RISE OF THE SILVERBACK | Gorilla Nems
Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York | Gorilla Nems
INTERVIEW Terrell “ReaLife” Black PHOTOGRAPH @newvegasfilms
The Coney Island Mayor talks “Rise of the Silverback” album with Scram Jones and Goliath Records.
The saying goes, “hustle beats talent when talent doesn’t hustle,” but when talent hustles you can’t lose! It might not happen today, it might not be tomorrow but eventually... and for Gorilla Nems consistency is key. The Mayor of Coney Island has rewritten the blueprint for indie artists trying to navigate their way through today’s music industry climate as entrepreneurs. He had social media going crazy when his catch phrase “Bing Bong” went viral. After years of putting in work things finally took off - From his Topps Card, to acting, to his FYL clothing being placed in dozens of Zumiez store locations, to being featured on Nick Cannon's “Wildin Out”, to landing his “Outside with Gorilla Nems” podcast on the Revolt Podcast Network, to recently inking a deal with Paul Rosenberg, to his recent album with Scram Jones “Rise of the Silverback”. Nems has had one hell of a run as of recent. Validated recently sat down with the Brooklyn native to discuss all of these things and more.
Validated: First and foremost, I run a business. I know it takes a lot of work, the things that you’ve accomplished. I’m just looking at this year alone. Damn. Congrats.
Gorilla Nems: Thank you, bro.
Validated: So, I know that you recently dropped the “Rise of the Silverback” album with Scram Jones, but how did that collaboration come together?
Gorilla Nems: Me and Scram, I’ve known Scram for a long time from when I was first doing open mics. He was the DJ at the open mics. And through the years, he rose up, got his name out there. I rose up, and then he just hit me one day like, “Yo, let’s work.” I went to his crib and we did one joint, and then we just kept going through the whole pandemic and it just took shape. Then we went and played the album for Paul Rosenberg and we got the situation.
Validated: As far as the deal you just signed, we all know he’s attached to Eminem. And I know that’s also one of the features that you want to do, but for you as an artist, as an indie artist, how big of a push is that for you from the artist standpoint?
Gorilla Nems: I mean, at this point in my career, I wasn’t really trying to sign a deal unless it made sense and literally made cents. And Paul came along, and he asked flat out like, “Yo, what do you want?” And I and Scram, sat, we spoke about it, and then we came back to him with a number and we told him, this is what we expect. This is what we’re trying to do with the project. And he was very nonchalant, very simply, like, “I can make that happen.” He’s like, “Give me two months.”
And it winded up taking like eight months, nine months. But he’s a man of his word, which I respect more than anything else, is that I respect people that are men of their word because I try to do the same thing. If I say it, I’m about that, you know what I’m saying? And a lot of people aren’t. So, when you come across somebody that’s a man of their word, is very respectable and honorable, and I appreciate that.
Validated: I definitely get that. So, back to the album, my favorite two joints… my favorite two joints off the album are “Keep On” and “Gorilla on Your Back”. But which songs are the fans gravitating towards?
Gorilla Nems: Definitely, “Keep On”. “Keep On” is definitely that one and “Blicky”, I’ve been getting the best response for “Blicky”. “Gorilla on Your Back” is funny because originally, I wanted to not set the album off with it because “Gorilla on Your Back” is like one of the last songs on the album. There are 14 songs on the album, “Gorilla on Your Back” is like, number 13.
But originally, I wanted to make that song number 3, like, after the intro and the first song, but I felt like it would be too heavy for the listener as soon as the album came on. So, I put it more towards the back. I’m very strategic when it comes to order and how shit should sound. I listen to my albums. By the time the public gets it, I’m already sick of that shit.
Like, I sit with my album and I play that shit on a daily basis. Like, as soon as I get in my car, I play the album. But to get back to your question, “Blicky” and “Keep On” have been the ones that I’ve been getting the most with. My personal favorites, I kind of like the Peedi Crakk joint, “Dirt”. And I like the joint called “Hold That”. I just like the way the beat is, man. That beat, as soon as I heard it, Scram said he was holding it for Juelz Santana. I was like, “Yo, give me that shit, man, fuck that”.
Validated: I know you do shit for the bag, but was there any expectations for the album going into it?
