The polarizing presence of Nitty Scott, MC is simply undeniable. The 24-year-old lyrical goddess is fast becoming the voice of Hip Hop’s new era by reaching far beyond the standard scope and culture of Hip Hop alone and expanding her influence into the universally coveted mainstream-urban arena. In essence, being accepted for being real by encouraging others that real is acceptable. Yeah, that would be Nitty.
Nitty nobly imbeds herself in the conscious task of being a substantial voice for young women of the world, with the goal of weighing it all on a global scale. In hopes of assisting others with their own rites of passage, she shares her - at times painful and vulnerable, other times triumphant and awe-inspiring journey - openly and honestly by depicting her message through her music. And the girl can flat out flow, so even with touchy topics such as clinical depression, formal education, and mental health, Nitty doesn’t shy away from embracing the truth. Sexuality, fierce femininity, and multi-ethnicity are all reasoned in Nitty’s rhymes, while seasoned with her Brooklyn-ite brand of bold and beautiful. It’s her process. It’s what she does.
On her debut album, “The Art of Chill”, Nitty taps into her alter-ego “Little Buddha” and delivers an impactful, time-crafted, brilliant body of work with a uniquely organic lyricism over boom-bap beats combining to deliver fem finesse at its best. With earlier projects such as “The Boombox Diaries Vol. 1” and “Cassette Chronicles” in the bag, she is quickly establishing her sound and placing her name on the list of musical matriarch’s and male maestros in the game. Complimentary of her Bae God moniker, the feel good flower child exudes integrity, effortlessly existing as a coherently creative being in the forefront of the music Industry. Currently, Nitty is thriving as an indie artist so that, artistically, she can create and deliver in a space with no boxes or glass ceilings.
Nitty brazenly makes certain the music is reflective of where she dwells. This is her freedom, her life, the chamber she is able to express her inner most thoughts and exterior adventures; a means of gift-wrapping her songwriting – offering her past as our present. The stigmas of society and its mainstream are broken down when Nitty firmly enlightens us all about the power of being true to yourself, exposing everything that comes with being comfortably in-her-skin as a multi-dimensional woman and proud Afro-Latina.
Nitty goes in depth with Pure DOPE at her exclusive cover shoot in Brooklyn’s Blue Room Suite, discussing the course of becoming an emcee, where it all started, sharing cool new projects she has in the works and immediate plans to release a visual album for “The Art of Chill”. Nitty believes that this is where she was meant to be at this point and time - knowing her dedication and hard work will continue to reap the financial fruits and socio-cultural benefits of her poetic labor of love.
Written by Sarah Alston & ToneSwep
Images by: Chuck Pain
Styled by: Lou Lou
Hair & MUA by: Priscilla & Eve Chen for Melange NYC
Location: The Blue Room Suite, Brooklyn, NY
(Sarah Alston: SA) What made you choose to move here to New York?
(Nitty Scott: Nitty) Growing up, I always knew I was going to move to New York. I was in art school in Central Florida and I always talked about it, no one ever took me serious. It sounded like a movie, but I always had this feeling in my heart that this is where I needed to be, to meet the right people and find the right inspirations and my voice. Even after being here for a year, going through the coldest winter ever, broke, no family, hitting real rock-bottom; I didn’t go back home. I didn’t say “this is too hard”. There are maybe two or three people that I can say are still in my life today from that time, from all of the people that I have considered my friends or have dated, they all came and went for their seasons. Ultimately, I feel like now I have found the support system that I need. I am around the right energy. It was about trying to survive without losing my soul and come out of it as a happy, whole person.
(SA) How was it growing up in Brooklyn?
(Nitty) I moved to Brooklyn when I was 17-years-old and started attending The John Jay Secondary School for Journalism. I’ve lived in every part of Brooklyn, Bushwick, Bed-Stuy, Coney Island, Canarsie, even Flatbush. So I am very familiar with all the neighborhoods. Brooklyn really taught me how to be tough. So when I was going through a lot of the couch surfing, holding down different jobs, and going through many different circles of friends, a lot of it went down in Brooklyn. It definitely shaped the Nitty Scott that I am now.
(SA) As a female MC, was it hard to really get recognized?
