America's Sweetheart: Gorilla Nems

INTERVIEW TERRELL “REALIFE” BLACK

Few artists in hip-hop command the kind of attention that Gorilla NEMS does—unapologetic, razor-sharp, and deeply rooted in authenticity. From viral catchphrases to city-wide tours, NEMS has transcended meme culture to cement himself as a formidable force in rap. But with his latest album, America’s Sweetheart, the Coney Island native is out to remind the world that beneath the charisma and controversy is a master craftsman of the mic. Dropping on Valentine’s Day, the album may carry a sarcastic title, but its message is anything but playful—this is NEMS at his sharpest, most introspective, and most complete.

In this exclusive Validated conversation, NEMS opens up about the creative process behind America’s Sweetheart, from collaborating with new producers like Cartune Beatz to tapping into his roots with emotional records like “God’s Hands” and gritty neighborhood narratives on “Coney Island Part 1 & 2.” He breaks down how the viral success of “Bing Bong” opened new doors—but also how it challenged him to prove once again what got him here in the first place: undeniable bars and brutally honest storytelling.

Beyond the punchlines and persona, NEMS is focused on growth. He talks maturity, mental health, legacy, and what it means to make music that truly connects. For anyone still unsure—this isn’t just a content creator rapping for clicks. This is a seasoned MC pushing the genre forward on his own terms. Welcome to the world of America’s Sweetheart.

VALIDATED: Your most recent album, ‘America’s Sweetheart’, dropped on Valentine's Day.

What's been the response to the project so far? 

NEMS: It's probably been my best response to date. I mean, I feel like it's my best work up to this point. I've been putting in a lot of legwork on the album rollout, whether it be freestyles or just creating content, even fucking Valentine's Day cards.

I feel like the rollout is good and it's getting the love it deserves. My thing is like, yo, everybody knows who I am. Some people aren't familiar with me as a rapper. They think I'm just like an Instagram person. You know what I'm saying? So the goal with this album was to get out there and show people that know who I am, nah, this is what I really do. Like, this is what I'm known for. This is why I got to this point because people fuck with me already with the rapping. But then, you know, the content, the Instagram shit, TikTok shit blew up more.

But now let's get back to what it really is. Like, at the end of the day, I'm not a comedian. I'm not a fucking content creator. I'm not an influencer. I'm a fucking rapper. You know what I'm saying? Like a rapper of rappers. So, you know, I had to show the people what it is. 

VALIDATED: So your album title, ‘America's Sweetheart’, is obviously sarcastic.

But what's the meaning behind it? And what statement are you looking to make with this album? 

NEMS: Sometimes, shit doesn’t need to be overthought. Sometimes it just needs to be simple—simple.

One day, I posted something on the ‘Gram, and somebody commented, “Yo, it’s crazy how the Fuck Ya Lyfe guy has become America’s Sweetheart.” And I was like, you know what? That makes sense.

Look—last year, we did The Disrespect Tour. We hit 40 cities in 55 days. And I’m always in different places—L.A., Atlanta, all over. Wherever I go, people know me. My demographic is wild—it’s all races, from like three years old to 90 years old. No rapper can touch that.

I got old ladies in Arkansas screaming Fuck Ya Lyfe. I got little kids in London screaming Fuck Ya Lyfe. And it really has just become a thing—yeah, I’m America’s Sweetheart. You know what I’m saying?

It’s crazy how the Fuck Ya Lyfe guy became America’s Sweetheart. That’s what it is.

VALIDATED: How does this album differ from your previous work, both in sound and message? You said a second ago that you feel like it's your best work, but how do you feel like it differs? 

NEMS: It doesn’t. I feel like I have more access to doper people now—but you know what? Thinking about it, I didn’t even really use big-name producers on this. I got Statik. I got Ron Browz—he’s on the bonus cuts of the album. But really, what made the difference was maturity and just going through things in life.

I feel like every album evolves with me. On this one, I touch on subjects like “God’s Hands,” or I talk about depression and emunah. I feel like this album just matured—it’s a more grown, more relatable NEMS. It’s not just punch-you-in-your-face rap like Rise of the Silverback.

Even though we had tracks like “Keep On” on Rise of the Silverback, this album feels like a more complete body of work. It’s something that’s more relatable for everybody.

VALIDATED: You're known for your raw, unfiltered energy. Did you approach this album differently in terms of production or storytelling? 

