My City: Nio Tha Gift Beats the Heart of Richmond, CA (Exclusive Interview)

Far outside the trolley cars and golden bridges the nation sees on tv when the Bay Area discussed is Richmond, CA, a city that is both as dangerous and creatively vibrant as any in the country. Enter Nio Tha Gift. In the latest in our My City series, Nio sits down to talk about the universal realities of ghettos everywhere, his drive to live outside any easily placed labels and the double edged sword that is Richmond.

RefinedHype: Richmond can be a notoriously violent and hard city. Is your music a reflection of your environment, or an attempt to rise above it? Both?

Nio Tha Gift: It's both. My objective is to give you both sides of what Poverty has to offer. There are definitely more cons than pros but the hood has the ability to bring the best out of some and the worst out of some. The key to winning in the ghetto is survival and that's not just in the ghetto I'm from but every ghetto. Hustlers always told me growing up that it's better to move smarter than faster.

Since I was a kid my brain was like a sponge I soaked up everything. I became fascinated with wondering why folks in the hood do what they do. What drives them? What makes them so cold hearted? Or how hard is it to make it out in a positive light surrounded by so much negativity? Richmond,CA, became my study. I had to figure out a way to help because the people I cared for at one point either were dead, in jail, or just not trustworthy anymore. So like King Solomon I became a student of Human Nature and the lack of Hope is what is killing OUR people both physically and mentally.

In order to make a listener understand I have to paint a vivid enough picture for you to attempt to see what I see. Most people in poverty especially young black males don't know anything else but their hood. Some will never leave and some will. But I'm wise enough to know that change begins in ourselves. So i make sure that give you the good,the bad,and the ugly. I always say that I prefer an Ugly Truth over a Beautiful Lie. Truth sets us free and Lies enslave and encage us both mentally and physically as well. When you start at the bottom there's nowhere to go but UP. We must RISE and my city will RISE through my voice but what I deliver is as real as it gets.

RefinedHype: The Bay Area's known as a place that's always testing the limits. In what ways are you pushing boundaries?

Nio Tha Gift: I'm bringing something from the BAY that has never been seen before. I defy every odd that has been against artists from the Bay. I won't quite say I'm pushing boundaries because I can only be boxed in if I allow myself to be. I'm HIP HOP, I'm R&B, I'm POP, I'm MUSIC. MUSIC is my lifeline. I'm sure that without it I would've been dead or incarcerated by now. I'm fascinated with figuring out how things work so more importantly what I would like for the world to respect about me is my business savvy. I'm very intelligent and I know how to get things done.

I'm also coming into the game as a young man that has owned his own label since age 18 - I'm 23 now. I'm from Richmond, CA, and this is where Master P got his game from before he went to the south and became a HIP HOP icon. I pride myself in just being a breath of fresh air to the game because consumers can't breathe with all the bubblegum music being shoved down their throats everyday. 75% of the people I know don't even listen to the radio anymore. I'd like to be the one to make them listen again. No matter what genre of music, If I approach it you can expect my very best effort to deliver music in its purest, truest form. From my soul to yours.



RefinedHype: What inspires you about your hometown?

Nio Tha Gift: My dream is to give hope to youth through my lyrics. I love taking on the role model responsibility because the greatest wealth is changing someone else's life for the better. If they see someone from where they're from make it out I'm 1000% sure you will see people put more time into positive things. Bad decisions didn't get my family out the ghetto, Good decisions did. Just the thought of me being the first to break this vicious curse is an inspiration to me.

RefinedHype: If I'm rolling through Richmond, where can I find you.

Nio Tha Gift: Richmond isn't somewhere you'd find people hanging out too often. If you do see people hanging out then that should be a sign to keep it pushin lol. But when I'm in the city I will be on the Southside, that's where I'm from. You can drop my name if you're over there and your g pass is valid! lol

RefinedHype: Last words? Shout outs? Confessions?

Nio Tha Gift: God first,Family second,Money third, everything else is just everything else. Be wise, Be safe, Be Blessed. SNF (Succeed Never Fail) Entertainment. It's not a label it's a lifestyle. I wanna shout out my homie Amir and you good folks at RefinedHype. DJ Booth thank you for the support, it's much needed and appreciated. 100.

For all the latest on Nio Tha Gift, follow him on Twitter (@NIOTHAGIFT).