Just over a month ago to date, UK talent Nippa made his debut on our pages with “Situation” — a deeply refreshing track, bolstered around bouncy production, silky smooth deliveries, and a sense of homegrown self that seeps through the infectious visuals. Simply put, Nippa’s music is the type that doesn’t pray on a viral moment or a TikTok dance to get moving. Rather, it leans on authenticity and sheer quality — the type of thing that anyone feels comfortable texting to a friend or playing at a party, which is arguably the highest form of cosign there is, when personal taste is put on the line without any other motives involved.
Around the time “Situation” was released, Nippa was starting to gain some attention from U.S. and Canadian outlets, and is now buzzing out of the UK as a red-hot new talent with cosigns from the likes of Boi-1da and Blxst, spins from BBC Radio 1Xtra, a follow from FKA Twigs, and more — that is, while finishing up his last year of university in Kent, where peers have started to recognize him around campus. Nippa is a storyteller, he’s charismatic, he can sing, he can rap, and most impressively, he can swiftly move between all of these skills without missing a beat. Today, we have the privilege of premiering Nippa’s latest offering — a brand new song and video entitled “Pay The Price.”
To kick off the music video, “Pay The Price” begins with a shot of Nippa on FaceTime with the legendary Boi-1da, who makes sure to crown Nippa as the “hottest in the streets right now.” Then, the soul-soaked instrumental kicks in, the bass starts to hit, and Nippa is off to the races, sliding over the instrumental with his signature, R&B-tinted deliveries and instantly excitable personality. Meanwhile, scenes of partying, dancing, and singing grace the screen, portraying Nippa’s lifestyle without ever reaching for a truth or trying to craft an artificial scene. Similar to “Situation,” “Pay The Price” leans purely on truth and a strong sense of self, which further paints the picture of who Nippa is and what his music embodies.
That said, “Pay The Price” also arrives ahead of Nippa’s new EP releasing tomorrow, so be on the lookout for even more from the UK’s own on the way. With just a few singles released to date, Nippa still hasn’t missed, and the momentum is only speeding up. Granted, this might make his last year at university a little more complicated, but in the best way possible.
Check out the “Pay The Price” video above and read a short Q&A we were able to do with Nippa below!
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LL: First off, who is Nippa for those that don’t know?
A young boy from the ends trying to bring a new sound to the UK and to the world. This EP will help introduce people to who I am and what I can do.
LL: “Situation” was the first track to really pop things off for you. Did you know it would go as crazy as it did?
Nah, no way my bro [laughs]. Similar to my other single “Ride Or Die,” people hear it, it’s good, and I might expect to get a few hundred fans. I was happy with that because numbers compound — one day you make it 20k Views, the next day is 25k Views, then it’s 26k Views, and it just goes up and up. “Situation” took probably five days after we released it to really pop off, so I didn’t expect none of this. Even talking to you, I didn’t expect anyone from the States to hear it [laughs].
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LL: At what moment did you realize the song was starting to bubble like that?
Definitely when the Boi-1da cosign happened. I was like alright, I could be cold [laughs].
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LL: Talk about that cosign a little more, how did that come together?
That’s the dawg, man — it feels weird saying that but that’s bro. He got word of “Situation” via a page called RnB Radar which is run by RnB Tomi and showed love. He DMed me, sent me his number, and then out of nowhere, he FaceTimed me. I was on the way to a show, just as a fan, and he FaceTimed me while I was in the car getting dropped. I had to pick up, I couldn’t be busy because that’s flipping Boi-1da [laughs].
LL: You also performed at Blxst’s London show pretty recently, how did that come together?
Some friends called Reese and Gio set that up for me, but Blxst and his people welcomed me with open arms. Meeting Blxst was a crazy experience because this time last year, I was really just listening to him trying to master that sound. That album No Love Lost, I really studied that. To even be in the same room as him talking about music is crazy. That was my first big performance, it was nerve-wracking.
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LL: Who were some big influences for you coming up?
I mean Drake number one, the GOAT. Musiq Soulchild, Maxwell.
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LL: Favorite Drake album?
Has to be Nothing Was The Same — there’s no skips on that album, just great music front to back.
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LL: Anything to leave your audience with ahead of this EP?
Whatever genre you do, just be true to yourself. Always.
Just like that, our call ends and Nippa gets ready for a university lecture at 5:30. He’s living a double-life right now, but by all counts, a bright future in music is quickly and deservedly shifting into focus for the UK’s own.