If modern science could somehow allow for the genetic crossing of Adrien Brody’s and Vincent Gallo’s striking good looks along with Jay-Z’s and Asher Roth’s musical styles, we would only get a tiny cross-section of the artist that is NSR. Better known as Noah Souder-Russo among friends and family, NSR can be added to the long list of great New York talents to come from the most unlikely places. Citing the NYC public school system as a staple in his upbringing, the Upper West Side as his stomping ground, and the world as his oyster, NSR weaves tales of heartache, mistaken identities, and a whole lot of smirk-inducing commentary into his rhymes. But there is more to NSR than his 6’2” frame and his rapping abilities. With an ear for excellent beats, a solid philosophy on style, and personality for days, NSR is quite the character, one we at Retail DJ are glad to have had the opportunity to sit down and chat with one Saturday afternoon. So come with us to the dimly lit, blackbird wallpapered basement of Lower East Side’s Gallery Bar to find out what’s good with NSR:
Retail DJ: I want to start by asking about the name. Typically, I start the interviews asking questions like “where are you from?” “Tell me a little bit about your background,” etc. But I remember when Alex, a mutual friend of ours, introduced me to your music, I thought, “Ok, N-S-R. . . Is his name Nasir? Where is this coming from?” So, why did you pick your initial as your tag name? How did that happen?
NSR: I had many names growing up as an MC. I started seriously rapping and recording music in high school, and I went under the alias Optics.
Retail DJ: Why Optics?
NSR: At the time, I was really into the New York City underground hip hop scene and there started to be a backlash in the late 90s as far as mainstream records are concerned. I called myself Optics because I wanted people to open their eyes up. This is really “fake profound.” So I called myself this because I wanted people to “see past the surface . . . to see the truth.” I was trying to get deep as a high schooler.
Retail DJ: How old were you at the time?
NSR: I was 16 or 17. Philosophy classes hadn’t started yet, so . . . [laughs]. So I called myself Optics, and the first records I put out were under that name. In college, I kept the name. I did radio, and had a couple of other aliases for whatever reason. . . just because, I guess, I was bored and wanted to call myself different names. I continued on and had that name basically up until I finished college. Even after college, people still called me that. I went through a little phase where I kind of just started thinking about the name and I had matured a little bit. At that point, it was this really underground, nerdy hip hop name like “Extra-Super-Curricular-Mathematic Rap Kid,” something like that. There are all these really corny rap names, so I was like, “Really, what is Optics?” I didn’t really like it anymore. I didn’t think it was a true representation of me. And, ultimately, as cliché as it may sound, I kinda just wanted to “keep it real.”
Retail DJ: What do you mean by that?
Well, at that point, my music was changing, and it was less of an attempt to rhyme every single word with every single word or to have the craziest punch lines, and more about me talking about not wanting to get a job, and wanting to pursue passions instead. It was about wanting to travel and politics, f*cked up things in the world, relationships, etc. It was more me putting my personal experiences and thoughts on a record as opposed to just rapping some crazy sh*t.
That being said, I was working at Nike, doing PR for them, which was my “big corpo’ job” that I took after college. I would always sign my emails “NSR.” Just like: “Hey Bob, I’ll have the TPS by Monday. – NSR” So then, around the office, people started calling me “N-S-R.”
And then, about a year and a half to two years ago, it came time for me to really [do something]. I wanted to put out new music. I wanted to get back into making music because I took a little absence from it. And it was a question of like, ok, I don’t want to go by Optics. I was going to go by “Noah S-R”
Retail DJ: That’s too much for the mouth.
NSR: It’s too much! [laughs] I just threw around names with my friends and one day, I was like “NSR. Cool. That works.” And still, to this day, sometimes I question it because people have introduced me at shows as, like, “Nessir” before. Like, “Yo, coming to that stage is NESSIR!” and I was like, “What?” So now it’s just “NSR.”
Retail DJ: Do you think about ever stylizing it with periods or other things? Why just all caps? Was this thinking part of the process, for example, for branding purposes?
NSR: No, I definitely didn’t think that far into it. I know there is another rapper out there with the initials B.O.B. I think he just changed his name, but he stylized it with periods. I don’t know. I signed it as “NSR” in emails and just went with that. I didn’t really think about it. Maybe I should get a name change? [laughs]
Retail: No, it’s good. [laughs] It’s nice and simple and easy to remember. Going back a little bit, because you mentioned that music is something you’ve been into for a very long time and that in high school you really started on a professional level. Could you tell us a little bit about how that all started? Why rap/hip hop? How does this music connect with your origins?
NSR: Sure. Like I’m sure a lot of people, I grew up influenced by and listening to a lot of different types of music. My parents were really into Motown, Bonnie Raitt. . .
Retail DJ: Bonnie Raitt?!?!
NSR: Yeah! Yo, my mom was heavy into Bonnie Raitt! I know it’s a jump from Motown to Bonnie Raitt, but . . . the Beatles . . . I grew up listening to a lot of different stuff. So I was known as a kid to always walk around with this little Live Verse Sony jump-off and listen to, like, Raffi tapes, and I would fall asleep listening to them. I remember as a kid doing my own radio shows up in my bunk bed in my room with my sister below. And that all led to a love of music and my wanting to do something involving it. I first started playing an instrument when I wanted to buy Beck’s Mellow Gold. It’s parental advisory, and my mom was like, “We’re not going to get you this. BUT if you play an instrument, we’ll get it for you.” What kind of a trade off is that? But I was like, “Word. Definitely!” so I chose guitar and went from there. Then I started drums. And I remember in junior high school, I was really into punk and ska and alternative, like the Seattle rock scene. And once in high school, a lot of kids I chilled with were listening to hip hop . . .
Click below to continue reading “What’s Good? NSR (Part One):
(more…)
February is a month of many events: President’s Day, Black History Month, Leap Year, Groundhog Day, Chinese New Year, sometimes Carnaval/Mardi Gras, and many more. But what I think of most when I think of February is Valentine’s Day. It’s a time of love, fake sentiments as expressed in hues of pink and red, sincerity, disappointment, expectations, and emotional bankruptcy. It’s a busy month for the brain, but especially for the heart. In respecting our country’s tradition of reminding us to honor the ones we love and to be jealous when the vase of flowers doesn’t end up on our desks, I thought I’d follow suit with a more realistic take on Valentine’s Day. This month’s Retail DJ Tracklist is a Tale of Two Hearts–one filled, one broken–both danceable. This active list* will be available until the end of February only. Enjoy it while you will can (much like fleeting love . . . ):
