Contacts
Michael Nhat
About the Artist
Anti-thetical to the way audiences are accustomed to receiving songwriting and hip-hop music. Asian-Amercian Hipster Art Rapper, Michael Nhat, has been creating a stir in the Los Angeles area with live performances, local and nationwide press, several music videos, experimental short films, & three self-produced full-length albums. Raised in Iowa, Nhat started freestlyling and rapping at age 14 immersing himself in the black community until age 20. Gang violence, drugs, the prosecution of three childhood friends, and the birth of his daughter turned him away from this life-style. In 2001 Michael moved to Burbank, California and embarked on a new start. "This is when I started going by Michael Nhat (naught), defining myself and not acknowledging my past and the problem with that is, everyone meeting me now thinks I'm just some nerdy hipster who jumped on the rap bandwagon. The one thing that gave me credibility I was ashamed of and did not want to showcase" says Nhat. In 2004 Val Jerk Records released "Very Special People" a compilation featuring Busdriver, 2mex, Awol-one, and Michael's first single. After countless failed attempts to break into LA's hip-hop scene he discontinued efforts. "I did not really listen to new rap anymore, and I didn't care about it's tradition of battling, it's fashion, and it's ubiquitous macho man attitude, but I thought since I rapped, this was the only scene that I should be trying to join, even though this whole time I was secretly disgusted with it and didn't feel right knowing this scene isn't for me". In 2008 he started volunteering at downtown LA's The Smell. "This was a milestone for me. I was involved in a scene I enjoyed, music I actually liked, and around people I felt comfortable with. And I didn't have to worry about someone making fun of my tailored skinny pants or calling me a faggot for my classy fashion sense". After a few months at The Smell, Nhat was getting booked at least once a week at every venue that mattered in the scene from The Echo to the Vermont House. Before the year was over the Vermont House label How to be a Microwave negotiated plans to release his official first album on 12inch vinyl. October 2009 those plans materialized which began media attention and a cult following. In the fall and winter of 2010 Nhat released two entirely different recordings "Swimming to Cambodia" (creepy, dark, sample-heavy, collab-filled experimental album on Annie Hall Records) and three months later "Just Plain Dying" (upbeat, non-sampled keyboard, no collabs on I Had an Accident Records). Deli Magazine ranked Michael Nhat at number 30 in LA's Emerging Artists. Enjoy Press reveal Urb Magazine planned having him in Urb's Next 100, but the magazine decided to go digital and forgo the issue. Currently Michael Nhat's awaiting a 2011 release date on How to be a Microwave for his 4th album and a 2012 date for his 5th on Paramanu Records. While waiting, Nhat is already shopping his completed 6th and 7th full-length recordings and working on his 8th.
