Nemzzz and manager Alex Omisesan have broken down the rapper's unique approach to market as he gears up to drop his highly-anticipated new mixtape.
The Music Week cover star, aka Nemiah Simms, releases Rent's Due via label services partner ADA on March 28 – his 21st birthday. Its 14-song tracklist boasts a featured cast including the likes of Central Cee, D-Block Europe and Shallipopi.
Nemzzz trumpeted his collaboration with Cee as "the most highly anticipated feature I’ve ever had” and said he had been particularly paying close attention to his rise.
“Central Cee has been showing love for a long time,” said the Mancunian. “I took quite a lot from him; he’s the first artist we’ve seen in the UK take it that far independently. He actually uses strategic ways of promoting stuff; before that, before TikTok, no one was really using any crazy marketing like that."
Praising Cee's trajectory and wider influence, he added: “I feel like a lot of people can downplay it, but he definitely pivoted the way that music is in the UK, completely. And now everyone’s trying to upkeep their image, trying to look a certain way, trying to make sure they get in the right [places]."
People need to stop trying to think of the craziest ideas – most of the time it is right there in front of you
Nemzzz
Rent's Due lands almost exactly a year after predecessor Do Not Disturb (DND), which peaked at No.17 and has 55,245 sales to date, according to the Official Charts Company.
On the heels of DND’s lead single Money And Vibes (123,615 sales) came 8am In Manny – an impromptu freestyle that sampled Drake’s 8am (34,137) and received the Canadian's personal endorsement.
“I thought, ‘If I just make this track hard, that’s all that matters,’” said Nemzzz, speaking in our April issue. “We put it on Instagram, Drake saw it, co-signed it, messaged me, I asked if everything was okay with the sample and he said, ‘Don’t worry about it.’”
Omisesan pointed out that releasing a freestyle while working the lead single of a campaign highlighted their propensity to deviate from the norm.
“There are so many things that people just don’t question in the music business, like, ‘Why can’t we drop every month?’” said Omisesan. “We came in with the idea that every record can live in its own world.”
It’s all smoke and mirrors. We’re just betting on ourselves
Alex Omisesan
Following his 2021 breakout single Elevate (288,614 sales, OCC), Nemzzz went on to even greater success with 2MS (326,216), which was released via a single deal with Motown UK.
Opting to return to independence on follow-up LSW (40,368) in partnership with Colin Batsa through Virgin Music Group, he went on to partner with ADA in 2023, having turned down seven-figure sums along the way.
“We got told, ‘You’re probably never going to get [a deal for] a million quid,’” recalled Omisesan. “People would give all the reasons why – ‘Clavish has done this,’ or, ‘Strandz has signed for this.’ Then we turned down a million and then it’s like, ‘Oh, you’ve got two million on the table.’ Then people told us we’d never get more than that. I mean, it’s all smoke and mirrors. We’re just betting on ourselves.
“You want to be in a position where your biggest songs are the ones that you own, or at least have enough of a share in that you’re not just trading away your likeness and your talent for fame. The money you get from a deal initially, although it might seem like a lot, isn’t when you do everything that you’re supposed to. The problem is most people don’t know the things they’re supposed to.”
For Nemzzz, there have been no regrets.
“It just depends on what type of artist you really want to be,” he added. “If you want to be that person who looks the part, I’d say go and sign to a major label. They’ll put you on a billboard and do all of that. But if you want to build a sustainable career and have a good fanbase and good catalogue, and no real crazy pressure on your back, then stay independent.
“You just have to prove yourself. I had to gain the respect.”
Though chart hits have thus far eluded him, the 20-year-old is thriving in most other metrics, having amassed close to eight million monthly listeners on Spotify, 1.4m followers on TikTok and just shy of one million followers on Instagram.
“I feel like there are a lot of artists who are charting who aren’t making money,” he argued. “When it comes to the music industry, everyone’s got to get paid. So if you’re just charting and that’s what you have to offer, it doesn’t really make sense.”
In conclusion, Nemzzz suggested his breakthrough is testament to staying true to himself.
“It’s just having a brand, having an identity,” he said. “I’m a bit anti-social, a bit introverted, a bit calm, not too emotional, a bit of flexing here and there, a bit cheeky… I just know who I am and that goes a long way.
"I feel like most artists really want to be famous and really want to be noticed, but they don’t actually know who they are. So when they do get this type of traction, they just kind of lose the sauce quickly, before they even find it.”
The full Nemzzz Music Week cover story appears in our latest edition, out now. Subscribers can read it online here.