NEMS: Nah, I just let the process happen. I’ve done more songs for this album than I’ve ever done for any album before. I probably did like 30 to 40 songs, and then I really just picked the best 13. I sat with it for a while—it was over the course of a year and a half.

A lot of the songs were actually done before Rise of the Silverback came out, so I was just plotting, going through stuff. What I usually do is play songs, and every time I make a new one, I’ll create a new playlist, put it in a different order, and just listen to the tracks in various sequences. I keep doing that until everything starts clicking.

I feel like when it’s right, it just falls into place—and that’s exactly what happened with this album.

VALIDATED: You always deliver hard-hitting production. You mentioned a few names, but who did you collaborate with on this album?

NEMS: One main guy that I’d never worked with before was Cartune Beatz. He is fire and just caught me at the right time. He sent me over 100 beats, and I wound up doing probably eight or nine joints over his beats. But I ended up just using the main two, which were “Go Fat Boy” and “Light the Room.” I love his sound—it’s not commercial, but it’s not boom bap either. It’s for a wider audience, but it still keeps that hip-hop essence. He has a wide array of beats—he can do all styles.

I also worked with my man DeliGotBeats. I think he’s from Seattle, but he’s out in L.A. now. He did a couple joints. Static, as always. Doza the Drum Dealer—now, what he did was funny. The three joints he produced were “Coney Island” Part 1 and 2, and the “Afuera” joint.

What was different with him is that I gave him both of those samples. I had this sample—I forgot what it was exactly—but it was these ladies singing about Coney Island. The song was called “Coney Island,” and it’s from the ’70s. I was looking for a producer to flip this sample for me. I sent it to Vinny Idol, I sent it to Scram Jones, I sent it to Static—I sent it to mad producers.

Nobody was getting back to me, and I was just fed up. So I put it on the ’Gram, in my stories, like: “Yo, tag somebody that can freak this sample.” Somebody tagged Doza, he sent me the joint, and he killed it—knocked it out the park.

Then I had another sample, some Willie Colón Spanish sample. I sent it to him, and he was like, “Yo, this is one of my favorite joints,” and he freaked it again. He killed it. So he’s like two-for-two with me.

And then we went with Vinny Idol. I can’t miss with Vinny Idol. Me and him made my favorite song I’ve ever done, which is “You Know The Fucking Vibes.” He also did probably the biggest song in my catalog, which is “Bing Bong.” And now we just did the “CTE” joint, which is one of the hardest joints on the album.

So, you know, I worked with a bunch of producers that I trust, but also brought in some new people.

VALIDATED: If you had to pick one track that defines you from this album, which one would it be, and why?

NEMS: I would say “Light The Room”. It is where I really was like you know just talking my shit.

When I do an album I try to go through a range of emotions. And also it's like I can go to Flex, I can go to Sway, I can go to any show and just spit bars. People know I rap so when I'm doing an album I try to cater more to like real full songs. But it just came to a point where I was like hold up let me let y'all know who I am real quick and that was the “Light The Room” joint.

VALIDATED: That’s one of my favorite joints off the album. So, Coney Island is a big part of your identity, of course—but how does this album represent where you come from?

NEMS: Well, the song “Coney Island” — Part One and Part Two — man, I never really did a song strictly called Coney Island before. It’s such a big part of who I am. You know, I might mention it at the beginning of a song, but I never really rapped about it in depth.

Part One just kind of has the Coney vibe, you know? But Part Two is like me walking you through the hood. We start at Nathan’s by the rides, and I walk you all the way to the end of Coney Island. It’s like the listener is walking with me through that song.

I feel like that really shows what it’s all about.

VALIDATED: What do you hope fans take away from America’s Sweetheart?

NEMS: I hope they take away that I’m here to stay—and that I’m only going to get better with time. This is what I really do. This is what I’m here for.

You might know me from Bing Bong. You might know me from Don’t Ever Disrespect Me. But I want you to know me for the rapping, you know what I’m saying? Because this is what I do.

VALIDATED: I’m always talking about hip-hop, and I was telling this guy—he asked me about the Bing Bong song. I said, “Yeah, I know the record.” And I told him, “We’ve actually interviewed that guy a couple of times—cool people. His grind is crazy.” I was like, “Nah, dude, you’ve got to go back and listen—he’s got a bunch of albums before that.”

It’s wild, though. That song really caught fire and grabbed a lot of people’s attention. Sometimes, it just takes one record to blow up like that.

