Aheavyweight producer in UK music, Nyge has established himself as one of the very best at his craft. The south London beat maker rose to prominence as part of a new generation of underground British artists and has been a force to be reckoned with ever since. The first song he produced was ‘Lock Arf’, a Smoke Boyz (fka Section Boyz) track that changed the landscape of UK Rap and eventually culminated in the group sharing the stage with Drake at their headline show. Nyge’s midas touch stretches across his discography, with a string of hits that have helped define UK Rap over the last five years. 

This in turn has allowed Nyge to collaborate with some of the biggest artists in both the US and UK. While his work with AJ Tracey is perhaps what he is most recognisable for, creating the soundscapes for the huge hits ‘Butterflies’, and ‘Pasta’ amongst others. Since his arrival in the scene, Nyge has continued to adapt and diversify his sound, giving him the opportunity to move into different genres. With the role of the producer evolving in recent years, many of those behind the scenes hold almost as much star power as the ones they’re engineering for. Nyge is no exception as he hopes to follow in the footsteps of the ‘super producers’ that came before him, taking the first steps to become a multi-hyphenate authority within the UK scene and beyond. 

How did you get into producing? 

It started as a hobby, I used to rap back in college but I picked up the hobby of producing because I found I was struggling with what to say. I ended up teaching myself from YouTube and after that I started making beats and sending them out. It all kind of fell into my favour even though I didn’t know the business side of the music industry at all. I’d still be doing it now even if I wasn’t on the business side as well. 

What were you listening to when you started out?
Skepta obviously, I listened to Grime but really I was more into American music like Waka Flocka and a lot of Atlanta music. I wanted to be like Lex Luger and Southside when I was producing; that’s kinda where it started for me. 

You were a good footballer as well at this time…
Yeah I played at quite a high standard to be fair. You know, I got the ankle injury [laughs] but I had to pick between music and football and I chose music. 

What would you say was your breakthrough moment? 

The first song I produced properly was ‘Lock Arf’ by Section Boyz. I think that was the first time I thought, “Ok, I guess I’m not that bad at this.” Before that I was just making music and sending it to my friends so I was kind of elevated overnight. I think that was the turning point for me. 

That track is widely seen as one of the most iconic UK Rap songs of all time. How does it feel to be associated with that?
I think it was a moment of change for a lot of things. That was the year that Spotify came in and people really started to take music seriously. People realised that they could make a career out of this and get signed to a major label. I don’t think you can take anything away from the impact that it had, for sure. 

This is an extract from the SS23 issue of Viper Magazine. Buy physical and digital copies here.

Photography: LUKE ROWAN 

Words: JOE SIMPSON 

Creative Direction: EDDIE CHEABA