(Nitty) I think there are definitely obstacles against you no matter who you are. I can easily say that there are things against me because I am a woman, as a minority, as a young person growing up in this generation. There are many ways to look at it, but I think that if you decide to allow those obstacles to exist in your mind, then you create this mental block for all your blessings and the potential to make the impossible possible. Like in society, I believe we are all dealt certain cards and in this industry I have learned that it is not just about being talented, it is also about having the heart to maneuver through the industry, to navigate and to not be discouraged by the foul ways things usually work. When you get stuck thinking of the reality of people seeing you as just a commodity, or people not respecting you, or being caught up in a game of politics, then you probably won’t be around for very long. I am very aware of all the difficulties that come with just being in my skin, but I choose to not wake up every day thinking about how I’m going to fight the world. For me, it is about staying focused and continuing to grow and evolve into the person that I want to be, instead of paying attention to what’s against me. I am here breaking down all of those barriers anyways.
(SA) What prompted you to shift from journalism to music? What pushed that musical realm to come out?
(Nitty) l liked the idea of being at liberty to pretty much say and do what I want. I think that is beautiful. I think that is success, more than money or accolades, more than anything. The fact that I get to speak my mind and that is how I make my living. With journalism, as with any profession, you can’t necessarily be so biased. You can’t really present things the way you see them, but more-so just reporting the facts. I am a very outspoken person, very opinionated, and I am consistently changing my mind about ideas.
(SA) Have you always been like that, so outspoken? Always speaking your mind?
(Nitty) Yea, I definitely have. I exercise my right to change my mind, and I mature every day. I literally might have learned something today that changed my whole outlook on something and I welcome that. So being a full-time artist gave me the freedom to say things the way that I perceive them, to use whatever word choice I want, to paint a picture however I want and that wasn’t something I could really do in journalism without basically being unprofessional. I like having the freedom to be vulgar, or to call something out, and to figure out myself and the world around me in the process. I think that is why I ended up leaning more towards being a writer of songs. I still have a definite passion for journalism, which comes from doing work for the people, that’s the common ground with both of them. I saw myself as being a liaison, of being a vessel, of one who communicates things, all of those traits still follow me.
(SA) Your music expresses your experiences, your pain, so much of what you’ve gone through. So your music really empowers women. Do you see yourself as a voice for today’s woman?
(Nitty) Absolutely, I am a voice for women today. My main thing is about representation. I am never here to shut anyone down or say what has a place in feminism and what doesn’t. I just think that there is a big lack of representation, especially on a mainstream level, a lack of representation of women. There is really only one image that is promoted on a major scale and again, it is not to shade that, but not every woman can relate to the vixen, or the “I’ll take your man! I’m getting money!” type. Or the extreme elite-ism, you know, the “you can’t sit with us” girls. As women, we are already a minority. It is difficult for all the different facets of us to be represented. We are so multi–dimensional. I’m here speaking for the chicks that dig my lifestyle, the weed smokers, the flower children, the round-the-way girls. I’m sisterly. I’m not here to tell you that I am better than you. I think amongst the female wave now a lot of people are not representing that. I have my own unique lane and own unique voice, which is just as needed as all the other contrasting voices that are out here.
(SA) Did it take you a great deal of time to determine who you are?
(Nitty) Yes, it definitely did, and I still can’t say that I am done, or that I have stopped or am ever going stop trying to really articulate my soul through this music, but I have grown into my voice and myself. I think you can hear it. I think you can hear differences in the confidence behind my voice, my flow, my message. It is really cool when you can listen to my catalog from beginning to end and see this young woman come into her own, from being a teenager to a young lady. My views in life have changed. I have been through many ups and downs like anyone else. I apply that to the art and that’s my plan for as long as I am here, to continue to give people that authentic me, even if that me is in a new season. I think that should be embraced.
(SA) Have you ever had to compromise yourself?
(Nitty) After being on the blog circuit for a while, I was kind of instructed by the people around me to tone down my femininity and my sexuality. It was like this weird social experiment because it just forced people to only listen to the music. In the beginning, I really didn’t see anything wrong with that. I thought it was just being strategic and tactical. At some point it turned into something more than that and started to feel like an act, even oppressive. I wanted to find myself outside of the box that was created for me, and I was feeling like I was not allowed to step outside of it, like I can’t throw on this dress, or I can’t wear my hair like this, or I can’t say that. For a while I imposed that on myself as well. It became so much that got buried underneath that I became miserable and eventually decided to just come out in every way.
(SA) When you say come out, you mean…
(Nitty) … Coming out about my own bi-sexuality, about wanting to be more feminine and more in touch with my body; coming out with who I am culturally, as a half Puerto-Rican, half Black, Afro-Latina. It was a real 180 degree awakening for me all around. There are roots and new things spouting, new blossoms that are important to show people. In doing that, I think a lot of young women can relate to this struggle to find yourself amidst all the conflicting messages from the media. There’s much misogyny around you and everyone is on thot patrol. It’s kind of hard to explore yourself and explore your sexuality through that, but somewhere out there a young girl can respect that and find the bravery to do it themselves. I’m doing it in the public eye, but what I am going through is what a lot of women go through. I am still going through that process now. I am just very open about it.
