1B. Nico Bryant’s New Album, Unleashes his Jukebox Soulquarianstankadelic” on The World
If you’ve met Nico, you know the man has a tremendous energy. His stage presence is second to none and his musical prowess extends beyond the microphone, onto the kit, and into production room. His new album, In My World, showcases all of that and more. He was our featured performer at The Boom Box on June 6th at Silk City and he killed… as expected.
I caught up with Nico to discuss the new album, his inspirations, the state of Philly music, and more.
KC: There's only a few songs that I've heard from you that feature straight bars. One of which was performed at The BoomBox and everyone loved it. Any plans to incorporate more rapping to your stuff in the future?
NB: Oh absolutely! I feel like hip hop had a huge impact on how I approach music. Around middle school, I got really into OutKast and A Tribe Called Quest and Slum Village. I was just telling one of my homies that on my fourth album, whenever that will be, I’ll probably rap on the first track. Something real bombastic and fly.
What’s your favorite thing about the music scene in the Greater Philly Area?
I love the sense of community among the instrumentalists and vocalists. It’s like if you know one person, you know everyone they know, and I think it’s beautiful that folks are so connected with each other. I also love when folks come together to jam and unify.
Least favorite thing?
I wish there were more opportunities for bigger gigs on bigger stages with bigger pay. I wouldn’t say it’s hard out here for a pimp but lowkey… it’s hard out here for a pimp! Also trying to build a solid fan base can be a challenge, but it ain’t a challenge I can’t handle for real.
AGREED.
In a way, I think that because there are sooo many live shows going on any given night, it oversaturates the live music market. Between the DJ scene, the staple live local venues like Time, World Cafe, Howl at the Moon, and the plethora of shows that are always going at different venues — Silk, Kung Fu Necktie, Dobbs on South, World Cafe, South Jazz, WOW, Black Squirrel, Johnny Brendas, The Fire, etc. etc. etc... the live show scene is impressive and there's competition in every part of the city on just about every night.
And this is Philly not NYC or Nashville or LA, so it's not like week nights are POPPIN like that every night.
We got work in the morning.
Personally I think the solution is some of these larger festivals / long weekends that you see popping up, but I don't know if the artists are making extra in that case -- Philly Music Fest, Beardfest, XPoNential, Smorefest, etc.
But also just making the absolute most of a one-off show or series and make it a can’t miss event.
I can definitely get the oversaturated thing. But yeah, I was on Smorefest in 2023 and I had a blast! I think a festival stage probably is the move, I agree with you. I’d love to get on more festival stages and just have a ball with my band!
Overall music insprirations?
Commissioned, D’Angelo, Usher, Raphael Saadiq, Jodeci, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Luke James, Tone Stith, Parliament-Funkadelic, and so forth and so on. There are so many artists that I’ve been influenced and inspired by, I couldn’t possibly name them all! I’d be here for hours.
Do you have a style-inspo?
Yes and no. I can’t really pinpoint a specific person right now. I see a bunch of different styles on Pinterest that I dig. I dig a lot of streetwear sort of shit. I also dig that sort of preppy vibe. You know, cardigans and shit like that. I dig the 70s and 90s aesthetics. My style is kind of a gumbo of different vibes, sort of how the music is. I definitely wanna expand it all though, and how I come across on stage. Like I know, once I get a super big budget, I’m gonna get a stylist, take some ideas from my mood board, and put my spin on the different styles. But long story short, I just wear what looks cool to me and what I feel the best in.
Any live performance inspirations?
My biggest live performance inspirations are definitely D’Angelo & The Soultronics, which is the band he went on the Voodoo tour with, and Commissioned when they recorded their reunion live album. I tried to pattern my band after the sound of those bands. In terms of my own personal performance style, I’d have to say Usher, New Edition, D’Angelo, and Marvin Gaye have had the biggest impacts on my stage presence. I can go from crooning and standing still to dancing to getting super churchy and running all over the stage like a preacher during a sermon. I’d also have to throw Questlove, The Pocket Queen, Chris Dave, and TreWay in the mix in terms of drumming. I love a good groove and pocket and feel, especially when the pocket got some slop, like that Dilla shit.
What’s the coolest thing you’ve done to get a girl’s number?