Gorilla Nems: Nah, I had no idea that it would lead to getting a major label deal. Like I said, when we started, it just started off like, “Yo, let’s do a song.” And I went to New Rochelle. That’s where Scram’s studio, was at. We hit it off like we didn’t miss a step. We had never lost touch, but it’s just like we weren’t on some everyday shit. And then we just got right back into the swing of things. Like back in the days when I was doing open mics and he was the DJ and neither one of us had a name. And it was right back to that same type of feeling.
We just treated it like that for the love. It was just the love of the music. We had no idea what we were going to do with it. We were like, let’s just get it done and when it finishes, we’ll figure it out. And then the pandemic hit and it was like, damn, we ain’t going to be able to tour. Music is being consumed weird. Now everybody’s home. It’s not like the same. So, we just was like, “Yo, let’s wait this shit out.” Which actually benefited it, because we didn’t rush. We just would take our time.
And Scram is in New Rochelle, to get there with traffic takes a long time. But during the pandemic, I was getting there mad fast. I loved it, because everywhere was empty. I was getting there mad fast. So, the pandemic helped that shit always possible, so we didn’t have any expectations.
Validated: So, the album features Hip Hop notables like Fat Joe, Peedi Crakk, as you mentioned, Sheek Louch, Ghostface Killah, Gunplay, and Tish Hyman. But when you were making the album, how did you go about choosing your features?
Gorilla Nems: Well, I already knew that… See, when we started the “Bing Bong” shit, and “Don’t Ever Disrespect Me”, it wasn’t a thing yet. And Scram, I was like, “Yo, I’m going to use Scram’s connects to get all the features that I want”, because I knew Scram was super plugged in. But then throughout the album, then the “Bing Bong” shit happened and then “Don’t Ever Disrespect Me”. And then it was just like everywhere I was going, the artists that I always wanted to work with was saying, yo, “I want to work with you.” Because now it just brought a whole new spotlight.
So, everything was kind of organic. Like the Ghostface shit, I was on “36 Seasons”, he had an album, “36 Seasons”, I’m on that shit. So, I was like, “Yo, Ghost owes me a verse.” And then we cast in on that. Peedi Crakk, we just were speaking through Instagram and I was like, “I be in Philly all the time. Let’s go in the studio.” We went and it just so happened. I was like, “Pick whatever beat you want.” One was a Scram beat, the other one was a Vinny Idol beat and some other producers. He picked the Scram beat and I was just like, “Yo, that’s perfect.” Now I could throw this shit on the album. So, that happened organically.
Fat Joe, Scram had a beat with Fat Joe already on it. I really didn’t want to do that. I’d rather get in the studio with Joe and do it. And then Fat Joe came through, like, literally when the album was handed in already, and we had to wait. But he came through quick. Everything happened organically, though, and then the only one that really went through Scram was Sheek Louch, because I was like, “Yo, I can’t have an album called Silverback without the OG Silverback.” You know what I’m saying?
Validated: No, that was dope. So, you actually have your own official Topps Trading Cards. Growing up as a kid I collected those.
Gorilla Nems: Me too.
Validated: To actually see a Hip Hop artist on one, how big is that for you? I know that’s got to be, like, a dream come true.
Gorilla Nems: Abso-fucking-lutely, man. When they came to my management and my team about that, I was like… I hope they don’t see this, but I would have did that shit for free. They gave me a bag for that, a nice bag. And it was definitely a dream come true. I got to go up to Topps one day for, like, 3 or 4 hours and just signed all the cards. But that shit was legendary.
And to be a rapper with his own fucking Topps card is, like, insane. It’s literally a dream come true. When they came to me with that, I was like, “Really?” That was one of those moments where you really sat back, was like, damn, I really made it. I’m always treating myself like nobody knows me, so I could keep staying on the ground. But that’s one of the moments where you actually sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Like, “Yo, I’m really here.”
Validated: When you started, you did battle rap and all that. Your goal was to become a successful artist. Did you ever think that you would be doing so many different things as far as your podcast, your clothing, etc or you had these plans already?
Gorilla Nems: Yeah, not those individual things. Because when I was battle rapping, podcast didn’t even fucking exist. But I did know that I wanted to be a household name, and I’m still not there. But I knew that I wanted to do everything possible, every avenue possible. I wanted to do movies, I want to do music. I want to do every avenue that’s out there. And with the clothing, I always had t shirts that said “Fuck Your Lyfe”.
