Khalil Nasim Makes An Appearance

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I’ve noticed a thing I like to do with these articles. A small habit that I think I rather enjoy — opening with a question. So, here we go… 

What is dedication? Are you dedicated to anything? Have you ever had your dedication to something tested? I mean, painstakingly, hands in the air, head to sky, tested? We’re talking “take a semester off or stay the course and get that degree”-type dedication. We’re talking “five miles left on the marathon, give up or push through”-type dedication. That “gotstaseeitthrumaboi”-type dedication. Dedication that you know will pay off in the end. That’s the type of dedication that bore fruit for Khalil Nasim on Tuesday of this past week, when I was in the building for the listening experience celebrating his upcoming and first album, The Disappearing Act. 

The setting was the Portal HQ — one of the triangle’s newest and most artist-friendly venues and creative hubs, and might I say, a very nice choice. As I entered the concert area, I noticed something: there were chairs, seating, and on stage, there was a couch, where Sifi! was sitting comfortably DJing the sounds of the night. That meant we were in for a real album breakdown, a sit-down talk on how this album was made. I’m a bit of a nerd for those types of album listenings. I was locked in. Before we get into that though, I’ve got to bring up the performances by Nasim’s fellow artists and frequent collaborators, The Deviants. That’s Cardigan, Yahliq, Chalk, .Zone, Cloud Envy, MBLoaded, and Sifi!, if you’re not familiar (psst…I would advise you get familiar now). In aggregate, the collective is a living example of how expansive hip-hop has become as a genre, not a single artist sounding alike but all fitting perfectly together like pieces of a great puzzle. If you’re going to build a musical movement, these are the guys to build it with. I smell a tour brewing for sure, but hey, I’m just speculating. 

This is one of those pop-and-show-’ems, one of those “your squad ain’t like my squad” type of joints; lowkey, a West Coast bop for real. The posse cut for the pregame, party and parking lot parlay. 

Now, let’s get into the album, The Disappearing Act. The reason I opened this article asking about dedication is due to this album title’s backstory. A brief telling by Nasim revealed it was originally entitled “The Balancing Act,” but, put simply, the album files kept disappearing, quite literally. For three years Nasim seemed to have the worst luck with hard drives, building the album up, only for it to be lost to the ether. It would seem that those trials served the greater picture though, as it granted this album a perfect moniker. Nasim may be disappearing to new heights once this album is released (psst… February 24th). To say the album was good feels like a massive understating of the work put into it. From the first song, it feels as if you’ve been transported to a movie theater and the opening scene has begun. This is no exaggeration; there is an abundantly clear focus on instrumentation throughout. These aren’t just beats and raps, they’re soundscapes. Mostly produced by Khalil himself and mixed by Eric Von and Leeroy Free of Stratosphere Records, every bassline was felt through your seat, every voice heard clearly, every bar sharp and spoken with conviction. This was an album of hard work and dedication. A labor of love. A musical contribution brought to life by tribe and community, and Nasim would make sure every contributing artist and engineer was seen sitting right upon stage with him as we cycled through each song, hearing tidbits about their creation process, and how they tied into a cohesive album.

There’s many a standout on this album, but we’re going to keep it light, or I’d have to be paid per word (haha). Let’s talk about that first song; that one that I said took us to the movies. On "Black Boy Cry/Angels," with contributions from Dante Allen, PM, and Cloud Envy on vocals and Kamozie on keys, you’re hit with the mood for the entire album. A manifesto that this music is a vehicle for change, and Khalil’s strapped in and ready to take it all over the world much like he did at the age of 23 (a reference to Nasim’s verse). “I said I wasn’t gon’ cry, started crying on the first song”, words of nuance from Khalil himself as the song repeats, “They just want to see that black boy cry…black boy cry”. I’m sure that cry was worth it my boy. “Call Cuz,” the fifth track on the album, is almost reminiscent of Kanye West’s “Family Business” from a contextual standpoint, centered around the importance of having a strong family connection. The chorus rings in my ear as I type: “If you ever be in trouble, you can call cuz.” We all need that one person we know we can reach out to when things get rough, a major plus if it's a family member. 

It was a house track, and I love house tracks. I think I’m going to gatekeep that one actually. Yeah, I’ll just dance to the memories of that song until the album drops. Did I mention the album drops February 24th? 

Quick pause to give a nod to CJ Monet and Watty Tha Shepard who graced the listeners on tracks two and four, “Heaven” and “Face Up.” Then there’s the two-part track, “Mark Henry,” that feels like one of those days where you’ve been outside with the homies running around the city, the night rolls in, you change fits, and the whole world becomes a movie. The interlude opens with PM, a collaborator of Nasim’s, giving a soulful verse that’ll have you singing “stunting is a habiiiiitttt.” Then all hell breaks loose in the best of ways as the main track drops in and the party starts with Cloud Envy, Sifi!, and Jay T accompanying Nasim. This is one of those pop-and-show-’ems, one of those “your squad ain’t like my squad” type of joints; lowkey, a West Coast bop for real. The posse cut for the pregame, party and parking lot parlay. 

Another standout that was released prior to the album’s dropping, was track seven, “Digits.” All heart and conviction on this one, folks. Easily a crowd favorite, an anthem from “a trill young n***a from the bottom.” On this one, Nasim dispensed with the pleasantries, stood up, and performed it live. The lid blew off the place as I’ve seen happen every time he performs it.

The Disappearing Act is a body of work. That’s the statement. It is a body of WORK. After two hard drive crashes, three iterations, and three years of mishaps, what you’re left with is a feeling of dedication, drive and focus.

Now there’s one song on this album that I think is going to be the sleeper. I don’t mean that in a critique way — no, no — I mean that it’s going to slowly become many fans’ favorite as they digest the album in full. That song is “Me N’ My…,” a track for when you’ve got your favorite near and dear and the day is but a side quest, my friends. One of those days when you're hand in hand and cheek to cheek. Blxnknn, Cardigan, and Yahliq feature on this one and each one waxes poetic about the ideal day with their fine shyt. The last track Nasim played was a song entitled “Moonlight,” and I can’t lie, this one caught me pleasantly off guard. It was a house track, and I love house tracks. I think I’m going to gatekeep that one actually. Yeah, I’ll just dance to the memories of that song until the album drops. Did I mention the album drops February 24th? 

The Disappearing Act is a body of work. That’s the statement. It is a body of WORK. After two hard drive crashes, three iterations, and three years of mishaps, what you’re left with is a feeling of dedication, drive and focus. You can hear it in the lyrics, which never falter in their potency or intention of conveying a clear message from Khalil to his listeners. You can hear it in the musicality, in the space given for his collaborators to contribute their gifts to the songs. You can hear it in the skits, brilliantly placed in the perfect spots for maximum laughter. I left feeling incredibly inspired. This album speaks to the individual who needs that extra wind in their sails, the individual who holds tight to their friends and family, the individual who learns the lesson in it all.

And especially, to that black kid who wants you to tell his daddy that he’s a revolutionary too.

BrassiousMonk is a producer, rapper and songwriter hailing from Raleigh, NC. He’s spent extensive time assisting in the growth of the NC music scene through his independent label, BrassExpansion, which releases projects and produces concerts specifically around the Triangle area. He can be found on Instagram at @monkbrass.