Nick Grant has become one of the most exciting new MCs as of late. The Atlanta, Georgia native’s music is stylish and substantial, but has that vibe to blend in with music and artist that may not be as dense. While 88 continues to burn in rotation, Grant pays homage to a record tradition that packs lots of power.

In 1997, The Notorious B.I.G. released Life After Death double-album closer “You’re Nobody (Til Somebody Kills You).” The song was an eerie farewell to the legendary MC who died before the album’s release (and a rumored-but-refuted shot at his own slain rivals). In 2014, with Puff Daddy launching a diatribe on the record, Rick Ross made “Nobody,” in the image of Biggie’s album cut. Moreover, the record was a public, artistic response to a previous threat on the Maybach Music Group founder’s live in a Florida drive-by shooting.

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Nick Grant’s young career does not yet have the gravitas of Biggie’s ’90s run, or present day Ross. He knows this. That is why, his “Nobody”—a proclaimed B.I.G. Tribute changes the chorus to “you’re nobody til’ somebody feels you.” In this age, that is what it takes. And the bars between the choruses are Nick measuring himself to giants, showcasing wordplay (with heavy quoteables), and explaining why he feels destined to move this craft of rapping forward.