Even when I was doing Fight Club and all of that, it just wasn’t to the level it’s on now. So, yeah, I didn’t have the specific vision of exactly what I’m going to be doing, but I did know that when I got here, it ain’t going to be just rap.
Validated: And I can tell that because you move strategically and it’s like, I can definitely tell that you got a game plan.
Gorilla Nems: Once I put my mind to it, it’s going to get done. I was telling somebody that a little earlier, I was like, once I put my mind to something and I make the decision that this is what I’m going to do, I go full-fledged at it. And I don’t take no for an answer.
Validated: And to keep it a buck, it’s motivational because you see somebody that it may have taken you a while, but it’s like now you got that backing, you got the team, and everything is opportunity, opportunity. It’s like you got to be ready. What do they say? You got to stay ready so you don’t have to get ready. Because it’s going to pop and when the opportunity comes, you got to be ready to run with it.
Gorilla Nems: Absolutely. And I can’t stress enough the importance of a team because I was doing it by myself for a minute, but it didn’t really start hitting and gelling until you form a strong team around you, because it’s almost impossible to do it at a real big level, to do it by yourself. You need to focus on building a team. And it’s hard because everybody wants to be a star. So, you got to find people that are okay not being the star and pushing your dreams, but also they get paid as well.
But you just got to focus on fucking with people that truly believe in you, just like you do. Because if you don’t have that, it ain’t going to work.
Validated: Fact. So, you were casted in Masta Ace’s play “The Falling Season”. What was that experience like?
Gorilla Nems: That was like next level, bro. That’s one of those things. I didn’t even know I had that shit in me because it sounded cool. Everything sounded good when Ace was pitching it to me. But when they actually came to it and they was like, these next two weeks is rehearsals every single day, 9 in the morning to fucking 5 PM for two weeks in a row. And it was the two weeks when fucking Memorial Day was one of the days. I’m like, damn, we don’t even get out for Memorial Day? What the fuck?
But the first three to four days, I was like, I’m doing this shit tomorrow and then I’m quitting. I’m not doing this shit no more. But as it went along, it just was like something that I never experienced. And it was so dope working with real talented Broadway actors, just seeing how they prepared for shit. I’ve been in movies here and there, but I always played kind of a character similar to myself and it wasn’t big roles. This shit I was the leading role’s best friend, and I had a big part in there. It was just very different, very dope, a dope experience. And hopefully that shit gets picked up. They’re still in talks, getting investors and bringing it to London and Broadway. So, it’s still a very real possibility that it’s still going to happen. The two-week thing was just like they were getting investors and showing the proof of concept and shit. But we did the show a couple of times, so it was pretty dope.
Validated: So, you’re actually in the second season of “Outside with Gorilla Nems”. That’s what we do in the hood, we on a block cracking jokes. We have discussions, we politic, whatever. But how did you come up with the idea to lets film it?
Gorilla Nems: When the “Bing Bong” shit happened, people started wanting to be in Cedar Block, where all of that shit was viral and all of that. So, I think DJ Mugs came and chilled the whole day with me on the block and the Soul Assassins team.
I’m a fan of Cypress Hill and Mugs, and I just was getting to ask him shit that I always wondered about listening to his music. And I was like, this is so dope. Then Xzibit came and he was like, “Yo, I want to come by the block.” And we did the same thing. And I got to ask him, like, all this. I was like, “Yo, this shit would be a fire podcast.”
Like, just not asking no hard-hitting questions, being on the block with these dope ass individuals, and we just turned it into… Revolt came to me like, “We want you to do a podcast.” It came with a nice bag, and that’s all it took. We made it happen.
Validated: I know your clothing line was picked up by Zoomies. That’s got to be huge. Like, I know you were doing it online. I know you got your store, but with Zoomies getting in the picture, I’m assuming that expanded your footprint.
Gorilla Nems: Absolutely. Zoomies is a nationwide chain and probably in malls all across America. And that’s a big part of what I said before about having a team, because that’s somebody from my team, my man, Vanguard, politic that and met with these people and then brought it to the table, and it became a reality, and it just was another situation. Like, wow, this is crazy. This is like, really hard work paying off and not taking no for an answer and just believing.
