to highlight the fact that there is a song called "She Isn't Lovely" (What up, Stevie?), and that it's only the second most interesting title. The best? Easy: "Lies Make Baby Jesus Cry."


Best Song on the Album: Opener "Start Today," a throbbing, lively, almost Lil Wayne-ian excursion through the estuary where rap and rock meet. Nosa twinkles on the track, which is a good sign of things to come re: his newly formed rock band.


Most Impressive Usage of Homonyms on the Album: In the aforementioned "Start Today," Nosa flips the term "Black Sabbath" to go from dark rock reference to dark religious reference.


Obscure Fact(s) You Can Pawn Off As Your Own To Make Yourself Sound Smart:

• You probably could've guessed this by looking at his hair or hanging out with him for two minutes, but Nosa's parents are poets. And Nigerian.

• Another thing you probably could've guessed this by looking at his hair or hanging out with him for two minutes: He can play the guitar.

• Scarface once sat front row at a Nosa performance and (appeared to) enjoy the show heartily. That's the equivalent to making a cast-iron statue smile. - The Houston Press

Nosa Edebor is better known as Nosaprise in Houston’s underground music community. The soon-to-be UH student — he’s transferring from Houston Community College in January — is a talented, ambitious young man; he’s quite the lyricist, too.

Having been nominated three years running as Houston Press’ Best Underground Hip Hop artist, winning once in 2008, Edebor knew his recently released album, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades, would be held to a high standard. And it surpassed even the heftiest of expectations.

The album is a must-have for everyone who’s grown tired of the bass-heavy, over-produced, club-banging, substance-lacking songs constantly played on popular radio stations. And this isn’t even his first attempt, either.

“(On) my first album, I really aimed to get a message of social responsibility across,” Edebor says. “This album isn’t as heavy on that side; it’s more an EP of progression, moving from one time of my life to the next. I ultimately would like to use my music as a vehicle for change… locally, nationally, globally — wherever my music goes.”

He’s not far off. Anyone who knows Edebor knows that, similar to many of the players in Houston’s underground hip hop scene, he’s not just another rapper trying to get famous, buy a Caddy and rap about his fame and fortune. No, not for Nosaprise; instead, he’ll focus on writing rhymes about life, love, society and whatever else might be on the mind of an educated, young musician.

He’ll even unabashedly call out faux rappers and the industry — “Why is every music station only playing blaxploitation?” — and it helps that he’s good at it. Really good.

“I aim to be a full time artist, playing music, writing music, writing raps — just wrecking 24/7,” he says. “But I still plan on working within my community to help any way I can.”

While he has been (and plans to continue) studying business management, Edebor says he is leaning toward social work. And as if school, a girlfriend and the demands of being a major contender in America’s fourth largest city’s music scene weren’t enough, Edebor happens to be in another band, too — Screwtape. He tries, however, not to get the two endeavors mixed up with one another in fans’ minds.

“I play guitar and keys and do vocals in Screwtape, but it is a completely separate entity from myself,” he says. “I’ve tried to kind of separate them, because I don’t want people to consider it a Nosaprise side project. It’s really eclectic, but I’m not looking to incorporate the two. If you go to a Screwtape show, it’ll be completely different than my Nosaprise shows.”

And while many show disrespect toward Houston’s music scene, Edebor loves his city, its music and the community he has contributed to and become a part of.

“I love the Houston music scene. I grew up in it, and I think, pound-for-pound it trumps any Texas city, and yeah that means you, Austin,” he says. “I think we really need to spread it around though, (because) it tends to be the same 20 bands in the same five venues (playing) over and over. So let’s start mixing it up more.”

Log onto http://thedailycougar.com to hear a song off of Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. - University of Houston Daily Cougar

First up, thoughtful rapper Nosaprise, who grew up on the southwest side of Houston. He spent some time living in London before returning home to focus on his career as a solo artist and dancer.
Courtesy photo
Local rapper Nosaprise spent time in London.

Why should we know your name?

Because we're about to take over the world (or) at least rock it.

