Hurt Feelings - Nick G
Keep It Gee Roll Up and Review by Gee Ballard
The Good, The Great, and The Gruesome. Or as I like to call it “3 G’s from Gee.”
‘Big Town Shorty’ (prod. by JAMESTYLERS)
“I don’t trust the lil b***h, I’ll prolly get another one!
I can’t bite the bullet, tell that nigga get a bigger gun!”
Nick opens the project with a clean and upbeat take on another JAMESTYLERS produced track with Big Town Shorty. A very familiar but also different fast paced approach, it mirrors the energy of other JAMESTYLERS production from previous Collabs like Nick’s 2018 single “Mexico”. The track gives you all the subtle things you want in a Nick G track if you’re familiar with his sound as well as provides a small snippet for what’s to come for the new listeners. The melodic vocals in the background to fill in the pockets in between lines make Nick’s songs feel like Duets as he often gives you clever lines while channeling his upbeat almost hypeman antics in the lower vocals. I like to think of these moments as when he decides to turn on the “Nicky Bobby” persona. A true artist at heart, you can hear and feel the influence of older rock tracks from the early 2000s as a reference point to some of the energy that Nick can display and it is one of the amazing qualities about his sound that tends to make him standout. I loved the intro and it only got better as I delved further.
Thinkin Bout A Lamb is the next track on the project and you can instantly feel the energy switch. From the campy bells and upbeat moods, we quickly retreat to a darker more gritty sound with the next track and it’s felt through the lyrics almost instantly that this song is nothing like the predecessor.
This track was an immediate step into the opposite direction of the first song as if to be almost a Yin to the Yang , from upbeat to grimey, the dark path along the fork in the road where the other direction is almost sunny and bright in comparison. Despite that synopsis of varying difference in the songs tone, one thing is clear, it’s still Nick and he’s still bringing you raw energy. Along with the Music to be Murdered to sample and Good Kid, M.a.a.d City’s sample as well early on, you can tell this is nothing like Track 1.
Further pushing the concept of the title Hurt Feelings and how his progression has soured relationships with old friends.
“I heard some old friends hating tryna kick me out the game/ tryna get me out the way, I think they mad at all this fetti.”
He delivers imagery and storytelling throughout the project early on in short and concise wordplay. One of my favorite things about Nick was and will always be the way he doesn’t go with a flow moreso creates his own and tries to outdo the first idea almost instantly. But even in that, he still brings melodic tones to the song followed with tidbits of your favorite classic cartoons.
“it’s still chase rainbows, thinking about a lamb . I go ghost like my name Danny, I should switch it for a phantom.”
In my opinion track two is the most important song in a project for the reason that it’s the table setter. The intro can sometimes be overlooked or considered like a gimme but with this project it’s all gas no brakes in these first two.
3. 2GlockBobby feat. Austin2Glocks
Okay maybe I’m biased for this following take on this song and that’s okay. Hearing a collab like this made me happy at just the sheer possibilities of a project from these two. Austin2Glocks has shined as a member of the Chicago rap scene and also a Rolling Woods Media artist. The way he attacks the beat to start this one is so mellow but once he picks up steam, you’re gonna be hitting rewind trying to catch every crazy metaphor.
“feeling like Martin, niggas gon overcome,
John Wilkes Booth, niggas shootin thru overcoats.”
I won’t explain why that bar is hard. Just know being a history nerd works in times like these. Bubby Beats, another Rolling Woods Media artist and stellar producer shines on this song it gives me hope that this song is the precursor to a larger collab down the road ,but even if not , this song hits all the right factors.
When you hear “Glocky and Nicky”, as Austin refers to the pair in this collab it’s a step into another “vibe and ride” track.
And soon as you get happy with what Austin brings to this song, Nick comes in to anchor the song down with the curtain call
“2Glock, Bobby, I’ll set the party up everybody go home!”
