CHICAGO’S AWARD WINNING QUEEN OF AFRO-PUNK NIKKI LYNETTE TO RELEASE EP THE STRONG SURVIVE TO PRECEDE UPCOMING LP THE POPULARITY CONTEST
Dubbed by Lupe Fiasco as the “Queen of Englewood” hip hop afro-punk star Nikki Lynette will release her latest EP The Strong Survive next month with songs like “Model in the Mirror” “The Strong Survive” and “Whatever I Want” already licensed to MTV and creating the soundtrack to top rated shows “The City” and “Jersey Shore” as the Southwest Chicago native who recently racked up accolades at the Chicago Indie Music Awards 2010 begins to set the precedent for her debut studio album The Popularity Contest f/ production from Da Internz and film score composer Ethan Stoller
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Listen to Lead Singles “Chicago Sunrise” & “The Strong Survive”
(August 30, 2010 – Los Angeles, California) – When the zeitgeist of the day is hustle over talent, it’s increasingly rare to find an artist with the ingenuity to seamlessly intersect these seemingly uncorrelated criteria. But with a salacious flick of her tongue and a flip of her middle finger, Nikki Lynette steps out of her spacecraft fresh from a planet called Chicago. Envision a rapper/ singer/ producer/ songwriter/ on-air personality/ multi-media visual artist sporting fishnet stockings, a black leather corset, heels, and a flowing mane of dreads with a pink teddy bear in tow. Truth be told, you’d be hard pressed to find another artist who can flip so fluidly between spitfire flows and melodic vocals flaunting a sass & brash mash up of electro, hip-hop, rock, and pop. Male or female.
The Strong Survive EP finds Nikki flexing her production skills over seven tracks of artistic autonomy. Songs like “Love U Crazy” offer a soft pop-rock ditty with a sly twist while the poetic “Chicago Sunrise” is a stunning vocalese tribute to her hometown. “Chicago has a prominent place in American musical history,” she muses. “But Chicago is also a city that is very much divided. The South Side, West Side, North Side, and Chicago Suburbs all have their own individual struggles, identities, and aesthetics.”
The upcoming EP (September 2010) serves as a primer for her debut full-length album, The Popularity Contest, which features production from Da Internz (Justin Beiber, Robin Thicke), Brian Prokopow (I Fight Dragons), film score composer Ethan Stoller (V for Vendetta, Sherlock Holmes.) With the success of the past 8 months in Nikki’s palm, it’s easy to see why The Popularity Contest may be one of the most talked about albums of the coming year.
After years of incessant grinding, Nikki subsequently secured a licensing deal with MTV Networks. Before the ink was dry on her contract, songs like “Model In The Mirror (Fashion)” and “Whatever I Want” both landed on the second season of MTV’s spin-off reality series The City while the title track and lead single from her upcoming EP The Strong Survive was featured on the second season premiere episode of MTV’s hit reality show Jersey Shore.
Nikki took home the 2010 Chicago Independent Music Awards for “Best Alternative/Hip Hop Artist” and “Performer of The Year” as well as receiving nationwide recognition winning 2nd place in Ourstage/New Music Seminar’s competition “Artist on the Verge.” As the only solo artist, black artist, or female artist to make it to the finals, Nikki definitely stood out to the judges. “I was competing against all male rock bands,” she recalls, “and I still managed to come in 2nd. Black girls know how to rock too!”
Losing no ground, Nikki released the formidable Roses N’ Guns: The Totally Bad Ass Mixtape That Rocks in early 2010. Roses N’ Guns hit the internet with the force of a sonic boom, racking up in excess of 6,000 downloads. A scrumptious smorgasbord of her dynamic musical prowess, featuring drops from Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, guest appearances by Mickey Factz, GLC, Naledge of Kids In the Hall, and Atlantic Records’ newly signed rock/power pop group I Fight Dragons. With songs including the searing sociopolitical commentary (“Civil War,” “72 Virgins”), epic ego tripin’ (“So Bad Ass,” “Best In The World”), and purple reinterpretations (“Darling Nikki”) she received a mounting buzz on sites such as XXL.com, Vibe.com, ThisIs50.com, OkayPlayer.com, 2dopeboyz and AfroPunk.com. Additionally her weekly video segment on Chicago’s entertainment news show, RAW TV, helped garner the program a Chicago Music Award for “Best Video Show” during it’s first season.
