Nippa: “My Personification of Love Became My Hometown”

From the Spurs box to sessions with Kaytranada and Blxst, Nippa is staying true to himself as the world opens up.

North London. A place built on community, food, arts and some could say, historic football teams. Proven to stand the test of time, and this will be the case for generations to come, it’s the home to some of the most iconic music venues, such as The Jazz Cafe, KOKO and Electric Ballroom. These are the same venues where the walls have been witness to more debauchery and hedonism than a politician in the big seats. More importantly, North London has brought the world music some of the most legendary household names like Adele, Amy Winehouse, and Skepta (to name a few). To the British scene, this side of London town will always be pivotal. But there’s a new era cutting their teeth on the concrete that laid the foundations for greatness, and at the forefront is none other than Nippa.

Off the back of his latest release ‘Homegrown’, singer-songwriter Nippa firmly plants his flag in the sand, and at a time where the UK R&B scene is bustling with gems. With 'Homegrown', his first EP on Warner Records, the fast-rising artist delivers a body of work that pays homage to the place he first called home: Tottenham. ‘Homegrown’ is a listen for lovers of real music, and those who delve deep into their genres and appreciate the craftsmanship of a style of music so heartfelt and often bittersweet.

DMY sat down with Nippa to talk about the ends, the comedown, and what honesty costs in the spotlight.

You’ve described ‘Homegrown’ as the result of a year of soul-searching. What was happening in your life that made that necessary, and when did you realise it would be the subject of the record?

As I progress in life, we all have our reasons for wanting to be better with ourselves. When I was making the music, I wasn’t in love with anyone, I didn’t have a love interest. So my personification of love became my hometown, Tottenham. My family, my friends. They’re all contributors to who I’m growing into as a man, innit? So I described myself as homegrown. From the second song I made for the project, I knew it was going to be called ‘Homegrown’; that’s just who I am.

The EP is about reconciling where you come from with where you’re heading. Do those two things ever feel compatible, or is the tension the point?

It definitely brings tension. You want to progress outside the ends, but the ends is where your love is. It’s the only place that’s ever going to feel like home, because it’s been home for 25 years. It’s hard to leave somewhere and build a new home that actually feels like home, because it’s foreign. But at the same time, you have to progress outside of what you know and be uncomfortable to grow and succeed. So it’s about finding the balance between the two.

You’ve been spending a lot of time in America. Has that been a music decision, and has it helped your sound?

It’s been super beneficial, I’ll be honest. R&B is big over here in the US, so you’ve got a bigger market. But I don’t like to spend too much time in America. I always touch base in the ends, go back to the hood, see the mandem and the family, so I never lose the essence of me. But if I’m trying to hit global status, I’ve got to touch the soil, touch the culture. DC, LA, New York, even Miami. Every state has its own culture, its own lingo, its own people, and you have to see that for yourself.

You grew up in Tottenham and call it “the ends” in everything you do. What’s something about the area that people outside it tend to miss?

The community. All my friends in the videos live in the same area. The mums know us, the aunties on the road know us, the children know us. There’s a big sense of unity. When we do barbecues, we always include the community and make sure we give back, so Mrs Roy down the road gets sorted too. Everyone likes to put a negative view on the ends, and I get it. There’s a lot of gang shit going on, and sometimes you’re born into it, sometimes you grow up in it. But there’s a real community that brings everyone together outside of that. That’s what I want to shine a light on, rather than just the gang shit.

The title track soundtracked the new Spurs kit launch. How did it feel to see something so personal sitting inside the identity of the club on your doorstep?

That’s a mad thing, I’m not going to lie. When I look at it, I think, “Damn, that’s legendary.” But there’s something in me that feels like it was meant to be, because I’m actually from Tottenham. I used to be in that stadium as a youngin. My mum worked for the club and ran community events, and now I’ve had the kit launch for my home team, performing, chilling in the box. At what point do I just call it coincidence? Nah, this was going to happen. Of course I feel grateful and amazed, but I feel like it was written. All the mandem were in the box, we’re all from the same ends, my grandma was in the box, my nephews were running around causing trouble. This is real Tottenham.

‘Bittersweet’ has a more house-influenced record. Was it a conscious decision to put the more vulnerable stuff over something you could dance to?

Yeah, I always do that. If it’s a dance beat, I’m going to spit some depressing shit. Even with my song ‘One More’, that’s about me getting drunk in a bar by myself, wanting to end it all. But it’s lit, let’s get lit though. When I’m in those kinds of moods, I go and party to escape it. I’m outside a lot so the depressiveness doesn’t catch up to me. So I kind of run from it. I’m just expressing myself, and me expressing myself is that I’m down bad, innit?

You’ve worked with Kaytranada and Rance. What was the dynamic like, and did they take you somewhere you wouldn’t have gone alone?

It was actually Rance who put it together for me. He already had the Kaytranada beat there, with Kaytranada’s stuff on it. Rance has worked with Jay-Z and Nipsey, one of my favourite rappers, and we connected nearly a year ago. He’s a legend, and he understands that I want to push myself musically. I don’t just want to grab a hit. The hit will come, but I want to make the best timeless music I can, and that’s his goal as well. When two people are aligned on that, it’s only going to be magic. Having Kaytranada’s seal of approval and his little touches on the song was a full-circle moment, because I’m a big fan. We’re actually going to New York in four days to work on some stuff. I’m just happy things are moving, and that I get to work with people who like to push their sound and not get comfortable in one spot, because I’m the same.

Blxst is on the EP, and ‘Homegrown’ connects two cities. What does the link between London and LA actually look like when you’re in the room together?

Damn, what does that look like? I don’t know, man. It just looks like litness. When Blxst came to the studio, that was a lit session, a lot of shouting. I lost my voice by the time we were done. He’s the brethren. He put me on a stage in 2021 to support him, so he’s an actual friend of mine. It was only right that he got on a song that’s about family and full circles. I don’t know what the room looks like between London and LA, because mine’s London to the core. I’m not one of those people who goes to LA and switches up their accent, keeps the language but changes the accent. He knows where I’m from and I know where he’s from. It’s a connection of two worlds, and ‘Homegrown’ comes to fruition.

You end the project without any easy answers. Where are you now with those questions, and do you have an idea of what comes next?

I never have an idea what’s coming next. You just got to live it. Life is a journey of constant self-discovery, and that only ends when you’re dead. So I don’t know what’s coming next or what it looks like. Am I just going to live and keep going and keep being me, keep running it up, keep trying to improve myself? Whatever God wants to give me, he gives me. And just keep it stepping, keep it pushing, keep it hustling, like I’ve always done.

When people listen to ‘Homegrown’, what do you want them to leave feeling?

I want them to feel like they know the man behind the mic a bit more. We all question ourselves the same way. I’m human, we all have the same feelings. I’m not a celeb. You know how people look at celebs like they’re not real people? Nah, that’s not me. ‘Homegrown’ lets you know who Nippa is, outside of just “Oh my god, he broke out.” This is who Nippa is, and this is where his mind is right now.

'Homegrown' is out now via Warner Records.

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