A lot of people have been saying "Hip Hop/Rap Is Dead". I find that hard to believe. There's a great number of talent out there, especially in the heart of Jersey and N1S is one of them. Born and raised in the streets of Newark/Elizabeth, Erik Britt, also known as N1S or ‘The Prince of the City‘, would be the first to let you know that where you're from doesn't determine your level of success. It...'s your talent that's going to take you to where you need to be. And I must admit his talent is going to take him to places beyond Jersey. "It's not where you come from or what your buzz is, it's about your talent level." N1S has been practicing his craft for over 16 years. He first began rapping when he was in the 4th. Grade. To be more precise it was September 1994. It all began in a lunch room in Plainfield, New Jersey. As he stood in line and heard the group of guys freestyling behind him. Being caught off guard N1S was approached by one of the boys and was put on blast to spit a freestyle. Unaware of his talents, due to the fact that he believed he could sing, he spit the first line that came to mind. “I see Tupac coming around the corner with a boom box” The line may seem like nothing to others but to him it was a door-opener. Once he said that line and heard how the rest of the kids reacted he went home and wrote his first rap called “The Realest Mack”. According to N1S, that was probably the last day he did homework. He dropped his books to pick up a pen and write rhymes just as some his influences: Naughty-by-Nature, Redman, Kriss Kross, Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Biggie Smalls and Tupac. The list doesn’t stop there, those are just a few that he shared. “Anybody who took this seriously and wrote their own rhymes and could perform was an inspiration to me” With the help of his mother, he created his rap name from a nickname she gave him. She would always tell him he was the “Number 1 Son. So he took that concept and began to think of different ways to make it sound good. Once he originated his unique name he then gave it a unique meaning. “The main meaning for N1S is: No one says what I says. No one sees what I sees. That’s why no one that sounds just like me. Then I can say no one’s seeing me cause there‘s no one out there that‘s rocking on a track like I do. Then I can say I‘m the nicest one still cause at the end of the day that‘s what I am. Then I can sit up here and say I‘m no one special but I‘m good at what I do. It has a lot of meanings to it” They say a picture is worth a thousand words and the music that N1S creates is a picture that tells a story you will never forget. Rap may have been his first love, but over time he evolved and branched out to writing R&B. His music has been inspired by his own life experiences or the experiences of those around him. To N1S the best part of this business is the reaction from the fans. To be able to grasp their attention by either the lyrics or the beat of the song is a fulfillment for him. The worst part of this business for N1S is not being signed. To have people approach him and tell him how much they enjoy his music, tell him how good he is at what he does and to bluntly tell him oppose to other underground artist getting signed he should have a deal is not just a compliment; it’s also an indirect reminder that even with him taking two steps forward the worst rapper getting a deal sends him four steps back. As a result of this being humble is something N1S admits he needs to work on. According to him, why should he be humble when he knows he’s better then his competition.