Describe your sound in five words.

Style upon style upon style.

What's the best thing about making music in Houston?

Houston has it all music-wise, you just have to look for it. Hip-hop tends to just be lumped together, but just like you have indie-rock, punk, metal and hardcore, there are so many types of hip-hop music in town There's always new blood and ideas, and even though this is a huge city, there's a sense of community in music.

What's the most challenging aspect?

Breaking out of the stereotypical "H-town" mold and standing apart. A lot of folks not familiar with Houston tend to think we're all Mike Jones and Slim Thug. That stuff is cool for some, and you can't talk about Houston without giving respect to its past, but I want to step away from that aspect of Houston and move music in my own direction.

Biggest influence/inspiration:

A lot of locals like the K-Otix, the Fly, Affiliated Intelligence, Example and the old days of 12" Sub on KTRU. They didn't so much influence me but just really opened me up to the idea of being able to make real hip-hop music in Houston.

I'm really inspired by family, community and people who are down to make change. Fela Kuti was a musician and led the movement of the people in Nigeria. He's actually a relative of my family, and I basically grew up to his music. Also James Brown, Stevie Wonder -- a lot of old soul music.

Name another fellow rap/hip-hop from Houston that deserves to be heard.

There are a ton of good acts around h-town. My boys in Lower Life Form are dope. Big Shang, Dee-rail are all folks to look for.

Coolest overall act to come out of H-town (besides yourself):

Rap-wise, I would have to go with the Geto Boys, but I think overall it would be Dirty Rotten Imbeciles. They seem fun to drink with.

Tune of yours that deserves to be heard: Grownfolks Music (Click to download.)

It's the title track off my soon-to-drop album. I teach kids at the Zoe Learning Academy in the Third Ward, and (sometimes) play some funk or soul music. My kids always ask what it is. I tell them "grownfolks music," so the song kind of touches on artists' lack of artistry and how music has some social responsibility to our communities.

Master plan for taking your sound to the next level:

Work really hard, get the album out, hit the road and stay focused. I'm going to be back in the U.K. this summer for some shows and hopefully some spots on the east and west coasts before summer is over.

Connect yourself, within six people (degrees), to one of these breakout local acts: Paul Wall, Chamillionaire, Mike Jones, Slim Thug.

Hmm. Well, let's see. I had a friend that waited on Slim Thug at Pappadeaux's. Does that count? - Houston Chronicle

May 28, 2008, 10:07PM

Nosaprise
Rapper Nosaprise doesn't fit hip-hop's mold

By JOEY GUERRA
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
TOOLS

Nosaprise is all about statements. He packs his new disc, Grown Folks Music, with cultural, social and political commentary. Hence the album title, which he also says is a reference to living a full life at a young age.

"I like to challenge people. Too much music now just spoon-feeds their audience and doesn't challenge them to think about what they're listening to," says the Houston rapper (whose real name is Nosa Ebedor).

"It's important to find balance and depth."

But the young MC, who grew up on Houston's southwest side and teaches at the Zoe Learning Academy in the Third Ward, saves the most pointed criticisms for his genre of choice:

"Hip-hop's way more than rap," he boasts amid the percussive groove of Life (Living in Four Elements).

"Rappin' all day don't gain respect," he claims during the disco-fied groove of Lucky7 Unlucky13.

And amid the hissing rhythm of Run, he says that it's "hard to make a point in a game where most of the players all look the same."

Breaking out of the H-town hip-hop mold, then, is a top priority for Nosaprise, who jokingly describes his style as "cooler than the other side of the pillow."

"A lot of folks not familiar with Houston tend to think we're all Mike Jones and Slim Thug. I want to step away from that aspect of Houston and move music in my own direction," Nosaprise says.

"I'm really inspired by family, community and people who are down to make change. Fela Kuti was a musician and led the movement of the people in Nigeria. He's actually a relative of my family, and I basically grew up to his music."

