Meet Long Beach rapper NameBrand, a self-described (in his lyrics) "nerd who can rap." NameBrand's whole thing (his brand, if you will) is that he's a humble, regular guy, so let's elaborate on that description a little bit. NameBrand grew up playing basketball and rapping, went to college for basketball but dropped out to pursue music, and ended up back at his mom's house trying to figure things out. He was discovered by semi-famous but mostly forgotten West Coast lyrical legend Ras Kass, who took NameBrand under his wing and tried to usher him into the industry—before getting hit with a parole violation and heading to prison for a year. NameBrand used the down time to form an EDM group called Electrolightz, which ended up touring with LMFAO and, NameBrand says, writing for artists like Lady Gaga and Mary J. Blige. According to NameBrand, the group had a record deal fall through, which prompted him to get back into exploring rapping in 2013. Through go-to producer Seige Monstracity, he ended up connecting with record executive Sha Money XL (a.k.a. the guy responsible for breaking 50 Cent and, more recently, Bobby Shmurda) and landing a deal with Epic Records. Which is where we find him today.In his new single, "Struggles," which Noisey is premiering the video for below, NameBrand alludes to this rocky rise and touches on struggles both big (civil rights, race) and relatively small (not making it as a rapper). He drops comments like "some say I'm living out a dream / I ain't slept in a year." It's the kind of thing that might be irreparably cheesy in less capable hands, but NameBrand, as his long rise through the music industry suggests, is someone who is confident and competent in what he does. And what he does is rap very skillfully, with a brand of approachable vulnerability that will serve him well as he eventually looks to round out his appeal. The video, which intersperses speech footage of figures like Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, and Malcolm X with NameBrand rapping, offers a vision of the smart, plugged-in music NameBrand has to offer. It's directed by Edward Tran. Check it out below:Follow Noisey on Twitter.
Advertisement