Choppin’ it up with Greg Nice

WORDS BY KHALID STRICKLAND a.k.a. BLACK PACINO

Greg Nice, who along with Smooth B forms iconic rap duo Nice & Smooth, has plenty of classic verses on his resume. On October 26^th, Greg Nice drops his solo debut album, Popcycle. Released by Once Haven/Industry Rule 4080, Popcycle ventures beyond the boundaries of rap and delves in pure club music. This is not a stretch; Greg Nice soundbites have been the anchor of many popular dance records, beginning with “Start the Commotion” by the Wise Guys in 1998. Renowned club deejays Chew Fu, Aaron LaCrate, Mighty Mi, Say Wut, The Mighty Vic, Todd Terry and Louie “Phatkat” Vega lend energetic production to Popcycle. The album still makes room for traditional rap joints and features cameos from G-Unit’s Tony Yayo, Public Enemy’s Flavor Flav and Mad Lion.

On set of his latest video shot in the Bronx, I had the opportunity to chop it up with Greg Nice about Popcycle, rap’s treatment of its veterans, the future of Nice & Smooth and the passing of GURU.

Black Pacino: So what’s good with your new project?

Greg Nice: I’m here today in The Bronx, it’s a beautiful day. The weather ain’t all that crazy but it’s still beautiful. I love the sunshine, I don’t like the clouds too much but we’re gonna make do with what we got here. I finished recording this album I did… this is the first solo album I’ve ever done. This is an electronic-slash-somewhat of a pop or happier kind of feeling of a record. I’ve never been what you’d say is a typecast artist or you put a title on me. I’ve always worked with different ranges from C&C Music Factory to Lisette Melendez to Tupac to Mary J. Blige to Ill & Al Scratch to Tricky in London to whoever, man. To 3^rd bass, to New Kids on the Block.

I’ve always been doing that kind of thing because when we grew up, music was more or less… you had Duran Duran, you had Human League, you had Melle Mel & The Furious Five, you had Boy George & Culture Club, you had Midnight Starr, Stephanie Mills, just so many. All of these different songs were going on at one time. It wasn’t no thing where you gotta play monkey see, monkey do. It was more… feel free and do what you wanted to do. Especially the Hip-Hop and s**t like that, that’s why I became so big because it was about being open and being free about what you wanted to do… your expression. So you would have a heartfelt record and then at the same you’d have another record that’s a fun record. You’d have a Public Enemy record and then you’d have “La Di Da Di: The Show” out at the same time. So, it was a beautiful time. But now it’s crazy. So that’s why I did my record the way I did it.

Everybody’s asking me, “Greg! It’s not Nice & Smooth!” I’m like, “Yeah, ‘cuz Nice & Smooth is Nice & Smooth and Greg is Greg.” I’ma do what Greg is doing. I love to have a good time and if you love Greg and you love to rock with Greg the way I am, then you’re gonna rock with me with this. This is something fun, I’m not gonna steer you wrong. And if you ever seen me flow, you know I love to have fun. I think a lot of that is missing. I’ve got a chance to work with some artists I’ve always wanted to work with like Todd Terry. Todd comes from the same label I came from, Sleeping Bag Records. If you want to hear some good music, just pick up this album. It’s something good to listen to just to have a good time. There’s no blood, I’m not killin’ nobody. I’m just having fun.

Pacino: Are you going to work with Smooth B again?

Greg: As far as recording, we just came to the conclusion the other day that we’re going to do a single. So I’m getting ready to one with him now and it looks like Premier is going to do the track. I spoke to him this morning. And I see Smooth every other week. I’ma see Smooth tonight, he’s on the airplane as we speak. He’s been living out in LA for the last six years. So we’ll be playing Manhattan Center tomorrow night. We do these shows all the time.

Pacino: This year we lost GURU, who you made history with on the song “DWYCK.” There were a lot of negative stories floating around after his passing so do you have any positive memories to share?