(SA) What do you feel Hip Hop would be if social media didn’t necessarily show off a woman’s body? Would it still be as male dominated?
(Nitty) That is very interesting. I do think that if you were able to take away the smoke and mirrors element, it would definitely strip down where the raw talent is, where the musical skill is, and not the package. But at the same time, it is much bigger than Hip Hop. Sex and spectacle have always been part of entertainment. It’s double sided, because I’m in this place where I feel there is nothing wrong with women embracing their sexuality, and nothing wrong with celebrating women’s beauty. However, too often it is a pass into the field despite a lack of talent or excellence in your craft. I would like to see more women being celebrated for what they bring to the table intellectually and musically more-so than how they look. Things are too superficial in that way, but I also do not feel that women should be stopped from being able to express themselves, or restricted in anyway. It is more about what we entertain as a society and what we choose to put on a pedestal. We have to do better in differentiating between what is actually contributing to music and culture, and what is simply sex being sold. Not to say that sex being sold is bad, but there is just a difference between them.
(SA) How much do you practice your craft?
(Nitty) My daily life is all about music. I would say that there is not one day that goes by that I am not doing something that invests in my career. I may not have the time to sit down and write a record every day, but if I am not in the studio, I might be rehearsing for a performance or doing interviews or doing a photo shoot, answering emails. I am proud as a 24-year-old that’s not all about the turn-up or all the things that distract us. I am very much focused and I am going to see the fruits of that labor in the near future.
(SA) Your music touches listeners on a more spiritually conscious, level which is needed in Hip Hop. Where do see the Hip Hop culture at right now?
(Nitty) I think Hip Hop is in a DOPE place. We are in a place where, because of the internet, Hip Hop artists can exist without having to have a top 40 sound, image or subject matter. As a consumer, your menu is infinite. Whatever kind of vibe or lifestyle you gravitate to, it’s probably being depicted by someone in Hip Hop, and you can find it and support it, which is a little different than some years ago, where if it wasn’t on the radio, or MTV or VH1, you probably won’t hear about it. Now you can have an entire career, an entire movement and exist in your own cool lane. You got the Tech N9ne’s, Mac Miller’s and Curren$y’s of the world. Within Hip Hop, you can be a gay dude, a white girl, a revolutionary hippie, a druggy rock star, futuristic or classic, the life of the party or the sad emo kid; it seems like all walks of life are accepted in our culture right now. Fans also have access to whatever we’re in the mood for, and someone like me who has a very diverse musical palate, can get their fix easily. Sometimes I might want to listen to some ratchet cooking crack in the kitchen song, another time I might want to throw sh!t bumping angry Odd Future verses (Laughs!), while in another moment I might want to listen to J. Cole tell intricate stories. I can get all of those, and I think it’s DOPE that it all exists, that there are many different worlds that you can dive into.
(SA) Do you think having a major record label is needed?
(Nitty) I think it depends on what you want out of this. If you just want to make music and put that music out, have a fan base and be able to tour and travel, you do not need a major record label to do that. All that is the definition of having a music career. Now, the definition of a superstar is completely different. If you want to be a superstar, I think you need a record label. You need to make sure you’re in rotation, doing your talk show appearances when your album’s dropping and sh!t. Labels are still in a position where only they can provide a certain type of support or resources. I also think that even if you want to be signed to a major record label, it is in your best interest to build up what you can, for as long as you can independently.
(SA) As one of today’s DOPEst MC’s, have you processed how great you are as an artist?
(Nitty) Well thank you! Honestly, I haven’t. I was thinking about this the other day, about being someone who is never satisfied or quite done. It makes it so that on the outside, I keep things fresh and keep people on their toes but it is kind-of a gift and curse, where the notion of never feeling like I have reached my greatest potential is what makes me go harder. To me, it’s a good thing that I am not comfortable. That is what is going to make me get up and do what I have to do. I saw a random tweet the other day from a fan, talking about their favorite female emcees. They said Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliot, Rah Digga, Eve and Nitty Scott, and it blew me away. I was like, am I officially apart of the roster? Am I a part of Hip Hop history? I think that it is super cool that you can put a bullet point in the timeline of Hip Hop and say that Nitty Scott happened. Just like people go through their list of the women in the 90’s that made an impact, I am that for this new generation.