Indeed, Nosaprise balances the more familiar aspects of his sound with artful soul samples, earnest singing and acoustic guitars. He anchors everything with a wry, idiosyncratic delivery during tunes Decepticons, They Don't Care About Us, EBB and Don't Stop, which features sexy vocals from Karina Nistal.

Grown Folks Music originated during a stint in London and found Nosaprise merging his stateside influences with overseas inspirations. Since returning to Houston, he's spent considerable time honing his live act, which has also given the record an organic edge.

"I'm happy I took my time on this, because the album has real growth and movement in it. You can hear how the music evolves and changes," he says.

"Hip-hop culture in general is about perspectives. I love when I can listen to music I've been listening to for years and catch something new — a phrase or metaphor, double meaning, anything like that." - The Houston Chronicle

Nosaprise
By Serrano, Shea
Published: June 12, 2008

Nosaprise, the trebly-voiced poet-­rapper born Nosa Ebedor, is the antithesis of Houston rap; at least, that's the skin-deep evaluation you'll hear about him from most.






And we suppose the "Not Typical Houston" label is correct. After all, he's the son of heady poet parents, cites his discovery of B-boy culture as a pivotal moment in his life, lived outside of the country (!) for a portion of his life and is of proud Nigerian descent (and we mean real Nigerian descent, like, used-to-be-carried-around-in-one-of-those-baby-pouches Nigerian descent, not ate-at-Suya Hut-off-West-Airport-a-few-times Nigerian descent).






But that's the type of labeling that has long typecast Houston in the perpetual role of the slowed-down purple city. We've always been more than that, and the need to add a disclaimer reeks of insecurity and slights several of Houston's genuinely talented, slightly less than famous artists in the process.






But on the real, Nosa's not like most Houston rappers. Not even close.






With a sound that's an amalgamation of Afrobeat, definitive early soul and message­­-driven hip-hop, the nasally Nosaprise jumps from ?uestlove-esque beats to engulfing, thick brass landscapes on his debut LP Grownfolks Music. All the while he manages to replace any clichéd backpacker hip-hoppiness with a lucid B-boy angle, crisply enunciated rat-a-tat flows and hat-tips to everyone from Blackstarr to John Denver to Stevie Wonder. All that, and don't be surprised if he busts out with a guitar in this live setting, too.

- The Houston Press

You can’t go wrong with “I Was Made to Love Her,” one of the most infectious singles in American history. It provides a good balmy backdrop for Nosa’s crisp, almost metallic flow. I heard him perform this at one of Shady Tavern’s Secret Saturday shows a few weeks back, and it sounded no less like a hit in that setting than it does here. Love the nod to John Denver halfway through. The only thing that could make it better would be a bridge – the verses and chorus are great, but they start to wear out their welcome towards the end. Grade 93.7 – John Nova Lomax - The Houston Press

Live from Joe Mathlete’s living room: Nosaprise
<< ArtHouston 2009 opens Saturday | Main | Marmaduke Explained 07/08/09 >>
Joe Mathlete at 3:00 am on July 8, 2009

When I got the idea to have bands play in my living room the plan (such as there was one) was to keep it more or less what you’d call “acoustic.” This was as much an aesthetic choice (a different take on artists who generally loud things up onstage) as it was a practical decision (my neighbors aren’t going to call the cops on a ukulele). But when I was making my shortlist of gotta haves, I quickly realized that not every band is going to fit the MTV Unplugged mold. Who cares? I wanted to ask Nosaprise and my aesthetics could go sit on it.

Nosa (who, in the interests of full disclosure, does indeed have some great acoustic guitar-based tunes) and his hypeman Drigo showed up at my place around 10 p.m. and we got to work. Meaning we talked about skateboarding, home recording and our moms’ Motown records for awhile until I asked them what they wanted to do. Nosa’s approach was as laid-back as his lyrics are thoughtful; my improvised PA system worked better than I would’ve thought, and he and Drigo had no qualms about giving an all-out performance to an audience of two guys in a living room (much thanks to Jesus Sanchez for helping out with the other camera). I really like Nosaprise’s music; it’s a reminder that underground hip-hop doesn’t have to be dull, thesaurus-addled backpacker word game nonsense, and that socially conscious hip-hop doesn’t have to be, well, not a ton of fun.

