Meet Nelz Get Live

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nelz Get Live.

Nelz, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve always loved music. All kinds, but especially hip-hop. When I was young, around nine or ten years old, my uncles and older cousins would have me listen to all the greats of the time; Nas, Pac, Biggie, Wu-tang Clan, Jay-Z, Slick Rick, JT Money, Trick Daddy, just too many to name. I fell in love with it; the beats, the story-telling, the vibe. From that point on, music was an obsession for me. I listened to all my favorite artists damn near 24-7, and unbeknownst to me, I was studying them, learning about beats, rhythms, cadence, flow, rhymes, everything that makes good music good.

During my senior year in high school, I began to write poetry. I joined the poetry club at my school and started to perform in local poetry showcases and competitions. At around the same time, I started rapping. The same uncles and cousins that had introduced me to hip-hop were now encouraging me to keep writing and making music. Once I was convinced I had skills, music, and poetry moved from a hobby to a passion. I began to write every day and spend most of my nights poring over beats that complemented my style.

In 2013 I dropped my first mixtape, the nelsonmanDILLA project. This project was a labor of love for me. The mixtape’s title is a play on words; Nelson which is my own name as well as Nelson Mandela, who has always been a personal hero of mine for his strength and perseverance through years of unjust incarceration. The Dilla part is a tribute to the late J Dilla, one of the greatest producers of our time. This project was meaningful to me because it represented my own emancipation from doubting my art. From that point on, I have thrown myself wholeheartedly into my poetry and my music. focusing on creating, performing, and building my brand, Get Live Global.

Has it been a smooth road?
No one ever said it would be easy. The primary challenge I face is balancing life and music. Being a full-time recording artist, writing music, making beats, writing/memorizing my poetry, booking shows, performing at venues all around South Florida, collaborating with other artists, and still having to work a day job to be able to fund it all is very draining.

On top of that I’ve endured setbacks such as losing music files from having computers crash, having to sell my studio equipment during hard times, not having enough money to record at a professional studio, waiting for hours on end to perform at local venues, sometimes even waiting to perform and then never having my name called. One thing being an aspiring musician has taught me is patience.

Building a brand and a following has its highs and its lows. Some days I feel like one of the dopest up and coming artists out here, other days I feel like hanging up the mic and never rapping again, but when I get to bless the stage and touch the crowd it’s all worth it.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
Over the past few years, I’ve taken many crucial steps to not only progress as an artist but also to brand myself as a business. In 2015 I began to share my music on SoundCloud. Over the past three years, I have been performing my music and poetry consistently, twice appearing at the renowned Nuyorican Poet’s Cafe in New York. In February of 2019, I started my own entertainment services company, Get Live Global, which specializes in artist development, event curating, networking opportunities, artist collaborations, and promotional merchandising. In addition to being a rapper and poet, I also produce original beats for myself and other artists.

During the spring of 2019, I dropped my first two singles, “Smoke Cigar” and “Blow the Trumpets” on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, and all other streaming platforms. What I feel is my greatest accomplishment and what I’m most proud of is my ability to touch people with my words. Whenever I’m on stage and I look out into the audience and I see people rocking to my music or I’m at a poetry show and hear “REWIND” after I spit a bar, I know that all the hard work and the setbacks are worth it.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Miami is one of the largest entertainment hubs in the country, up there with Los Angles and New York. This can be a Catch 22 for artists because while there are lots of opportunities here, tons of people are vying for them. This makes the market extremely competitive. Because of this oversaturation, some promoters have made a business out of exploiting the dreams of others.

They advertise opportunities such as performing to win a feature in a widely circulated magazine or perform in front of an A and R rep for a record label or opening up for a popular, more established act. Artist sometimes pays up to $1,000 for these “chances” only to show up, wait hours to perform, and the end result is that someone who works with/for the promoter ends up winning the top prize. So, I would definitely say that Miami is a great place to start a music career for a dedicated, savvy artist.

Contact Info:

• Email: nelzgetliveglobal@gmail.com
• Instagram: @nelz_get_live
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/nelz_get_live
• Other: https://soundcloud.com/nelz-get-live-global

Image Credit:
@nat_a_lion @paparazzi.roots.imaging

Suggest a story: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.