NEMS: Yeah, but that’s why you’ve got to have stuff in the stash. You’ve got to be ready—you never know when your moment is going to come. So you’ve got to be prepared for that moment.

Me, I wholeheartedly believed that a moment was going to come for me. And when it did, I was ready. You know what I’m saying? A lot of people mess up and fumble the ball because they’re not prepared.

When Bing Bong happened, I most likely had The Rise of the Silverback album already done with Scram. I even had parts of America’s Sweetheart finished.

And now, this is what’s come to fruition from Bing Bong—this is the aftermath. This is what came from it.

VALIDATED: If someone were hearing a Gorilla Nems album for the first time, what would you want them to know about you as an artist?

NEMS: That I’m a complete artist. You know what I’m saying? I’m vicious with the rhymes — I got bars. But it’s not always about that. It’s about making complete songs and creating something that’s timeless.

Something that, 10 years from now, you might be going through and think, “Yo, Nems got a song about that, man. Let me throw that on.” I’m a real artist when it comes to stuff like that.

I’m not just a rapper who spits bars. Nah — I really make songs, and I really do this.

VALIDATED: I think what stands out most to me about you as an artist—aside from the grind—is the music itself. What I really appreciate is that you drop joints that have that timeless quality, like the kind of albums DMX or Tupac would release. Records that anybody can connect with, no matter where they’re coming from.

On this album, for me, it’s Light the Room and God’s Hand. You dropped a track in a similar lane to God’s Hand on the last album too. Those types of records always hit me the hardest, you know what I mean? Because you can really feel them—and not every artist can make you feel a record like that.

NEMS: Absolutely. You can tell when someone is speaking from the heart versus just saying something to say it. I think the song you’re talking about from the last album is Keep On.

But that’s what I’m talking about, man. It’s all about making real music that can truly affect people and change their day. And it shows—I’m not trying to be something I’m not.

I’m a grown man, and I’m okay with who I am. A lot of artists don’t come across as authentic because they don’t know who they are as a man—and that shows in their music.

You can’t really know who you are as an artist if you don’t know who you are as a man. A lot of people front for the ’Gram, they put on an act. But this is me. I’m okay with me. And once you’re okay with yourself, however you come across, people are either going to accept it or they’re not.

And that’s where Fuck Your Lyfe comes in. Because if you don’t fuck with me, then fuck your life. I don’t care. You know what I’m saying?

VALIDATED: You released a visual for “2 Live & Die in NY” featuring Leeky Bandz. How does the video complement the song’s message and energy?

NEMS: So basically, what I did was film a video for every song on the album—even the bonus track. We’re dropping a deluxe version in a month or two, and it has six extra songs. I’ve already filmed a video for every single one, including the deluxe tracks.

But I did it differently. I know everything is about social media now, so I didn’t go with long-form content. I shot everything in vertical format—like reels. And I didn’t go crazy with a million different scenes. Nah, I kept it different and simple.

For ‘2 Live & Die in NY,’ I took an old-school ’80s Beamer and drove through the Lower East Side. You know what I’m saying? I just wanted to show that part of New York. Because when I’m not in Coney Island, I’m in the Lower East Side, bro—I love it out there. There’s a lot of artistry, a lot of love.

We just dropped another video too. I’m dropping one every Monday until we release them all. This week, I dropped the ‘Afuera’joint—which means “outside” in Spanish—with Tony Touch. We filmed that one in Bushwick, at this store that only sells Puerto Rican items. It’s crazy.

So yeah, we did a video for every song on the album.

VALIDATED: You’ve also released visuals for ‘Go Fat Boy,’ ‘Gunther,’ and ‘My Side’ featuring Millyz, each with its own distinct vibe. What are some of the challenges or standout moments you’ve experienced while shooting these videos?

NEMS: The only real challenge was the Go Fat Boy video, man. That shoot was like 10 hours—it was a full day, from around 12 in the afternoon to about 10 at night. Pause.

My body was sore for the next three or four days after that. I really put in work for that video. I was going hard, playing ball against an NBA player—Sebastian Telfair—who’s in the video. Then we hit the gym, and I was fake kickboxing with this brolic dude. After that, I was working out for real—doing gym shit while rapping and lifting weights.

What you don’t realize is, while trying to get a good shot, I’m doing like 100 reps just to keep it looking right. By the end of it, I was like, damn. The next day, I was feeling it heavy.

