Nick Coleman Interview

Photo by Jaxon Buzzell

modrNation: Where are you originally from?

Nick Coleman: Mid-City, Los Angeles. Born and Raised

modrNation: How did growing up there push you into making music?

Nick Coleman: When I was younger growing up in L.A. I always saw the entertainment industry from a far. Growing up seeing all of these creatives make their dream reality, I always knew a career in music would be possible. I was exposed to the hustle and bustle of the city and quickly learned how to maneuver through it. Throughout all of my middle school years at L.A.U.S.D. I got exposed to a lot of different L.A. rappers, everyone from different sides of the town had their favorite artist or an older sibling that made music and it was here where a lot of my initial thoughts about making music arose. When I was in high school I linked up with my producer Austin1hunnid, who had already been making beats for a few years and we ended up putting out my first record together.   

modrNation: And you also manage artists in addition to making music?

Nick Coleman: Me and the OFFRIP team work on management for a handful of artists, Wakai, Quadry and AstroNick. Helping other artists has always been a pillar of how I carry myself in the industry, and these ventures are an extension of that. We work really hard to build a family at OFFRIP, a tight knight group who we know has each other's backs. And with this, a very powerful machine behind the scenes of how we make things happen. 

modrNation: What would you say is the biggest advantage you gain as an artist from that 

management experience?

Nick Coleman: The biggest advantage I've gained working on the management side of things is perspective, the ability to truly call a situation for what it is. Being with artists all the time and dealing with different issues, I consider myself blessed to have different perspectives in my life. The experience I’ve gained working closely with other artists on management is priceless. Management is all about representation and being an extension of the artist, and with the way the OFFRIP family carries our business we are all heavily involved with making the dream a reality.  

modrNation: Take me through your writing process, do you seek out inspiration yourself or wait for it to hit naturally?

Nick Coleman: My creation process is a combination of regiment and inspiration. Regiment in the sense that I show up to the studio every single day and record at least one record no matter what the situation is. However, I don’t always come up with my ideas while I'm at the studio, and that’s where inspiration takes effect. I have notes on top of notes all containing song ideas, verses, choruses, and samples. No matter where I am, I write whenever inspiration strikes me and then take these ideas to the studio to execute. 

modrNation: You recently dropped your third single of the year Monitor Display, take me behind the creative process of that track?

Nick Coleman: I made this track after going through old demo takes with my producer, never thinking it would have come out the way it did. Once finding the chop we wanted, we created a breakbeat around it, channeling early 90’s sampling and west coast funk. What flowered out of that was one of the most unique tracks I’ve ever made. An auditory jungle of bass synths, textured vocals, and smooth rhythm. Taking the listener through a textured morph of traditional Hip-Hop and futuristic production. Ky Alexander was in the studio right next to us when we finished the record. I went in to play it for him and he instantly told me he needed to get a verse off on it. The rest is history.

modrNation: Last year you dropped your debut EP Off Pico, how has that project aged for you?

Nick Coleman: Aged like fine wine. When I created this project, I already knew this was going to be the staple of my catalog. Being my first project, I wanted this to be there for my fans to go back to see my origins as an artist, and Off Pico is exactly that. The first step in creating a new sound not only for myself, but for L.A. and the West Coast.  

modrNation: What was the inspiration behind that project?

Nick Coleman: The inspiration behind the ‘Off Pico’ project came directly from the city of Los Angeles. Growing up on the West Coast I was schooled on the classic sounds of the G-funk era like Dre, DJ Quik, and Nate Dogg, and it was these sounds that played a huge influence in me wanting to create a modern day West-Coast ballad like ‘Off Pico’.  While growing up around the entire Odd Future skate scene at L.A. around 2011-2015, I think I channeled a lot of sentiment and feeling from this time. When I wrote most of the project I was actually living in New Orleans, and I wanted to create music that made me feel back at home. That's where a lot of the initial song writing took place, and as I let the songs grow, working on them more and more, I took the project back to LA to finish.  

modrNation: What would you consider to be the intention behind your music?

Nick Coleman: My music is all about creating soundtracks and inspiring others I’ve always created with the intention of passing on a mindset with my records. From the lyrics, to the sound selection, to the production, and everything in between… for me it’s about bringing someone into my world. If I can pass the same feeling that music gave me, being a backbone in my life whenever times got rough, I think I succeeded.

modrNation: How important would you say it is to find your own identity and individuality as an artist in a time when making music has become so popular?

Nick Coleman: Being an individual is integral to being a creative, if you don’t have intention and thought behind the way you carry yourself and the art you make it’s so easy to get lost in the shuffle. I find myself in my music as a form of self-expression, so for me true artistry is found in the wrinkles of personality that make us all human. Harnessing these interpersonal feelings allows the music and the identity of an artist to truly stand out. 

modrNation: Where do you see yourself five years from now?

Nick Coleman: Five years from now I dream of building my music the OFFRIP imprint to a global level. Carving a new lane for how success is defined in the modern music industry. Making not only myself, but the other talent and artists we work with stars in their own right. I see my hand in a lot of pots. Along with building the OFFRIP brand and family, I'm excited to see what the future holds in so many regards, bringing in a new wave of light for the youth for the new generations to come.