4. President
this track is one of my early favorites off the initial listen.
the doubled voices and the higher pitch vocals gives this song some contrast and hype. definitely something you can hear in a performance that the crowd can bounce to. production by Wildlife Willy never misses as he provides Nick a perfect canvas to really display his outbursting and stop and go flow.
“Got it all fendi and fentanyl
told her to set it up
she wanna set it off
fuck in the back of the building of adderall”
In subtle lines like this he displays how he views himself as the hood dealer, delivering a different service to each and every crowd, the Fendi in the sense of trendy upbeat raps and The fentanyl as the hard hitting and more aggressive lines to keep you interested. Maybe that was me delving too deep into the lyrics but I always like to wonder where an artists mind is when he came up with certain stanzas and quotes.
“I don’t wanna hear no Ted talk!
I’m tryna get these racks out!”
I felt that line deeply because who wants a lecture when it’s money to be made and successes to be had? In all of my early run backs of these first four I really was able to get a good feel and direction for what he felt in the making of this.
The Good
Overall this was a really good project in my eyes. With production from JAMESTYLERS, to Bubby Beats and Wildlife Willy and even some production from the man himself, Nick G’s project shines in a very cohesive yet individual way. No two songs are the same, the features are few and far in between but all crucial and well delivered with names like Austin2Glocks, a feature from the likes of Supa Bwe with one of the best feature verses I’ve heard in a while, and even SG Batman getting in on 2 Virgil’s and delivering some quality flows this was a project that I was more than happy with. The title Hurt Feelings perfectly describes this project. It’s all the feels of summer in Chicago. The feelings of love, lost and mixed relationships. I listen to it and hear remnants of an artist who has experienced so much in a short time and he uses these songs as therapy. He also has done something unique in finding a solid new medium between early 2000s punk rock rap tracks and adding in layers of rap and melodic tones. As previously stated before Nick’s alternate persona Nicky Bobby is often my idea of his more rockstar style as he always looks to reinvent himself on each track. He always finds a way to fill in each pocket of every song so that it feels like Nick G featuring Nicky Bobby or vice versa.
The Great
The project is one that has something for everybody. If you want to be turnt, if you want to smile if you want to smoke and think about a friend you lost, there’s space for all of it. Hurt Feelings is really a simple title but shows so much space for interpretation and in this project Nick shines in displaying all those feelings. Grief, loss of friendships, confidence in self, overcoming of the doubters and anticipating their reactions when you come home after accomplishing what you set out to do. Each track Dow to the beat selection sends you through a different emotion from open to close. The features of Sauney, who Nick has an upcoming collab project in the works with, allows you to see his synergy with a familiar artist and friend as well as his ability to branch into new territory from both sides of the Chicago hip hop scene with features from Austin2Glocks, Supa Bwe and SG Batman. There’s something for every feeling and that can’t be overstated.
The Gruesome
My one and only concern and critique of this project and it’s components is the length of the songs in some instances. I found 4 or 5 great tracks that I was dying to hear more of but they were short and my only wish it insigjt is that going forward we get to see Nick expand on these songs and give us more of himself which sounds crazy to even say.
However if that is the only gripe I have about a project then the mission in my opinion is accomplished. The goal for any artist is to want the fans and listeners to come back for more and hit that repeat button and Nick G does that flawlessly here. Each song gives you it’s own reason to rewind and revisit. the flows are so fast but so melodic you miss a line and want to hit repeat just to get the line right and sing along. Following that up with production from Bubby Beats, Wildlife Willy, DJ DopeDope and JAMESTYLERS, this was a project that was out of the park for me. A great way to start the summer of new Chicago music as well as an overall great project for any market or region.
I really enjoyed the project and I can’t wait to hear more from Nick G in the coming future. Be sure to go check out the Video to DEVILMAN, Nick’s first single from the project which was a very dope step into his mind and be sure to stay tuned in with Rolling Woods Media and follow Nick G and the guys mentioned above for more great music and content.
And as always, stay under the shade, don't throw it, roll you a wood and stay focused.
