Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick Northrup
Nick, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I fell in love with music as a child; I was the type of person who always had to sleep with music on, always had it on during the day. Any time I left the house, I did so with headphones over my ears. Music became my comfort on frequent dark days in my relatively tough childhood. When I discovered hip-hop, it felt like I’d found a calling, and I strove to be a voice like the ones I needed to hear. I spent the formative years of my life honing my writing craft and my ear for the genre, particularly through writing workshops and spoken word. Later, I took the opportunity to evolve my talents whilst pursuing a BFA in creative writing in college. For about a decade now, I’ve been rapping and pursuing music as a career, using my own storytelling style to convey themes of mental fortitude and resilience.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not at all. My childhood was tough, and it led to hardships later in life that affected myself and my siblings in deep, irreparable ways. Unfortunately, my younger brother committed suicide as a result. That pain ravaged our family in a way that’s left most of our relationships in shambles; it’s really hard to pick up the pieces after a tragedy like that. I’ve chosen to be an artist who isn’t afraid to talk about grief, in order to reach people dealing with similar things, and it’s been a lonely road because in the Midwest, we’re socialized to keep things polite and positive. Not to mention the hard drive crashes and lost albums along the way, the general hesitancy by venues around the hip-hop genre, and the collapse of the local music economy since COVID… those setbacks are a little more universally felt by musicians. Thankfully, I have amazing friends and a great partner who have kept me propped up during the hardest times with my grief. No matter the trauma that I’ve been dealt, I’ve got a crew of friends that have given me the inspiration to keep going and the confidence to overcome hurdles instead of letting them hold me back.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My craft is hip hop and my moniker is Crowfather. I work really hard on my craft, specifically by using my technical ability with lyricism and poetic elements to convey themes of mental health, social justice, and resiliency. I take a lot of inspiration from other artists and genres; from beats that are influenced by alt-rock, jazz, blues, and anime; to flows influenced by conscious rappers like Kendrick Lamar and J-Cole. I think the moments I am most proud of are the few where I’ve had fans reach out to say my words helped them to keep going for another day; once, I was approached at a show by a fan who shared that my music saved her life. I don’t know that anything will ever top that moment because it felt like I finally did what I’ve been meaning to do—help people. I think what sets me apart from others is my authenticity to my story and my dedication to my craft. In an age where too many people rap over vocals, try to imitate trends for clout, or act like hip-hop isn’t rooted in self-expression, I do everything I can to tell my truth in the most authentic, craft-conscious way possible.
What does success mean to you?
I think in some ways, I’m already there. I’ve been able to reach people with my message, I’ve made them feel seen and heard through my music and touched their lives in the manner I’d set out to do when I decided to pursue hip-hop. For that, I’m extremely humbled and grateful. It’s not everyone who can say they’ve helped likeminded souls out of a dark place. Of course, on a societal level I know I should want to be self-sustaining and financially solvent and all that, but in reality, I just want to keep making music, keep helping people, and maybe reach even more through my music in the future. It can be so easy to fall victim to the idea that you need X number of followers or X number of dollars to be successful, so I’ve made it a point not to measure success that way, for the sake of my sanity.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://crowfathermpls.com/home
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crowfathermpls/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CrowfatherMpls
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@crowfathermpls
- Other: https://linktr.ee/crowfathermpls
