Nametag & Nameless - May Day

Nametag grew up in Detroit's east, west, and north sides, constantly being shuffled around with his mother to avoid repercussions of his father's drug addiction. He dealt with the familial struggles and nomadic lifestyle by burying himself into his notebook, penning lyrics about his experiences and drawing inspiration from legends like Rakim. He quickly became the latest member of a family chockfull of R&B and gospel vocalists, rhyming with his friends and relatives such as his cousins, Black Milk and Black Beethoven and he got involved in Detroit's hip-hop history early, and in a big way: his first placement was on Slum Village's 'Dirty District Vol. 1' compilation. From there, Nametag continued to body other Motor City classics such as Slum Village's Dirty District Vol. 2 & his cousin's Black Milk's 'Popular Demand'. But while contributing to others' artist's projects, Nametag continued to build his own footing with a collection of critically-acclaimed mixtapes, EPs and a full length album, 'The Name Is Tag'; which eventually earned the respect of indie rap heavyweights and publications such as XXL, 2DopeBoyz, Detroit Free Press & more. Nameless is from Flint, Michigan, but his gritty soul and relentless work ethic are reminiscent of the legendary hip-hop producers from Detroit that have preceded him. Since placing his hands on a friend's software and beat machine in 2002, he aspired to flip samples as craftily as idols such as J Dilla, Madlib, MF DOOM and others. He began plugging away in the lab, steadily creating sets of instrumental projects and using a knack for graphic design to craft head-turning album art. He eventually created "Feel It," a single from Detroit staple Marv Won's album 'Wayne Fontes Music' and since then "Detroit was hitting me up back to back" Nameless says. Since then, Nameless' ability to morph dusty soul records into headphone-blaring bangers has turned him into one of the most prolific, sought-after young producers in the state. He now has nearly a dozen solo instrumental and compilation albums, and his 'Flidelphia' LP with Ron Dance placed his production behind Dwele, Paradime and others; and he has recently worked with DJ House Shoes, MarvWon & Vandalyzm and more. While Nametag linked up with Nameless initially based on the similarity of their monikers, the duo's chemistry was evident immediately, as they quickly created "Blaow!" and "Raw Dirty Filth," the latter landing on DJ Premier's satellite radio show. With the rest of their collaborative debut, 'For Namesake', the duo take their biggest step yet toward living up to their hometown's legacy. Nametag uses his candid, clever rhymes to address a fickle music industry, shady women, the resilience of his family and employs good old-fashioned sh*t talking, while Nameless' melodic grit pays homage to Motown's past. With appearances by Motor City vets (Black Milk, Guilty Simpson, Miz Korona) and youngsters (Mahd, Jahshua Smith) alike, 'For Namesake' continues to cement Nametag & Nameless as one of Detroit's fastest rising talents.