So Where To Today?

Beyond the bruises and underneath the scars of an often-unbelievable past, Nino Paid pushes through the pain and finds the strength to tell his story. As if mid-conversation, the DMV rapper will unassumingly memorialize a relative gone-too-soon, make a stark commentary on addiction, or allow his faith to take over. The 22-year-old immediately struck a chord with generations of hip-hop fans by quite literally holding nothing back and bleeding on every track. In the midst of a turbulent childhood, he recorded his earliest tracks in the basement on his brother’s setup. Music became a means to connect, whether it be catching a girl’s attention with a song or impressing other inmates during his time in a juvenile detention center by singing and rapping. Upon returning home from the latter, he attended barber school, opting to spend hours in the back “freestyling with old heads.” He anesthetized the pain of losing his aunt to cancer (and later his stepdad) by making music. In between, he supported himself by hustling on the streets. During 2023, he personally financed and independently released his debut “Pain & Possibilities,” achieving viral impact and gathering 3.8 million Spotify streams and 1.2 million YouTube views. He picked up the pace with the Can’t Go Bacc mixtape and anthems a la “Money Problems” [feat. Lil Gray], “Kryptonite,” “Relapse,” “Champagne,” and “Suicide” in addition to collaborations such as “Moshpit” with Yhapojj and “Lyfe of the Party” with 2Sdxrt3all. Earning acclaim from the likes of Stereogum and more, Pitchfork went as far as to crown him, “The introspective new star of DMV rap.” Now, he continues to resonate on his 2024 debut project for Signal Records and Columbia Records.