Oh, regarding the masks they’re discussing at the start of the clip: they eventually decided against them. It’s hard to rap through a bunny mask.
- 29-95.com

GET YOUR GROWN ON
I had a talk with Nos Def on aim a couple days before the party last night.

I hit him with a barrage of questions because they just kept shooting off in my head randomly. My questions went a lil something like this even though they didn't get recorded in aim.



Why don't you smile in pictures?

How would you describe the album?

What are your favorite tracks?

Who did the art for your album?

And of course....any shout outs?

Heres what my man Nosaprise had to say



nosaprise: whats good kid

nosaprise: hhaaaaa

nosaprise: there 14 tracks on the album , i like all the tracks on it iguess my favorite is this song called ebb on it and i don't smile inpictures cause i was told it lowers my street cred

nosaprise: and we all know how important that is in this dog eat dogbidnezz

nosaprise: my homie aaron smith we gre up together i've known him since1st or 2nd grade and he does most of my art work for flyers, tshirts andstuff

nosaprise: hmmmm let me see
nosaprise: well not sure if theres anything else i want to put outthere. but i 'de like to say thanks to my homie that help this music happen like joel at sucker punch , hurricane , bobby , comp1 and ya'll speakerboxx cats for hosting this lil shindig

- awwready.blogspot.com

Aftermath didn't see any more of the Eulypians because we had a devil of a time tearing ourself away from Bayou Place. In a little more than 90 minutes, we managed to catch a glimpse of the past, present and future of local music - it was just hard to tell which was which. At the Hard Rock Café, dreadlocked rapper Nosaprise sported a Motley Crue T-shirt and strummed an acoustic guitar, unspooling lyrics that mixed bravado ("I'm twice as good as you even when I rap half-ass") and survival ("I'm not trying to get a deal, I'm trying to get a meal") over a ghostly melody reminiscent of Bauhaus' The Sky's Gone Out. - Houston Press

Nominated in: Song ("Intervention"),Underground Hip-Hop, Songwriter

Since releasing his stellar debut album, Grown Folks Music, last summer, Nosaprise has assuredly risen through the ranks of underground Houston MCs. (He and cohort Fat Tony are locked in an unspoken but understood battle for the top spot.) Nosa's nasal flow effortlessly skirts across all manner of backbeats — slated for August, his LP Horseshoes and Hand Grenades houses the rock-centric "Start Today" — and gives instant gravitas to any playbill bearing his name. -Shea Serrano - Houston Press

6. Grown Folks Music, Nosaprise: The rapper, who teaches at the Zoe Learning Academy in the Third Ward, brings a brisk intelligence to this zippy debut disc. Nosa calls rote rappers to task and imbues his own rhymes with social and political commentary. (Read and listen.) - The HOUSTON Chronicle

Houston should be ... Scratch that, Hip-Hop should be glad that there are still emcee's that care about lyrics and content in their music...Nosaprise is one of them...The lyrical assassin balances political music entitled "GROWN FOLKS MUSIC" with soul/grime/punk to make a refreshing sound in the music world

IA caught up with the emcee and here's the interview!

FLOSS: Nosa, I want to thank you for taking your time to interview with
IA, can you discuss a little bit about yourself?

NOSA: Whats good Floss sorry it took a bit, ya my names nosa or Nosaprise im Nigerian out the southwest side of Houston.........I rip and i rhyme .... i rhyme and i rip! Oh i also released my 1ST album Grown Folks Music not to long ago. Go cop that shit!

FLOSS: Who or What made you decide to start rhyming?

NOSA: I started rhyming cause thats what my friends did when we were younger we would just freestyled all the time. my boy had turntables and we would all just collect records and play' them at his house, hang out and rhyme.

FLOSS: How would you classify your music?