Because there was a million times people said Fuck Your Lyfe would never be a successful brand. People don’t want to buy t shirts that say, “Fuck Your Lyfe”. You ain’t going to be on the radio screaming “Fuck Your Lyfe”. That just is a testament, don’t take nobody’s advice, man. People put their own fears onto you. Fuck that, fuck them, and fuck their life.
Validated: When do you think things changed from you chasing the bag to the bag chasing you?
Gorilla Nems: Definitely once the viralness happened, but then also once I formed my team, man. I got two different managers. They’re constantly finding bags or creating opportunities and reaching a bunch of people where I wouldn’t normally reach out to, and they build their own relationships. It’s like having a you with Dr. Octopus arms. Like, there’s two managers. So, you have a couple people all working towards the same goal, speaking on the same behalf, and it just makes shit mad easier and then bags start coming through.
Validated: I get that, definitely. So, you mentioned it a couple of times, and of course we know it, but your grind is insane. And I’ve seen you quote, you’re “The definition of getting it out of the mud.” Where does that grind come from? Because a lot of people say, “I grind”, but when you can see it, it’s living proof.
Gorilla Nems: Yeah, you have to wholeheartedly believe that this is what the fuck is going to happen. If you have a little bit of doubt, it ain’t going to work. No, I can’t even say that because you have to doubt yourself also as well. But you just have to wholeheartedly believe that this is what you were meant to do and not take no for an answer. Don’t listen to nobody but yourself. If your shit is dope and you grind to get towards it, it’ll happen. Just trust the process.
Some people give up or some people say, “Oh, this is taking too long.” It’s not going to happen when you want it to. It’s going to happen when it’s supposed to. And you just have to keep going, bro. You’re going to take losses, you’re going to fucking fail a couple of times, but treat that shit as a lesson and just keep it moving.
Validated: You did “Wild N Out”, a lot of people think it’s scripted. How was your experience?
Gorilla Nems: Definitely not scripted. That shit is fucking hard work. And they throw you in there with people who know what’s going on. I did four episodes, they were just like, “All right, the next game is….” And I’d be like, “What is that?” “You’ll see when you go on.” And you just have to learn as you go along, bro. That shit is not scripted. That shit is rough. It’s not easy at all. And it’s dope, though. It’s a dope experience to go through.
And Nick Cannon is official. All that shit, he’s a good dude, man. I fuck with him. He’s good. He’s humble. And that “Wild N Out” shit, whatever you feel about it, is still Hip Hop culture, man. And it’s pushing Hip Hop to another level. And he’s the one doing that shit. He really freestyles. They don’t write for him. He’s official. I fuck with him.
Validated: I know 2023 has been crazy for you. What does 2024 look like, can you share anything with us?
Gorilla Nems: 2024 is just like I did with the merch and just like I did with the content. Now we’re going to do that shit with the music and take the music now, which is originally why all of this is happening. But it’s gotten to a point where a lot of people that know me don’t even know I rap. Or now they’re starting to learn and they think, maybe I just started rapping, but now it’s time to make these people know what it is. Like the people that know who I am.
Validated: If you had to make a choice, the music or the other stuff, what would it be?
Gorilla Nems: Music, that’s a no brainer.
Validated: So, you would give up the store, the merch, all that, to do the music?
Gorilla Nems: Yeah, music is my first love. Music is always going to be there for me. I’ll always be creating music. That’s who I am. That’s what I started out doing and that’s what I’m going to keep doing.
Validated: Understandable. So, where can everyone follow you on social media? Where can they check out the store, get the Topps card, etc?
Gorilla Nems: @Nems-FYL on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, fucking everything. And go cop some merch at www.fyl.nyc. There’s no dot com, it’s just FYL.NYC. Simple as that.
Validated: Dope. And where can they catch the album?
Gorilla Nems: Everywhere. Wherever you listen to music. YouTube, Spotify, iTunes, whatever the fuck. “Rise of the Silverback”, NEMS and come visit the FYL store, 1612 Mermaid Avenue, Coney Island, Brooklyn.
Validated: You got any last words for the people?
Gorilla Nems: Obviously, fuck your life.