Easy. I sang the opening lines of “Come and Talk to Me” by Jodeci. I think I was in the 9th grade or so, and after that, I introduced myself and got the number.
So your best move was in 9th grade? Sounds like you need to get your game up! hahah
Shiiii maybe! But for real, I don’t really do the whole “game” thing no more. I just be myself and speak honestly, and not try to worry bout saying something super smooth. If I try to do that, I end up psyching myself out of starting the interaction, just ‘cause I’m in my head, you dig? So I just state my intentions, ask for a number or social media to stay connected, and if the girl’s down? Cool. If not? It wasn’t meant.
Could you give me a breakdown of the inspirations for the album?
I’ll go song by song:
Body Language — Tony! Toni! Toné!, The Isley Brothers, and D’Angelo.
L.B.D — D’Angelo and Usher.
Last Thing I Wanna Do — Raphael Saadiq, Stevie Wonder, Sly & The Family Stone.
Centro-Fly — Michael Jackson, Commissioned, and Marvin Gaye.
Make Some Magic — Marvin Gaye, The Isley Brothers, Parliament, Janelle Monaé, and Musiq Soulchild.
Special One — Aaries, Cherokee, Shuggie Otis, and Musiq Soulchild.
IDon’tWannaSpeak2U — D’Angelo, Usher, and Slum Village.
Superficial Sookie Sookie — Sly & The Family Stone, Bobby Brown, and Commissioned.
How Many Tears — Raphael Saadiq and Usher.
EXcuse Me (For Lovin’ U) — Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, The Isley Brothers, and The Beach Boys.
Destiny — The Ohio Players, Sly & The Family Stone, and Parliament.
Outro (IN MY WORLD) — Raphael Saadiq and Stevie Wonder.
There's two artists that come to my mind that I don't see here: Andre 3000 & Anderson Paak.
3K has a certain freedom in his songwriting and creativity that I think you will have in your own over time...
AP is also a frontman / drummer with soulful R&B influence, but I think he's leaning more towards pop funk and hip-hop, while you're leaning more towards R&B classics.
Feel any inspiration / connection to either of these two?
Absolutely. I mentioned OutKast being an earlier hip hop inspiration. But yeah, Dré has had a major major impact on me. While I was growing up, Dré had a show called Class of 3000 on Cartoon Network, and I used to watch it all the time. Especially because there was a kid on there that looked just like me and he played drums, so I always said he was me. Also on the Cartoon Network website, they had this game where you could use some loops and make lil beats. I used to do that all the time instead of doing my homework.
But I do agree that 3000 has a freedom in his songwriting, and as you listen through the OutKast discography, you can hear the ideas get more left-of-center and more eclectic, and Dré’s growth as an artist had a lot to do with that. I do hope to get to that level.
With Anderson, I feel a bit of a connection, but mainly because we both sing and play drums. And everytime I tell someone that I play and sing, they be like “oh like Anderson Paak!”.
Then I do my lil impression and say “yes lawd!”.
But in all seriousness, I love what he does and I respect his artistry so much.
Not a question, but the first time Nate brought your name up to me he said you’re Philly's next Musiq Soulchild. I'd agree. Keep grinding, brotha.
Damn that’s pretty big! I appreciate it man. You know, I take all the compliments and comparisons as they come, because it means that people see something great in me. But also, I’m hoping to be the first Nico Bryant, feel me?
I feel ya!
From Spotify:
Based out of Claymont, DE, Nico Bryant is a singer, songwriter, producer (known as 2thousand5), musician and actor. His fusion of R&B, soul, hip hop, and funk, which he calls "Jukebox Soulquarianstankadelic", attempts to push the genre forward while also looking back and paying homage to his predecessors. He is a member and the founder of the group SOULiloquy. Nico's musical roots, like many others, come from the church. At a young age, he started learning how to play multiple instruments, including drums and piano. In middle school, he started singing in the choir and developing his songwriting skills. Throughout his high school career, he was a disk jockey at the school's radio station, the host of the morning announcements, and performed in multiple choral ensembles. Nico is a graduate of the University of The Arts in Philadelphia, PA with a B.S. in MBET (Music Business, Entrepreneurship, and Technology). His mission is to connect people through his music and to inspire listeners, as his inspirations have done for him.