(SA) Do you look up to some of the female artists you just named?
(Nitty) Missy and Lauryn are the best. Yea, Lauryn is the G.O.A.T. I don’t think anyone has been able to have that impact since her. And Missy is just the Queen of creativity. She is a perfect example of not having the typical formula for a female in Hip Hop and she blew it out of the water. Her music spoke for itself.
(SA) After you dropped the Monster Freestyle how quickly did everything happen?
(Nitty) Once the Monster Freestyle went viral, the next thing you know, I had fans, emails pouring in for collaborations, and people wanting to book me for shows. I wasn’t ready for it. I remember thinking that I could pick and choose when I am going to be on, because a particular song or video is going to put me on. You think that you are in control of it, but you can easily put out a song that people like, and the next thing you know, it’s making unexpected noise. So, the Monster Freestyle was just me wanting to have content online, because I was planning on dropping records in the future and I wanted there to be things existing online when people heard about Nitty Scott. I didn’t think that the first thing that I uploaded would be the thing that everybody gravitated to. That’s how The Cassette Chronicles happened. I threw together all my freestyles and wrote a few new ones to give people a project, because suddenly they cared. It became real. I had been in New York for about four years struggling, came at 17 with no real support system, so it took years for me to get on my feet and pursue my music. It all came full circle, even though I didn’t get to touch down and do music immediately. I had to go through things first, but it all makes sense. It’s all about my testimony.
(SA) What kept you grounded through your struggles?
(Nitty) I just know that I have a place here and no one is going to take that away from me. It didn’t matter what occurred, no one can shake my belief that I deserve to be here. Then, once I saw the positive impact that I had on other people’s lives, it was like, now I’m REALLY not going anywhere. I have helped people to heal, and put smiles on their faces. I have inspired people to pick up a pen and speak their minds. That is the most gratifying feeling ever; reminds me that even when things aren’t perfect now, what I do matters to someone else very much, which is so motivational.
(SA) What is the greatest piece of advice you received since doing your music?
(Nitty) One comes from Pharoahe Monch. Years ago we were backstage at SXSW in Texas and everyone was having a conversation about wack crowds and how to respond to them. Pharoahe stated that you will get back whatever energy you give them. You have to own that situation and control it. That is your space for people to experience you in your element and you don’t even have to only perform your songs. You can make people feel like they just hung out with you. And you are responsible for how turn’t it gets or doesn’t get. Also, Rah Digga was another one. We were in my hotel room in Norway, and I was telling her about coming off stage earlier and everyone wanting to take pictures and interview me. I recognized that people were excited, waiting, but I was in no position to stop and talk. I expressed to her that I found it difficult to tell people no in the beginning, even if I was about to give them an interview that in the long run wasn’t good for me. She was like: “No, baby girl. You have to get that out of your system now, early”. I have gotten to a point where I know that you have to represent yourself well, all the time. You cannot compromise and allow things that are not good for you or your brand. That standard is something that you set, and you cannot make everyone happy without spreading yourself too thin. Digga was a big part of just giving me the confidence to trust that I know my own limits.
(SA) Is there any new music in the works?
(Nitty) Yes, I am working on a brand new project. It has a very cool concept but I am not telling you now, not yet. And I have some new singles coming while also working on a visual album for the Art of Chill. I am re-launching my merchandise as well, starting with a DOPE collaboration with City Kids Clothing. It’s going to be a line of crop tops, vaporizer pens, crystal jewelry and other cool sh!t, all aligned with The Art Of Chill, Little Budda, and BaeGod. Those are my alter ego’s.
(SA) How do your alter-ego’s help express who you are?
(Nitty) I am always coming up with new cute sh!t to call myself and my fans. You have Little Buddha, who is not completely who I am, but she is who I want to be. Spiritually enlightened, calm, gentle and understanding. That is the ideal version of me. It’s where I was when I wrote the song “Feng Shui”, where stress seems to roll off my back and I am at peace with the world. Then you have BaeGod, who is just fierce. It’s this energy that takes over me when I’m feeling wild and empowered. BaeGod is oozing with sex appeal and isn’t afraid of you. And then you have good ol’ Nitty Scott, who is just your relatable, every day home girl. I’m just a multi-dimensional kind of person. I’m complex. I have these layers and being able to put them into these alter egos is fun, more than anything. I got my Chilluminati mami’s too. We represent that Peace Coast. Everyone talks about the Beast Coast, but we represent all the chill ass flower children growing on the same coast. It’s my own little world, and you’re just in it.
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Buy Nitty‘s Debut Album The Art of Chill