Rapper Nemzz on advice from Dave and collaborating with Lil Yachty
As the Manchester-born rapper gears up for his next chapter, he joins EE72 to talk about completing his collaboration bucket list, and his plans never to stop learning.
Nemzzz is always learning. The Mancunian rapper was raised in Gorton, living with his beatmaker mother and reggae and bashment singer father. Their house was a musical incubator, and experimentation was encouraged by his parents’ collaborators who’d filter in and out of their home. It was here that the budding rapper would first hone his craft, laying his steady flow over YouTube instrumentals as practice.
The 22-year-old – whose full name is Nemiah Emmanuel Simms – quickly gained industry attention. His signature, thick northern accent, paired with a nonchalant flow, has proven to be the perfect rap cocktail. It sent tracks such as PTSD and Escape past 100 million streams on Spotify and caught the eyes of global rap authorities. His discography is now filled with collaborations with heavyweights such as Lil Yachty, Central Cee, and Latto.
2025’s RENT’S DUE gave Nemzzz his biggest charting success to date; Dilemma featuring Central Cee debuted at the 39th spot on the UK Official Singles Charts. The rapper plans to continue that success with his forthcoming mixtape, rumoured to be titledLocked In.
The rumoured title reflects the rapper’s headspace. He’s revisited his creative partnership with American rapper Lil Yachty for the project’s lead single GEEKIN – this time, their collaborative sound is “a bit more polished”. And, after taking the advice of British rapper Dave, Nemzzz has been learning to craft beats for the first time. Guided by his producer, he’s been in the studio educating himself on the manipulation of sounds that can lend themselves to his relaxed raps. He’s sure the lessons he’s learnt will be evident in his upcoming project. His musical education doesn’t stop there. Next, he plans on propelling himself towards a new challenge: learning to play the piano.
As Nemzzz prepares to enter a new era of his career, with his newly acquired skills in tow, he joined EE72 from the blistering heat of Paris Fashion Week to talk about his pursuit of satisfaction and his inherently musical upbringing…
You’re in Paris for your first Fashion Week. Have there been any unexpected moments?
The heat. I was in the south of France first. I went to Cannes and Saint-Tropez, and it was pretty hot. So I was thinking, ‘All right, maybe Paris is going to be hot, but not as bad.’ Then when we got here, I was just like, ‘Nah, this is crazy.’
Who were you listening to growing up?
When I was really young, Michael Jackson was an inspiration. There was 50 Cent, Biggie Smalls and Tupac, too. I’d listen to Sade and Mary J. Blige.
Both of your parents were very musical. What was your earliest memory of music in your house?
I’ve actually got a video of me at the age of three or four with this microphone in my living room. I was rapping, but I was saying my name over and over again. That was the first thing I remember. Then my uncle and my mum were making beats together while my dad was doing a bit of reggae and bashment. He had a few friends that would come around, so I’ve always had a lot of musical people around me. When it came to me actually rapping, it wasn’t like I had to build up some mad confidence because everyone was already doing it around me. It was almost as if it was the norm.
When it came to me actually rapping, it wasn’t like I had to build up some mad confidence because everyone was already doing it around me. It was almost as if it was the norm
NEMZZZ
How do your family react to your music today?
I’ve just started making beats, so I’ve been sending them to my mum. She loves everything. All of my family members knew I was going to make music, they just never knew what kind. They always appreciate it. My mum actually likes my music. I catch her listening to it sometimes.
So they didn’t see rap coming?
No, I wanted to be a footballer.
Are you supporting anyone in particular in the World Cup?
England, of course. But I’m not getting my hopes up just yet.
Even though your career has been short, it’s been full of highs. Has there been a highlight amongst them all?
It would be my show in Lithuania. That was my first show where I wasn’t expecting anything. I didn’t even know what the capacity was and a few other artists from the UK were on the bill. When I got there, the whole crowd was singing my lyrics. It was almost as if the whole arena was there for me. At the time it was so shocking because I was thinking, ‘I know I’ve got a bit of buzz, but I didn’t know it was travelling all the way to these sorts of places where English isn’t their first language.’
GEEKIN with Lil Yachty was the first track from your new mixtape to drop. Why was that the right track to open up this new era in your career?
I wanted to give the fans what I know they want to hear, but with a bit more effort. It’s a bit more polished.
Is that compared to the previous track you made with Lil Yachty?
Yeah! It’s Us; that feels like it came out so long ago. It was in 2024. I sent him a single, then he sent me It’s Us back on his own beat. I was like, ‘This is hard.’
And the mixtape is rumoured to be called Locked In. Compared to previous bodies of work, is there anything different that fans should expect?
I think there’s a wider selection of beat patterns, and the music isn’t heavily focused on samples. Expect a new and improved me, man. This is a new version of myself.
What encouraged you to learn how to make beats?
To be honest, I was sitting at home, and I heard a beat and thought, ‘I wish I could change something about this right now.’ So I thought, ‘Let me just try and make it.’
What does the learning process look like?
It’s difficult. It’s like learning how to rap, but because I used to record by myself in the studio, I know the basics. I can put a beat together. There are just certain things that are more advanced that I need my producer to teach me.
How does your producer feel about the beats you’ve made?
They said they’re hard. I’ve been sending them to Dave because when I met him in Manchester, he told me to learn how to produce.
Can we expect Dave and Nemzzz on a track together soon?
Who knows?
We’ll leave it at that! What helps you stay ‘locked in’?
I don’t know if this is right to say, but when you’re stressed, I think you tend to lock in the most. Something triggers in people and they’re like, ‘Right, this is it. I need to get focused.’ That was it for me.
It sounds like learning is really important to you. What else would you like to learn?
The piano. That’s something I need to get going with. Once I get better at making beats, that’s something I’m going to slowly move over to.
Is there anyone you really want to collaborate with next?
You know what? I have all of the features that I’ve ever wanted. Someone would have to come to me and be like, ‘Yo, there’s this sick German artist, or there’s this sick French artist,’ next.
You know what? I have all of the features that I’ve ever wanted
NEMZZZ
Your career started five years ago. What do you hope the next five years hold for you as an artist?
Satisfaction, or as close to that as possible. I could sit here and say, ‘I want to reach this goal, or I want to reach that goal,’ and then I’ll hit the goal and then go after something else. I think I’d like to be closer to satisfaction.
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