Young Nudy‘s music has aged better than a good majority of his peers. His unrelenting delivery is nothing too complicated, but it speaks to the working class. From “Hell Shell” and its resurgence on TikTok this summer, to The Carters listening to Sli’mere on a 400 Million dollar yacht, there is no demographic that runs from Nudy‘s wave. And here’s the kicker in my modest opinion, Nudy was gifting the world this anti-writing, off-top delivery years before any of his sons were conceived.
Nudyland is full of hits like “Loaded Baked Potato”, an American classic “Nutsack” and “No Clue” featuring Yachty. These cuts go up at shows and it’s not because Nudy is an incredible performer. He does his thing, but the fans love to lose their shit to his music. Really Nudy is a rugged maestro of the street’s orchestra, playing with our emotions at the edge of every line. Those debating this man’s importance in the grand scheme of rap need to jump off the cliff. This is one of those artists whose music ages and gets understood more as time passes along.
Songs like “Friday” and “Blue Cheese Salad” all connect me to eclectic energy that few artists can access that quickly. It’s calculated, brilliant ignorance, but Nudy is one of the smartest in the game. We never see him bitch and moan about being ignored or slept on. Those who know, fucking know it and we will tune in every time. I remember the snippet of Nudy just riding around playing a preview with a bountiful bankroll in his lap and it was almost as if I had forgotten about that snippet when it dropped. But that first listen reignited what to me was emphatic poeticism. And that song just happened to be the one below.
“Zone 6” is another unrelenting example of genius. The ruckus that fills our heads and hearts doesn’t feel the need to simmer down. Nudy‘s sound is the battery in our backs that pops into our heads when a random alabaster Rebecca cuts us off at the grocery store.
He doesn’t need the notoriety of the industry to make his moves happen. He has the people’s hearts and ears. It’s a different realm than even these so-called professionals can predict, but his team is making the right moves at the right time. Nudy is a cult-classic level of artist with the catalog to match, but he continues to make what he wants to make and gives a middle finger to the world. The off-kilter song titles not matching at all to his subject matter possess a certain charm that cannot be duplicated. Nudy is a real champion of the people and that’s why we love his wave.
