Curators: Nino Valdes
“You don’t get it, boy, I made it out that 305
Took my lumps but, dog, I’m blessed a Chico still alive”
Nino Valdes on “Vida”
It’s not uncommon for people to leave the harsh winters of the Midwest and Northeast for the milder climates and slower pace of the south and west. Those movers are often willing to sacrifice familiarity and money to do so. In rapper, Nino Valdes’ case, he did the exact opposite. He left the subtropical temperatures and palm trees in Miami to relocate to Brooklyn, New York. This move, and the lessons that came with it inspired his most recent EP, “Paradise Lost”. Nino sat with us to discuss the new project and what’s next in his career.
The title of Nino’s newest EP, “Paradise Lost”, is something of a double entendre. As he explains “when you think Miami, beaches, sunshine. When you move to New York, people think gloomy weather and the grit of the big city.” But this isn’t all about sun and clouds, the phrase “paradise lost” also speaks to his own internal battles. He describes the project as “a reflection on everything I was going through at that time, I moved around 2013, I was going through turbulent times”.
Nino sorts through a few jerseys in preparation for a photoshoot and there’s a recurring theme. Marlins, Dolphins, and Heat attire are all part of the arsenal. His southern drawl is still intact. You’d think that a transition out of that South Floridian environment would be difficult for someone with so many ties to the culture, but Nino insists that it wasn’t. “I was in New York a lot” he explains, “I have family out there and friends, I used to go to Brooklyn a couple times a year”. As he sees it, the change helped him to improve as an MC. “It took time to finetune and find myself and what I am as an artist, I think my move to New York helped mold me a little better in regards to finding my niche”.
He certainly seems comfortable in that niche on “Paradise Lost”. It’s an easy listen, with Nino delivering clever lines over smooth instrumentals. He wasn’t aiming to be so different from rap’s new contemporary vibe, but he’s stumbled upon a unique sound. “I just do what touches my soul” he says, “I prefer to do more conscious music that people can grow with and relate to”.
That consciousness shines on “Vida” where he rhymes “motivation to rise out of the slums to provide jobs so my dogs ain’t gotta run”. The track features a classic Willie Bobo sample and Nino delivers the chorus in Spanish. It harkens back to his Panamanian roots as he had the opportunity to live there at one point when growing up.
While he admits some eagerness to release more material in the new year, he’s currently focused on the release of his next video with Billionz titled “Slum Poets”. The video will be out this week, but you can listen to his full EP now on all music streaming platforms.
