Tarae Nikol

“Street but sweet”, is the phrase the late singer Aaliyah used to describe herself. At first glance, Tarae Nikol appears to be shy, but this petite, powerhouse, and budding artist can hold her own when it comes to battling her male counterparts. The versatility of Tarae Nikols’ musical style and delivery can be attributed to the heavy influences of artists such as MC Lyte, Eve, Alicia Keys and Stevie Wonder.

Tarae was born in Columbus, Ohio on October 14, 1988. At birth her mother knew she was special. Her musical talent was spotted at the young age of 5 where she started singing in the choir at church. As a 7 year old, her creativity and imagination moved her to write poetry. Eventually the poetry turned into lyrics that were shared with close friends. With the urging and support of her friends, she started performing at school and at 14 years old she found herself in the studio recording her first song. As her music circulated among the hip hop community, she began to build steam. She moved to the competitive open mic arena, where she went by the name DeVinest, and dominated the scene. Her notoriety on the open mic brought concert bookings and performances at a variety of events in the city. By the time she was 16 years old, she had performed at over 100 city and state-wide events.

In 2005, Tarae Nikol gained the attention of the Local radio station, were she became the youngest intern requested by Radio One WCKX Power 107.5 Promotions Manager, Paul Strong. Tarae Nikol participated on the “Rap on Air Show”, and “The DJ Battle Show.” She also wrote an introduction for the Paul Strong and the Power Morning Crew Show. Tarae Nikol was afforded the opportunity to perform for her idol and the legendary Hip Hop pioneer, MC Lyte at the Annual Superstars of Hip Hop concert. When Mc Lyte heard her perform, she was amazed by her delivery “…that big voice came out of that little body?” said Mc Lyte. This talented performer describes her sound as rugged but sweet. Her topics deal with real life experiences and her lyrics range from being youthful to maturing and embracing ones sexiness.

Now at the age of 19, this young rapper is ready to bring a new and fresh aromatic scent into the heavily male dominated rap game. Determined to carve her own niche, Tarae Nikol hopes to be an inspiration to others as she blazes the path for other female artists.