NOSA: The root of the music is Hip Hop but i feel my music is more than just that i've grown up on everything Punk and Hardcore to Fela and King Sunny Ade to Garage and Grime so i feel it all comes through one way or another.

FLOSS: What is your process when you decide to create a song? Are there
any subjects you wont talk or rhyme about?

NOSA: I dont think as a musician or an artist we should censor ourselves thats the beauty of music it's always been able to handle topics people don't always talk about. When i write a song i usually get a bunch of music and just listen to it constantly and till things start clicking in my head. I try not to say im gonna write a song about this or that going into it.

FLOSS: How long does it usually take you to write your verses?

NOSA: Im kinda critical when it comes to writing i really listen to what people say, verses can take me anywhere from 30 minutes to days to a week depending on how many times i re-write it.

FLOSS: Do you play any instruments? If so which ones?

NOSA: I played piano as a youngin but i really took to guitar around 6th grade i also play a bit of standard drums as well as the African talking drum which i started playing about a year and half ago it's a really dope, unique instrument.

FLOSS: Can you name some of your favorite memories of your music career?

NOSA: My 1st big show with atmosphere at warehouse live was good also we got to perform at the state capital for a rally for Darfur that was fun and enlightening. But all our charity events like Trills The Season And We Give A Jam have to take the cake cause we're actually able to really help others through music.


FLOSS: We've talked before and you teach youth kids as well… how did that
come about?

NOSA: My Crew RnS pretty much worked with kids since getting out of high school. We had a dance program in school that really kept us out of trouble and gave us some focus in life. we really felt the need to give that back to other who havn't been as lucky as us.

FLOSS: What current projects do you have in the works for NOSA, and who
are you working with?

NOSA: Im really promoting this Album Grown Folks Music Im working on my 2nd project It Takes A Village. this project Im really trying to work with as many folks as possible Im trying to expand passed what Im used to and really just trying to create a new path.

FLOSS: Where can rappers, singers, and future fans get in contact with
you or hear your work?

NOSA: Myspace.com/nosaprise hit me up!

FLOSS: What would you like to see from the Houston underground music scene?

NOSA: Less separation a little more open mindedness i want to eliminate the word"scene" and just have musicians work despite genre, crowd or whatever.


FLOSS FIVE

1. Favorite Rapper- Biggie since i been like 12 that Ready To Die album got me open. Big L also he left way to early as well

2. Mos Def or Talib Kweli - Blackstar!

3. Artist(s) you would love to work with- Bird Peterson, Damaged Goods, PPT, Uzoy, Devin, Floss and of Course all my Htown peeps.

4. Fave Band- Stark Reality this really trippy band from the 60's, the Sword, Golden Axe some good metal bands from Texas

5. Hidden Talent- the one handed joint roll

I want to thank my guest this week, nosaprise and if you would like to hear his music, please visit myspace.com/nosaprise - Internet approved Blogspot

I did arrive in time to catch Nosaprise walking through the crowd with an armful of bottled water on his way to the stage. Nosa is one of those dudes who is eternally cool without even trying. Supremely talented and genuine to the bone, he took the stage as the opening DJ finished up a mix of everything from Biz Markie and Lil Troy to Snoop Dogg.

With his 1994 "Clutch City" Houston Rockets tee, Nosa hit the mike hard with tracks from his Book of the Dead project, a mix of clips from the Evil Dead movies and "all the dead rappers who inspired me," as he says. His rap voice is nasal and distinct, which begins at a jog and sometimes ramps up to a sprint. "He kinda sounds like Big L," said a fan watching the show next to me. I nodded in agreement.

I jotted down a few notes from the wide spectrum of lyrics that Nosa spit, like the question "who's gonna raise your soul," a tribute to his dead homie The Ultimate Warrior, and rhymes about "Westbury getting scary in 96." Some people might get lost in all of this jumping around, but others (like me) enjoy hearing a musician expose all of his thoughts and secrets. Nosa plays the guitar and the organ with his Screwtape crew before his set finishes, providing yet another excellent adventure of music. - The Houston Press