Her impeccable dossier includes voice over and jingle work (McDonalds, Nationwide Insurance, Secret Deodorant) as well as song placements (Marlboro, DeVry) in nationally syndicated commercial campaigns. Her prolific output also includes a string of EPs –including her 2006 debut The Hard Candy Mixtape: Volume 1, hosted by local comrade Lupe Fiasco who officially dubbed Nikki the “Queen of Englewood,” bestowing her with a title appropriately fitting for her musical reign over Southwest Chicago. In 2008, Nikki stormed the stage at New York City’s long-running CMJ festival. The following year, she found herself opening up for Lupe Fiasco, The Game, KRS-One, Trina and Gym Class Heroes as well as performing at the annual SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. But 2010 would prove to be a landmark year for her budding career. When it comes to her upcoming album instead of divulging specifics about her highly anticipated project, she simply restates her tried and true mantra: “My record is gonna be bad ass!” But I don’t want to talk about the new album too much, because if I decide to trash the whole project and just release an entire album of me covering songs by Vanity 6, I wouldn’t want anybody to be surprised.”
From September 3-September 24 Nikki Lynette will be taking a road trip with vlogger and on-air personality/comedian Nathan Fisher for Meet & Greets in cities like New York, Philly, Atlanta, Washington DC, New Orleans and Dallas to name a few. It will allow fans an opportunity to get in on the action and keep up with Nikki & Nathan’s progress. For info on tour and a complete list of cities/dates CLICK HERE.
About Nikki Lynette:
Nikki first discovered her muse as a child writing lullabies for her younger brother during their short stint in a battered women’s shelter. Though she’s had her share of tribulations (evidenced on the autobiographical “Take This Pill”), Nikki found a way to transform her experiences into razor sharp lyrical imagery coupled with a brazen, unparalleled fashion aesthetic. This nexus, coupled with her viral videos and adrenaline-charged anthems, evolved into the perfect storm of fans and supporters dubbed Team Bad Ass. It is this same profound sense of individuality that has been the cornerstone of Nikki’s existence, earning her accolades across the industry.
Nikki’s musical inspirations run the gamut of modern hitmakers Outkast, Cee-Lo Green, Lauryn Hill and The Roots to Grace Jones, Tina Turner, Chaka Khan, Prince, Cyndi Lauper, Portishead, Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, Queen, Lenny Kravitz, The Roots, Mick Jagger and Jamiroqui who Nikki says “forced me to stop seeing music as “black” or “white.” She cites Anita Baker, Teena Marie, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Sade, Lena Horne, Dinah Washington, and Ella Fitzgerald as muses for their ability to make timeless music that can’t be duplicated and Al Green, Marvin Gaye, and Bill Withers for their narratives. However her iPod spans even further into the likes of The Mama’s and The Papa’s, Minnie Ripperton and Rotary Connection, Fela Kuti, The Beach Boys and Pink Floyd for what she calls “their vocal harmonies and soundscapes.”
“Nikki Lynette is the Queen of Englewood. She’s super dope!” Lupe Fiasco
“I really like what she’s doing, its different. I look forward to hearing more from her.” Rodney Jerkins, Producer
“Nikki Lynette definitely has a crazy style. It works for her. The more I hear, the more impressed I become.” Dwele
“Nikki Lynette has to be a time traveler. It is the only way that this Chicago representative could make such a an authentic 70’s-esque sonic adventure like Beneath My City. Taking all the woes and triumphs of her native city, Nikki truly raps and sing her heart out as if she has the weight of the world (or at least Chicago) on her shoulders. Nikki is lyrically progressive, sprinkling intelligent tidbits upon the listeners while holding their attention with an interesting flow.” Vibe.com
“Nikki Lynette is a talented rhyme architect with tremendous verbal dexterity. At her best moments, her ability to rhyme multiple syllables rivals that of Tupac or Eminem and her ability to spit words quickly almost brings Twista to mind. And genre simply isn’t a reality for her.” Antimusic.com
“Nikki’s swag is on a hundred thousand trillion.” Ruby Hornet
“Chicago’s Nikki Lynette is on the very brink of superstardom, and for good reason – she’s megatalented as an MC, songwriter and producer. Her first mixtape, “Roses N’ Guns: The Totally Bad-Ass Mixtape That Rocks” just dropped, and it’s a sweet introduction to somebody who’s name is going to be in your mouth in the 2K11.” Heavy.com
“I love what she’s doing, I thought her music was great. And she has really cool hair.” Justin Tranter/Semi Precious Weapons (Lady Gaga Tour)
“Roses N’ Guns: The Totally Bad Ass Mixtape That Rocks, a street album which finds the Chi-town emcee/singer/producer combining hip-hop, R&B, rock and pop influences to craft a genre-bending sound all her own.” Ballerstatus
“Nikki Lynette drops another fresh, creative track as she once again adds a rock feel to her raps and singing. It is the latter skill that is illustrated on a hook that reminds me of a motivational Mary J. Blige chorus. Production-wise the guitar really adds an addicting melody and to the feel-good vibe of “Beneath My City” – a record that I can see doin’ some big things for her.” GoWhereHipHop
“Even for a city accustomed to creative outsiders like Chicago Nikki Lynette is something new.” RefinedHype