Biography
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Nino Bless developed an early passion for music rooted in his family’s deep ties to the salsa world, where relatives worked as both studio musicians and live performers. During his teenage years he picked up piano skills, yet hip-hop soon exerted a stronger pull. Viewing marketing and promotions as the most viable entry point into rap, he launched Milestone Media, a firm that handled campaigns for both major and underground acts including Chamillionaire and Immortal Technique. As the Puerto Rican MC continued this work, he gradually shifted into ghostwriting and eventually began crafting his own sharp, clever verses. Bolstered by encouragement from longtime client Kool G Rap, Bless launched his solo career in the late 2000s, quickly generating local attention in 2008 through the gritty street tracks “4 in the Clip” and “3rd Degree.” The former included appearances by Joell Ortiz, Styles P, and Kool G Rap, while the latter showcased Saigon alongside Scram Jones, who also handled production, and Crooked I. Hype surrounding his debut mixtape, Untold Scriptures (2008), swelled to levels normally reserved for major-label releases, even though the excitement remained concentrated within New York at that stage.
Singles
