Nico Carreno aka ANSCR is someone who has gone through a lot this year. When his baby mother had him falsely arrested in Joliet, Il earlier this year he could of easily retreated into obscurity, but instead Nico used that passion to fuel the anticipation of his latest release C.O.U.N.T.Y. With the debut single being released on 92.3 this weekend and a show this Thursday opening for his longtime collaborators Bone Thugs & Harmony. Nico Carreno is definitely a name you need to remember. I caught up with the promising emcee for his second interview with Audio Fuzz.
Ryan Glover: Your opening for Bone Thugs & Harmony this week, whats the experience like opening for such a legendary group? Do you feel more pressure to perform well than you would for a show with a lesser name?
Ryan Glover: Since the last time we spoke a lot has happened in the world from the hurricanes in Houston, Florida and Puerto Rico to the largest mass shootings in US history do you feel a responsibility to use your platform to shed light on the injustice going on in the world?
Ryan Glover: Do you feel that your ethnicity has been an advantage or disadvantage in making a name for yourself in hip hop?
ANSCR: Not really, I vibe with all ethnicities! If you hear my message and it speaks to you. I don’t care what color you are, or where you’re from. If my music speaks to you, then our minds are similar and that’s all I see. Intellect or ignorance. Not color or race.
Ryan Glover: Your Single to your EP C.O.U.N.T.Y is finally out, what are your goals with the project?
ANSCR: YES!! The single is called “You Like” Feat. Amanda Hays (HaZE). She really helped make it special and capture what I wanted to do with the song as far as giving a male AND female perspective in a relationship. Sean Dale, Real T and everyone at Power 92.3 FM Raw Radio released it on the airwaves this passed weekend and I couldn’t be more thankful for the love they showed us! C.O.U.N.T.Y. is the name of my EP. 6 tracks and each letter is the name of a track. For example the “C” stands for “Contagious,” the “O” stands for “Ourguments,” and so on..This project is to tell my story and help regain everything I lost with my son (Art). I was falsely accused of a domestic back in May when I caught my ex having an affair and she put me in jail. I lost “Everything” I worked for (my son, house, car, clothes, ect..) even though the judge dropped all charges after viewing a video and saw “I was innocent”. I had to rebuild from scratch, get a lawyer, and maintain levelheaded. Music helped me do that. Writing it all down and recording my struggles helped me stay sane. It allowed me stay focused and on track. I now have half custody of my son but that’s not enough. The profits from this project are going right back into music and to my lawyer until I have enough to attain residential custody of my seed. I’ve been making music for a long time now, it’s really the only other way I know how to make extra cash so this dream of mine can come true. And I won’t stop until it happens! With the support my friends and family give me, even the radio stations and Bone Thugs fam, I don’t see how I shouldn’t do this.
Ryan Glover: How conscious are you of making songs for the radio when you go into the studio? Or is it more of something that just happens organically? What’s the process you make to write a song that goes on the radio?
Ryan Glover is a contributing writer for https://www.audiofuzz.com. Follow him on Twitter @RyanDavisGlover, “Like” him on Facebook and add him to your google network.