Nicey Most Likely

Aye. That intro was hard af. Check out this cat Nicey Most Likely from out of Orlando, FL. We first came across 23 year old Nicey while covering an event called 15 Minutes of F.A.M.E. by Powerline Afx. The homie sent over his 6-track EP for us to peep, and I was definitely moved – in part by The Sharke’s clean, diverse production, and in part by Nicey’s cadence and confidence on the mic. He reminds me a bit of Blu JD. I think a video for “DSVT” (Track 4) is in order… but that’s neither here nor there. There’s only one feature on there, and that’s a soulful one from Kristen Warren – who also performed at the F.A.M.E. event (Watch the video for “HSTL WSTBRK” here). Tampa Bay emcee Mighty Jai actually told us that her album with JOROK is a must-listen, so look out for the review on that as well. For now, I suggest you give 1st PLC CMPGN a spin and let us know how you feel about it. We dig it. - CLP NATION

Favorites:

“60 HRS”
“DSVT”
“HSTL WSTBRK” feat. Kristen Warren
Nicey Most Likely comes to us from Orlando, FL, most recently graduating from University of Central Florida (my lady’s alma mater) over the summer. Before that ceremony though, the artist hit the internet running this summer with his The Sharke produced 1STPLCCMPGN EP. Giving us six total tracks of grind, hunger, and determination, Nicey puts the rock to the court and takes charge like a point guard throughout the project.


What you’ll hear on 1STPLCCMPGN is the story of your average college kid; there are songs about making it to the top, a song about partying, one about relationships… you get the point. But what separates Nicey from a normal college student is that he makes you visually see what’s happening in the song. On “1 P” the scene gets set in the studio recording the “1st Place Foreva” tag you’ll hear throughout and from there it gets dark and gritty on the production. Nicey is feeling himself on the intro, even claiming what him and Sharke created is “better than the Blueprint”. While that’s not accurate, it shows how hungry and ambitious he is, staking his claim while comparing his work to that of one of the best hip-hop albums of all time. He’s not ashamed or unapologetic about it either, making a solid EP that requires you to play it many times thanks to the quality production and rhymes.
The hard work put into this project is easy to see, as the production takes a form that resembles something like trap music but isn’t necessarily trap music. It sounds more like it borrows elements from that genre of rap but also maintains its own identity. You won’t hear any bars about whippin’ in the bando or stacking bricks; Nicey grinds in a different way and that’s in the booth. His punchlines are hit and miss, something that could use some polishing. While “It’s survival of the fittest/Nicey Darwin” is great on “60 HRS”, “me lose/there’s a better chance of paraplegics running to a fight” falls a flat on “G CHK”. There’s even some soul sampling on here with the Kristen Warren featured “HSTL WSTBRK”, which is the standout song on the entire project. Nicey flows great on here, mentioning social topics such as Mike Brown/Darren Wilson, and the buildup to the chorus is an amazing sequence that has him championing, “I’m all about my hustle” before Warren’s vocals chime in to continue about hustling being everything.
Overall the tone of 1STPLCCMPGN is aggressive and flows well from song to song. Nicey doesn’t get overly lyrical and it’s easy to digest. This will be relatable for you if you have a dream or a hobby that you’re putting your all into while still maintaining a regular job. If you need an extra boost at the gym, I highly recommend it; it helped me through my session the other night. 1STPLCCMPGN is just the start at the take over that Nicey and The Sharke are planning and it’s a great beginning. 1st Place is the goal and these two will obtain that easily in the coming years if they keep making quality music like 1STPLCCMPGN. - JoeHovas

Nicey Most Likely, unwieldy moniker and all, graced this space a while ago when I was under the impression that I was an A&R genius of some sort. I’ve since sorta quit the business of amateur A&R-ing but Nicey has kept recording and 1st Plc Cmpgn is the sweat of his labor to date. Apt characterization since Nicey’s attitude and delivery throughout the project strikes me as exactly how Russell Westbrook would sound if he made the classic and misguided bored-NBA player decision to rap. As an aside, I also happen to think that if Russell Westbrook made music, he’d probably vacillate between counterintuitive Carl Thomas Cry & B and weird ass songs that convince woman to throw their loins at him through sheer effort.
But back to Nicey Most Likely. He’s a Mac Miller aged Floridian with a pre-med degree that’s stylistically indebted to Drake* (or more accurately… well, you know), J.Cole, and Meek Mill. The influence of the latter two MCs is clear from the effort in every bar and I suppose you could call it passion but I have to admit that it’s the kinda thing I used to criticize J. Cole for before that nigga lost his virginity on wax. I suspect Nicey is probably aware of this, given the allusions to Russell Westbrook and disdain for vowels. There’s nothing wrong with a simple, straight-ahead delivery but switching that shit up generally doesn’t hurt. Unless you’re Meek Mill and you pick the worst possible fucking time to start whispering and mumbling on a track.

As for the sonics, they’re generally impressive and ‘contemporary’ sounding synth-based beats from the sole producer of the project, The Sharke. The kinda thing Vinylz or Boi1da excel at. Both parties clearly put a lot of thought into putting this EP together and that’s obvious from the structure and chemistry on display. Outside of an awkward sex jam detour tacked on to an otherwise great song, an outsourced wobbly-voiced hook and an unrelenting desire to deliver his bars with nothing less than full intensity, I’d have to say this is a decent first effort from Nicey. The flaws on this EP are probably just the result of Drake* leading niggas astray.

Nicey’s a decent rapper and he’s much better off sticking to and improving what he’s best at–straight ahead venting about his struggles disguised as rapping. I suspect that he’s the kinda MC that’ll display more depth, variation, and intricacy with more reps. Most importantly, I think he might achieve some shit if he stays away from famous beige-toned rappers. As we learned recently, it takes at least 3 different niggas to write the pablum that passes for the best mainstream rap in 2015. - PassionWeiss

Nicey Most Likely introduces his first single of the year, Debut produced by Skate Bravo.
This powerful, energetic southern banger will having you dabbin’ from the Cam Newton sound bite until the very last horn stab!
Nicey plans to release a new project by the end of the summer, which is untitled as of right now.
Stream Debut and visit at Nicey Most Likely’s official website, FirstPlaceForever.com
Also check out 1ST PLC CMPGN, the first studio release from Nicey Most Likely and is executive producer by The Sharke - Tony Saint-Amour