Talent La Penna Prolifica™

B.Nice Interview: It’s Okay to B. Nice in Hip Hop

By La Penna Prolifica™ | 2007

It’s Okay to B. Nice in Hip Hop
By Michael LaPenna

In an industry where he says bling, weed smoke and gangsta mentality are seen as the truest measures of success, Brian “B. Nice” Birkeland approaches his craft as a means to educate and spark minds without a lighter. I sat down with the emcee to discuss his views on his music, his graduate degree, his views on hip hop culture, and why he doesn’t want to be signed to a major label anytime in the foreseeable future.

LaPenna: Well first, tell [the readers] where you’re from and in general, the gist of who you are.

B. Nice: Wow! That’s tough to answer but I’ll give you an attempt. I can at least tell you where I’m from. I’m originally from Bellport, Long Island, the longest island in the world (Joking). I grew up there, went to high school out there. I graduated in 2000 and moved to the Hudson Valley. I came to [State University of New York at New Paltz] and got my Bachelors’ Degree in Black Studies, I graduated there in 2004. I’m currently working on a Master’s Degree in Humanistic Multi-cultural Education. So, ya know I’ve been representin’ Long Island and the Hudson Valley. Where ever I am, that’s where I’m at!

LaPenna: Fair enough. I want to follow up with a little bit of a Devil’s advocate question. You and I are both Caucasian young men. What inspired you to pursue Black Studies and Multi-cultural Education? Was there a specific influence?

B. Nice: I don’t think it was one specific influence, just a lot of influences coming together for me. I’m a person that seeks truth and seeks to learn. I think we as human beings by nature have a thirst to do that, ya know? Some of us try to hide it and some of us try to pursue it more. I wanted to know everything that happened before me. Who doesn’t want to know that? I just felt that I wasn’t getting the proper perspective with what my teachers (growing up) told me. Other factors…. Being that my sister is [developmentally disabled] I watched the way people treated her and how the school system kinda brushed her to the side and didn’t help her and didn’t treat her like a person. It kinda focused my whole attention toward civil rights… not just color differences, gender differences, ability differences, any kind of “ism” you can name.

LaPenna: All in all, quite interesting but obviously I’m interviewing you as a hip hop artist. When did that all begin?

B. Nice: I mean that’s always been there from me just bein’ a young man at a time when hip hop was at its best. Just being a young male at that time, regardless of me being white or from Long Island, if you were a young man at that time you had to recognize hip hop. There was just something so real about and definitely masculine about it. Ya know, I always hung around older kids… they had tape players before I had tape players… I would listen to what they were listenin’ to ya know, Grand Puba, Slick Rick. I thought it was the coolest thing ever! It was all about self expression. I felt I could be myself. Obviously there were people who looked at me like I was crazy… including my family.

LaPenna: When did you start writing raps of your own?

B. Nice: I’ve always written poems and stories but I the day I said, “I’m a rapper today.” was in I’d say eleventh grade.

LaPenna: Why then?

B. Nice: I was tired of hearing the rap I was hearing on the radio. I wanted to hear myself, so I just started writing everyday, dedicating myself to writing, however I can find inspiration. I haven’t stopped since.

LaPenna: You’re definitely a throwback. A lot of your lyrics seem to be of the era of A Tribe Called Quest, Slick Rick, LL Cool J. With that said, who in the game is your greatest influence?

B. Nice: No one on the radio now, definitely. I would say definitely Nas, Jay-Z to a certain extent, Rakim, Mos Def, Talib Kweli Black Thought (of The Roots).

LaPenna: Do you have a particular method when you write songs?

B. Nice: Whatever the beat tells me or if I have a real life situation to write about, that helps.

LaPenna: Your lyrics seem to take on an existential vibe, life lessons etcetera. In one of your songs, “Do 4 U” you say “I ain’t really the religious sorta preachin’ type/But I got a’ ear should you ever seek advice.” What impact has spirituality or your equivalent of it had on you?

B. Nice: I feel like so much of American culture is lacking that type of substance and I don’t mean religion. I’m talkin’ about a connection to where we are and a connection to our past. I feel like American culture in general just lacking a lot of that. There are just so many people, and I’m a victim of it too, who are controlled by different things. Whether it be the media, technology… we’re becoming less and less human and more and more machine-like with people on their cell phones, or on Myspace communicating through machines rather than communicating with each other. So, I feel it’s important, as human beings; we’re such a unique species. We need to understand that we’re very lucky to have that ability to think outside of ourselves and understand there’s more to life than just day to day. Some people don’t believe that, I do. Some people feel like we’re on the earth to get money and that’s how you prosper in this world. That’s not necessarily what I believe. I just feel like it’s important to remember that human side of all of us ‘cause we’re all in this together.

LaPenna: Do you have a religious background?

B. Nice: I was raised and Roman Catholic. I was baptized and confirmed in the Catholic Church. I no longer affiliate myself with the Church just for personal reasons but I think religion can be a good. I think religion can do a lot of good for a lot of people. I just didn’t see it doing as much good for me as me just being on my own spiritual path as of right now. I understand people have religious views and that fine as long it’s helping them progress and feel better then I think it’s a good thing but when religion starts to make you feel guilty over things you think are right, then you need to figure out where you stand… the Church gave me a sense of discipline but right now it’s not something I choose to follow.

LaPenna: With all your spirituality and good intent, where do you want to take your music?

B. Nice: Honestly I don’t really have a goal. I think that hurts me in my art. I notice people around me who are doing well with music, they have goals. They want to get signed or such and such amounts of spins on Myspace. I’m more of the approach that if people like it I want to get it to them. I don’t wanna get signed to a major label. I don’t wanna get famous off of music. Honestly, I don’t really think I’m that good but people who like my stuff keep me going.

LaPenna: What are your plans for the future?

B.Nice: I’m trying to put a tour together, dropping a bunch of albums with Cans, H. Brooks and Rich Bills. We have The Peter Perfect Project 25 track, double disc produced by Peter Perfect coming out soon. Look for a new B. Nice tour in Late ’07. Shout to Filthy Family. I’m trying to find inspiration for my next album. That’s one of the hardest things right now. I’m just trying to get inspired… I’ve been so busy.

LaPenna: Where do you see hip hop going in the next five to ten years?

B.Nice: That word, “hip hop” is so ambiguous right now. My definition of hip hop may not necessarily be what yours is or what corporate radio thinks. My definition of hip hop is not really existent on the radio or in the mainstream outlets like MTV, BET. It’s is not really visible in those outlets. But I think hip hop is gonna change and evolve and continue to grow and then go back to its roots. But for now, it needs to go other places. Like, for me, a lot of down south… T.I. is hip hop, he raps, but “Walk It Out” is dance music. That’s good for what it is but that shouldn’t be confused with hip hop that came from the South Bronx: hip hop that stood for unifying the community. Instead of fighting with guns and knives you were fighting with lyrics and breakdncin’ and records.

LaPenna: Any final words of wisdom?

B.Nice: Be Nice to people. Be nice to the earth. Be nice at what you do. Just be nice!

LaPenna: Thanks, Man!

B.Nice: No Problem!

Check out samples of B. Nice’s songs and purchase his album, “Do the Nice Thing” at www.myspace.com/bniceakaniceb

B. Nice’s Top Five Hip Hop Albums

Mobb Deep: The Infamous

Nas: Illmatic

A Tribe Called Quest: Midnight Marauders

Notorious B.I.G. Life After Death

Eminem: The Marshall Mathers LP