But the overall response to the Go Fat Boy video was great. People saw the quality. When you put in that extra work, people appreciate it—because a lot of artists don’t do that. They’re lazy.

VALIDATED: My favorite tracks from the album, without a doubt, are Light the Room and God’s Hand. It was tough to choose, but those are definitely my top picks.

Which songs have resonated most with the fans?

NEMS: Light the Room is definitely one of them. CTE is definitely another one. But the most surprising response has been to the song Amouna, where I talk about depression. A lot of people have come up to me personally in the streets, saying things like, “Yo, this joint made me cry,” or “I didn’t think you knew about this—I’ve been going through the same thing.”

And that’s exactly the kind of response I made that record for. I wanted to show people that even though I have a tough exterior, and I rap with that thugged-out energy, I go through the same shit as everybody else, man.

VALIDATED: While on tour, you came across a fan with a NEMS tattoo. What was your initial reaction to that? And how does it feel knowing you’ve made such a deep impact on your supporters?

NEMS: That shit is dope, man. It’s validation for the work I’ve been putting in. Like, there’s somebody out there who rocks with me enough to get my face tattooed on them. That’s forever, you know what I’m saying?

And that holds me to a certain standard—I have to make sure I don’t let people down. I can’t be out here doing corny shit, because then somebody’s gonna feel crazy for having my face inked on them. So it keeps me grounded and holds me to a certain level of “uncorniness.”

I always have to keep that in perspective, like, “Yo, don’t do that. That shit is corny.”

VALIDATED: You actually crashed the dating show NEMS In Your Ear on Complex, and it was absolutely hilarious. How did that opportunity come together?

NEMS: Complex hit me up and was like, “Yo, we’ve got a dating show we want to drop on Valentine’s Day, and we want you to be a part of it.” So I told them, “As long as I can shout out my album that drops the same day, then we’re good—let’s do it.”

And it ended up being perfect timing.

You know, that just brings me back to what I said before—when things are right, they just fall into place.

VALIDATED: Avirex is an iconic brand in hip-hop culture. How did your jacket collaboration with them come to life?

NEM: I went up to Avirex with another rapper who brought a few of us along. While we were there, most of the rappers were mainly interested in getting free gear. But I told them straight up, right in front of everyone, “Yo, I really don’t care about a free Avirex jacket—I can buy my own. What I’m interested in is doing a collab.”

I explained that I’ve got a store in Coney Island and a flourishing brand, and I wanted to partner with them on something real.

It just so happened that the main person up there had family from Coney Island, so she was like, “Yo, let’s do it.” She said they’d work on some designs, and I told her, “Nah, I’ll work on some designs.”

I sent them the designs I created, and she responded, “Yo, we love every single one of them. We’re going to make you a jacket, set up a photo shoot, and then we’ll move forward with the collab.”

So it all worked out perfectly.

VALIDATED: We touched on this earlier, but you went off for six straight minutes in one take on Funk Flex—that’s the essence of New York hip-hop right there. Capturing that kind of energy in such a raw, unfiltered moment is powerful.

How did it feel to showcase your skills in front of such an iconic platform and audience?

NEMS: You know, Flex—like I told you before, man—he didn’t give me the response I wanted when I was trying to come up there. When Bing Bong happened, I thought it would be easy. I was like, “Yo, I gotta get to Flex and do a freestyle.” But for whatever reason, it just wasn’t happening.

And honestly, I was angry about it.

Then they finally hit me with the call: “Yo, Flex wants you to come up and drop a freestyle.” And I was like, “It’s about time,” you know what I’m saying? I had a lot of shit to get off my chest. I had been waiting for that moment.

So when I got the chance, I told myself, I’m going up there, and I’m gonna fucking body this. And I was ready.

Just like I said before—you’ve got to be ready when your moment comes.

VALIDATED: Where can people find the album and stay updated on everything you’ve got going on?

NEMS: I mean, just follow me on the ’Gram: @NEMS_FYL. You’ll see what I’m about. You’ll catch all the newest videos from the album, get updates on any shows I’ve got coming up, and see the latest merch.

Then go shopping—hit up FYL.NYC, that’s the website.

And if you really want to tap in, come through to the FYL store and meet me in person at 1612 Mermaid Avenue, Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York.

VALIDATED: Any last words for the people?

NEMS: Yeah, you know it, Fuck Your Lyfe.