Nemzzz

Manchester, England rapper Nemzzz fuses an introspective personality with inventive beats drawn from drill and trap, delivering his thoughts through a relaxed, unhurried delivery while examining the small details of relationships, social norms, and everyday routines.

Nemiah Simms entered the world in 2004 as the son of Jamaican-descended parents who both pursued music, and he grew up in the Gorton district of his hometown. His father performed dancehall reggae while his mother produced tracks across multiple styles, giving Nemzzz early creative motivation. In his early teens he started writing and recording rap verses over downloaded instrumentals, then self-released the forward-looking “Youngest in Charge (Freestyle)” in 2018 at age fourteen. Additional singles appeared throughout 2019, and the August release “Deep End” attracted attention from Officially Urban and GRM Daily. The 2020 tracks “Paranoid,” “Can't Slip,” and “Transparent” each highlighted his distinctive somber, introspective approach, distinguishing him from artists favoring brash boasts.

His profile rose sharply when October 2021’s “Elevate” entered the lower positions of the U.K. singles chart and drew notice from Drake, Lil Yachty, and Central Cee. Although the Universal Music-supported follow-up “2MS,” issued in February 2022, failed to chart immediately, it gained momentum over time and surpassed 100 million global streams within two years. Demand for Nemzzz grew, leading to guest spots on collaborative singles with Kidwild, Rimzee, A1 x J1, and Stay Flee Get Lizzy throughout the rest of 2022. In May 2023 he issued the self-released debut EP Nemzzz Type Beat, and that October he unveiled “Money and Vibes,” an initial glimpse of his first mixtape built around a creative sample of Justin Timberlake’s “Rock Your Body.” The next month’s “8AM in Manny,” a Manchester-centric response to Drake’s “8AM in Charlotte,” came before the Blanco collaboration “Brilliant Mind II.” His debut mixtape, Do Not Disturb, arrived in March 2024 and was followed just three days later by a deluxe edition featuring Headie One, Lil Yachty, and K-Trap. The project reached the Top 20 of the U.K. album chart while also charting strongly in Ireland, New Zealand, Portugal, and Switzerland.