Greg: Yeah, man. I can remember several of them. He was a kindhearted guy, very intelligent. He loved his craft. He did what he did because he loved it; he didn’t do it because he was trying to get on. He didn’t do it because he wanted to have money. He did it because he loved his craft and he loved to originate. For years he’d been saying he wanted to do a song and put one together… eventually we did put one together and you can’t take that away. That s**t is still living even when he’s not on the planet. That song is still right here on this Earth, doin’ what it do.

GURU, man… he was like a guidance counselor/social worker and he would do that every day with the kids, that was his job. From 9 to 5 he was doing that social work with those kids, driving around in a company car. We’d be in a company car making runs for things we needed to do, then at night time we going to the club. We were at the club, he’s expressing his feelings for his music, for his shows. And then in the morning he’s right back at the office doing his social work skills with the children. So he was a good person, he was a very intelligent brother. He busted Morehouse (College) out like it wasn’t nothing. He comes from a great dad and a great mom. He was just amazing, man.

GURU will always be remembered. They’re having a memorial for him in late November at Nokia Theater and we’re donating all the money to GURU’s son. It’s a beautiful thing. We’re gonna have a couple of heads on it: Snoop Dogg and Scarface… Bun B… there’s a lot of people.

Pacino: In my opinion, rap is to the only genre of music that disrespects its veteran artists. Mick Jagger and Madonna can rock on ‘til they’re 100 but in rap there’s a limit. What are your thoughts?

Greg: Yeah, it’s a sad situation because a lot of our leaders are not here anymore. It’s not like when our parents were growing up and we’d fight for our rights and fight the powers that be. It’s a little lenient now and I feel like it’s more because everybody got their own cars, they’re own apartments and houses and “I’m not worried about the guy next to me because he’s not my blood family, so he’s not my family.” In reality he is your family. And it’s sad because when you hear rap guys talking about he don’t want to be thirty-something years old rappin’ and forties and all. I’m like, “Are you insane, man?” You’re supposed to want to do this ‘til you can’t do it anymore… ‘til your lips don’t move no more. I tell ‘em every day at my concerts, in the middle of the set, “I want to do this as long as Mick Jagger. I want to do this as long as Bono from U2. I want to do this like the O-Jays. I want to do this like Frankie Beverly, like The Eagles.” I want to keep on doing it and I’ll continue to do it as long as God gives me the strength.

I think they have it misconstrued; they have the wrong understanding of what it is to be a Hip-Hop artist. To each his own… if you’re in it for money and just trying to milk the game, so be it. But if you don’t love the craft, stop talking about, “I’m this, I’m that.” This craft is about love, man. This broke down so many barriers, so many doors. They told me I would never make it to college. You know I’ve been to college so many times now from doing concerts and doing lectures at the schools about where we come from, about our culture up here in the Bronx, New York City, Harlem, Brooklyn and Queens. The scene we had going on for so many years has taught me to be the person that I am today.

I think a lot of it has to do with… they don’t have no guidance, man. We don’t have people to tell us things. I think the crack epidemic played a big part because it chopped down a lot of respect. A lot of our elders would up getting on that and it made it hard for the youth to respect that. They’re not being raised right. And at the same time, when corporate radio chopped down these mix shows, it tore up a lot of things. A lot of things that we have today came through mix shows and these mix show deejays played what they felt in their bones and in their heart. They didn’t have a 31-record playlist telling you “This is what you’re going to play. We’re going to make you like whatever we want you to like.” No more originality and it’s scarce for somebody to even come out original. But there’s a lot of people who still feel the same way… that want originality… and that’s why I’m doing what I’m doing. I’m going to keep doing it for them and myself. If I don’t love it then I don’t need to be doing it. I’ve got to love it first and that’s what it’s about. No monkey see, monkey do. I originate, they duplicate, I praise the Lord and keep the faith.

Links of interest:

GREG NICE OFFICIAL SITE

GREG NICE TWITTER

GREG NICE FACEBOOK

For more work & stories by Black Pacino visit The Spizzy