Featured photo courtesy of Legendary Nedge
Story by Bailey Brantingham
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Many artists arrive in Nashville with hopes of taming and dominating its eclectic music style. One artist, however, is making it a goal to incorporate not one, but all of its genres into his own practice.
Nedge, a senior music business student at Middle Tennessee State University, is swimming against the music industry current by openly explaining that his music style is not yet solidified. With so many ever-present influences around him, his style is still being molded to bend to both his own will, and that of Nashville’s all-embracing music scene.
Stemming from his love of rap and performing, Nedge’s music career was born. Being nurtured by the curriculum at MTSU, his career has grown into the multi-faceted powerhouse it is today.
“My music is a raw reflection of the reality I live in.”
Hailing from the small town of Griffin, just outside of Atlanta, Nedge explained that the rap movement of the nearby city took the reins on his early music style. It wasn’t until he made the trek to MTSU that Nedge began incorporating the eclecticness of the Nashville music scene into his own production.
After making primarily rap-based music “just for fun” in high school, Nedge began the transition into college life, his music style following closely in his footsteps. Nedge blames MTSU for the extensive evolution of his music-making abilities. The proximity of Nashville and its bustling music scene opened his eyes and steered him away from the shelteredness of his rap-fueled base. The new music terrain allowed Nedge to explore modern boundaries of music, as well as incorporate new styles and messages in his own.
“Coming here brought so many different sides of songwriting and creativity out of me that I didn’t know existed,” Nedge said. “Honestly that was when I switched from calling myself a rapper to an artist.”
Nedge also doted on the experiences MTSU has provided for him in the music industry, like student-run record label Match Records and a curriculum based around the music business side of the industry. He also gained a hopeful glimpse into his industry future after taking a recent trip to Los Angeles with a few other MTSU students to attend the Grammy Awards.
“I was like ‘Wow, these people came from the same place, the same little town in Tennessee, and made it all the way to LA and have had a profound, successful career,’” Nedge said. “So it’s like, if they can, it was inspirational to see that and say, ‘Shoot, why can’t I?’”
Stacking on to this Academy-level feat, Nedge was also able to participate in an MTSU commercial that recently won a regional Emmy award.
“This is so much bigger than just me. Going forward I can inspire kids that look like me, where I’m from, that you can go to MTSU and do something like this. They have these opportunities out here for you. It exists.”
Nedge ended by teasing his upcoming project Kaleidoscope. Dropping in May, the EP draws close ties to its name, featuring rap-based songs that will incorporate multiple different genres.
Nedge can be found on Instagram and his music is available on all streaming platforms under Legendary Nedge.
To contact Lifestyles Editor Destiny Mizell and Assistant Lifestyles Editor Shamani Salahuddin, email [email protected]. For more news, visit www.mtsusidelines.com, or follow us on Instagram at MTSUSidelines or on X at @MTSUSidelines.
