Nico Woods | ‘Blaxk Dove Freestyle’, Soulful Hip-Hop

Average rappers come a dime a dozen these days. Even though there is a lot of talent to be discovered, there are so many people who talk the talk, but don’t walk the walk. But every once in a while, you hear something truly special. As soon as you feel like the world is filled with nothing but gimmicks and wannabes, a glimmer of hope appears. What about this moment specifically you can’t really put your finger on; you just know that what you’re hearing is impressive and authentic. That’s the vibe I instantly got when I tuned into Nico Woods‘ “Blaxk Dove Freestyle.” The South Bronx, NY rapper and recording artist delivers one of the most extraordinary lyrical displays we’ve heard all year with this catchy, bang-up hip-hop masterpiece.

All the elements of this track are in perfect harmony. The backbone of the beat, produced by AccentBeats, is an incredibly soulful and intricate piano line that sets the mood for the whole record. The melody gets ingrained into your brain from the start, and the acoustic feel is raw and emotional. All the drum sounds feel calculated and fitting, too. Nothing about this record seems forced whatsoever, and every decision exudes thoughtfulness with perfection in mind. Woods compliments this catchy production backdrop nicely with an impressive vocal performance consisting of rhythmic flows, stellar lyrical acumen, and a nonchalant yet aggressively confident attitude. Once he starts rapping, I instantly heard comparisons to some of the greats who came before him. If I had to put my finger on it, I’d say Woods’ style in this record is eerily reminiscent to a blend of “Kiss of Death”-era Jadakiss and early-era mixtape Drake. This is just a comparison though, and it’s obvious that Woods is truly his own artist. Standout lyrics and stanzas were littered throughout his entire soliloquy. Woods raps,

I got plans to set in motion,

so I speak what I feel

and I’m feelin’ just like I’m the illest without poppin’ no pill.

And got a buzz all the same.

Not a smudge on my name.

Got over the shit I had to overcome from where I came.

His command over the English language is head and shoulders above most. He delivers line after line with raw emotion and not just sonic prowess, but wisdom. It’s difficult to even sum up how impressive some of these bars were to me, so I’ll let them speak for themselves:

The unnecessary stresses that had festered in my brain

Had me thinkin’ it was traffic when there’s no one in my lane.

Imagine sitting on your shot when you’re the best one in the game.

And the thought of that shit alone start to fill you with angst and shame.

So you lock yourself up for hours in the gym putting in pain.

Have em’ laugh at your practice habits to not execute the same.

So you execute the lames.

While you elevate your play.

And when they start to act like Russ, you get to treat em’ like you Dame.

It was hard as hell to choose which lines to include in this article, as the entire 2:30-ish track is filled with highlights and quote-worthy bars. After hearing Nico Woods deliver one of the best hip-hop songs of 2020, we had to sit down and get to know a little more about the artist. In Rap Fiesta’s exclusive interview with Woods, we asked him some questions regarding his background, inspirations, and what his next moves are. Born and raised in the South Bronx, Woods has been grinding at this for a minute. He released his first joint ever back in 2012, but he didn’t try to put anything else out until 3-4 years ago. When asked about what inspired this song in particular, Woods responded:

…Life. The song was a declaration for me. I was in a bad space for a while. A few years. I had put the pen down; I was checked out. This was the first thing I wrote coming out of that last year. It was me getting a weight off my chest and shoulders. A cleanse almost…

It’s clear that Nico Woods not only has a lot of talent to display, but his insightful view on the world is knowledgeable and awe-inspiring. Very few rappers are able to execute such a refined skillset of synthesizing a polished musical talent into meaningful perspective in an easily-digestible fashion. Woods is clearly one of those special talents. Rap Fiesta went on to ask Woods a few more questions. He came up with his stage name because his mom called him Nico his entire life, and his actual last name is Woods. He articulated to us his strong belief that “It says something about your music when you rap under your actual name. There’s no mask, you’re almost forced to live by your words.” We couldn’t agree with him more, and it’s evident how deep integrity and authenticity runs within Woods’ blood. As for his next moves, Woods remarked:

I’m currently working on an EP set to release this fall. I have a few more singles and videos lined up to release as well. Trying to grow my catalog and my audience as much as I can this year…

All of us at Rap Fiesta can’t wait for more content from this man. As thoroughly impressive as this track was, we know that nothing but more greatness is in store for this blossoming talent. We hope that he can find a way to get out some more tunes sooner rather than later, but until then we’ll be spinning his entire catalog on repeat. We encourage all of you readers out there to check out the hype for yourselves: we promise you won’t be disappointed!

Stream “Blaxk Dove Freestyle” below:

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