Nico the Beast
Philadelphia’s most feared lyricist of the new decade has won over fans and critics with commercially released projects on a yearly basis going back to 2006. Nico has paid his dues in the Philly underground scene, playing any show big and small from Philly to Los Angeles. He made waves as part of three projects, 2006’s “Sometimes There is Trouble” LP, 2007’s “Living in Harmony Mixtape” and 2007’s joint EP with LA Producer WDHQ “Clean Guns = World Domination”.
With the release of his solo debut, 2008’s “No Beast So Fierce” LP, Nico heightened his skills as a gifted songwriter. Never content with sitting idly, he promoted the album with an interactive weekly contest in conjunction with 33jones.com titled Feed The Beast. This ten week endeavor put The Beast at the mercy of his burgeoning fanbase—they submitted instrumentals via email, Nico banged out two song each week for ten weeks straight. Rhyming over instrumentals as diverse as the Beastie Boys’ classic “Paul Revere” to southern club bangers like Shawty Lo’s “Dey Know” pushed Nico into a new zone and into a versatile emcee adept to any track, concept, or flow.
2009 started off with the release of his first solo mixtape “Dinner is Served Vol. 1″. The project solidified his spot in Philly’s talent-deep hip hop scene, nabbing beats and rhymes from Reef the Lost Cauze, Kre Forch, Planetary of OuterSpace, and beats from STRESS the Whiteboy. Then, abruptly things changed.
A near fatal car crash in April 2009, which resulted in the loss of a dear friend, put Nico in a temporary holding pattern. Nonetheless, five days after the accident and not even two days home from the hospital, he was back on stage with one good leg supporting him, wowing the Philadelphia hip hop community through sheer will.
Barely a month after the accident, he was performing in Miami with The Rap Pack and flew home just in time to witness the birth of his third child and first son Domenic Zarrella Jr. Though the physical and psychological toll of the trauma hadn’t worn off from the crash, a new child appeared to bring light to a rebuilding man. Sadly, Domenic Zarrella Jr. passed away without warning, not even 8 weeks old, from the rare bacteria infection “klebsiella pneumoniae”. Everything stopped. Suddenly, music meant nothing.
But the Beast survives and endures. Though he’s been relatively quiet to the public, he has been laboring away in the studio as always, for therapeutic purposes, sure, but also to prove something: he is never satisfied. Even recently, before Christmas, another close friend of his passed away prematurely from a rare heart disease. Death keeps calling, but Nico keeps walking.
As he gears up to unleash a barrage of new music on the dolo (a sequel to Dinner is Served and a new LP), a new buzz has built via co-signs from NahRight, 2 Dope Boyz, iStandard Producers, and satisfied collaborators from across the globe thanks to his internet grind. Nico keeps showing and proving that hard work, talent, loyalty, and determination have their advantages. 2010 will no doubt prove to be the year that the results of this man’s prowess will propel his brilliant career as a true emcee.
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Da Beassssst – cant wait for that LP to drop!!!! And the new heat, you know!!!!!!