Nickelus F is a rapper, songwriter, and producer from Richmond, Virginia. He is best known for being the Black Entertainment Television106 & Park "Freestyle Friday" champion seven weeks in a row and being inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2007. Nickelus F is also known for his collaborations with rapper Drake. On the Cut the Check mixtape, Drake and Nickelus F released the song "AM 2 PM" by FTP Productions, which was also included on Drake's first mixtape Room for Improvement, a project which features Nickelus F on several tracks including "Money," "A Scorpio's Mind," and "S.T.R.E.S.S.".
Music career
Nickelus F first began rapping in the 4th grade while at summer camp but he did not begin to take rap seriously until he was in the 6th grade. His first official song was recorded over LL Cool Jay's song "Hey Lover." In 2000, Nickelus F got his first break into the hip hop industry when he competed against 300 contenders in the regional "Source Unsigned Hype Emcee Battle" where he placed second despite having no formal recording experience. He was also named "Unsigned Hype" in The Source in 2000 at the age of 17. Nickelus F then went on to participate in BET's 106 & Park Freestyle Fridays where he was crowned champion after winning seven weeks in a row in 2007. In November 2009, Nickelus F was featured in Complex's "Ten Most Underrated New Rappers". In 2015, Nickelus F collaborated with rapper/producer Lil Ugly Mane, under his production name Shawn Kemp, and released the albumTrick Dice. This album was released on cassette and according to Nickelus F, sold out in one hour. In 2016, Nickelus F made his return to battle rap in a league, "Southpaw Battle Coalition" against Danja Zone, and in 2017 against Bigjinya. Nickelus F is currently part of a collective in Richmond, Virginia, known as the Association of Great Minds or AGM. It features fellow artists Radio B and Michael Millions, producer Namebrand, and photographer/videographer Monsee. Drake has described Nickelus F as "one of the most gifted people I know at finding flows". As of 2018, the last released collaboration between Drake and Nickelus F was in 2013, titled "Number 15," which was released as a bonus track fifteen on Nickelus F's "Vices" album.
Ghostwriting
In a 2010 interview with Complex Magazine, when asked if he had ever ghostwritten for Drake, Nickelus F responded "Yeah, I've done that. I know the rumor going around. I don't want anything I say to be misconstrued. I helped out, you know."
Born in Portland, Oregon, to a father who served in the military, Nickelus F moved frequently as a child. He spent time in his childhood living in Berlin, Germany and lived in various places across Virginia, United States including Hampton, Charlotte, West Virginia, and Richmond. While battle rapping on BET's 106 & Park Freestyle Fridays, Nickelus F was working as an exterminator for Terminex, a pest control service. He would head to New York from Richmond, Virginia after work on Thursdays to compete in Black Entertainment Television 106 & Park "Freestyle Friday" every week. After the birth of his two twin daughters, Nickelus F began his undergraduate degree at the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. He credits school for making him more efficient with his time and music as it provided him with structure in his life. In 2015, Richmond, Virginia street artist Nils Westergaard painted a mural of Nickelus F on the side of a building in Oregon Hill, Virginia. Nils Westergaard created the mural because he believed that Nickelus F deserved recognition from his hometown of Richmond, Virginia and he was in a unique position to provide it via street art.
