Music
NanaBcool #NewBlackHistoryMusic’s Sugar Honey Ice Tea
Hailing from Columbus, Ohio, Ghanaian-American singer, rapper, dancer NanaBcool blends smooth, soulful vocals with electrifying dance steps to bring a fresh groove to RnB. We caught up with him to find out why he is the future of black music? his thoughts on black history month and his journey from our ears to our hearts.
So,Where did you grow up?
Columbus, Ohio Eastside (Turnberry)
How was it like growing up in Ohio and what type of family unit did you have?
Growing up was cool, I grew up in a Ghanaian family with my mom, dad, sister, and my grandma. I was surrounded by the Ghanaian community at home and church. And I grew up in a neighborhood where pretty much all of my best-friends lived, I feel like I always had a strong support system in my endeavours and when I got my first condenser mic all of my homies were in the basement rapping and singing with me, the love from them is still here to this day.
How did you get into music?
My dad plays the keys at my church, while also on his side of the family every one of his brothers plays the piano; so growing up there was always music in the house and my mother to dance.
My parents had Michael Jackson’s Dangerous tour in Bucharest on Vhs and I played that concert at-least 10,000 times (see what I did there lol) I was always being put onto good music.
2 years back you dropped the 2am cruise EP, what inspired that EP and do you have any favourite tracks on there?
That ep was inspired by life during 2012-2013. I moved from Columbus, Ohio to Chicago, Atlanta and finally New York within those years. That ep was supposed to summarize my journey up until that point.
My favourite song on that project is Ohio Player. Being from Ohio we have a lot of hometown pride, so being able to make a song that details some of my stories on the come up means a lot to me.
The track 10k hours sees you singing about diversifying your income streams, a lot of growing up as well as decision making…how much of those thoughts are still relevant right now?
I honestly still feel the same but I play a lot more shows now. Listening back I feel like I spoke things into existence with that song …“I’m finna play these shows, I’m a live nigga” and I still believe in the concept of 9-5 and 6-9. At the time I was spending as much time possible in the studio really figuring out my sound, though I’m still writing and evolving my sound, I’m working on getting my 10k up on the stage
10k hours is where the perfection starts not where it ends.
So, you’ve recently dropped the video for “Ice Tea”, it’s very fresh and playful compared to your older works…can you tell us a little more about the song and video?
This song is me detailing a day in the life of a young person living in Brooklyn. You find me post 2amCruise more confident and more secure in what I’m doing, that’s why I feel like I’m the Sugar Honey Ice Tea aka The S.H.I.T. The second verse is me reminiscing back to 2012/2013 when I was in the process of moving to NYC and in the process of quitting my job at the bank (advice that I got from a friend and my uncle).
The video was us trying to set the vibe of just kicking back and hanging with the homies. Ice tea is the name of my upcoming album due in March, so Ice Tea is the product that I’m now selling. I feel like everyone feels like they are the sugar honey ice tea(Shit) at some point and even if they don’t they should; so we had to add the infomercial to give y’all that energy.
We know that a historic/iconic month is here, how’s Ohio during Black History month, how is the vibe?
To be honest I haven’t lived in Ohio since Feb 2012. I don’t know if black history month in America is any different. The way I grew up, my schooling copped out and took that time to talk about Martin Luther King Jr. year in and year out. They never took the time to speak about the plethora of black heroes America has experienced.
My thoughts on black history month are that in America its a cop out. Black history IS American history. The truth is America was built for free on the backs of black people and they decided to give us a month? Naw I want more, we deserve more waaay more.
Would you say enough is being done to teach black and mixed race kids about their history?
Definitely not, unless it is a specialized school or if kids have one those special teachers, but it’s not a priority if you’re talking about schooling, they teach about Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King and if you’re lucky you might hear a sentence about Malcolm X. I was lucky enough that my family raised me with teachings about different black inventors, and revolutionaries. My moms and pops had my sister and I read so many different books by black authors. I read The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley when I was around 12. So I was brought up to be somewhat militant. Being Ghanaian I had the chance to learn about Ghanaian heroes also, I’m grateful for that.
What legacy do you want to leave behind with your music?
The legacy I want to leave behind is that I made quality art and stayed true to myself while helping black people in any way that I can. I want it to be remembered that I always represented for my culture.
Thanks for giving us an opportunity to know a little bit more about you and your music, it’s important for the global community and the future of black music.
Thank you guys for reaching out to me, it means a lot. Peace and blessings,
Written By: Lethabo Ngakane
Please follow Nana on the socials below:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/nanabcool/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NanaBcool