Nick Chou, also known as NICKTHEREAL, is a bonafide multi-hyphenate star: a rapper, singer, dancer, director, actor, and entrepreneur. For the second installment of “The Regionals,” NICKTHEREAL not only co-wrote and perform the Hit-Boy-produced track with his fellow Taiwanese artists Karencici, Julia Wu, and Kumachan, but also directed the music video for the highly anticipated “The Regionals: Taipei” cypher via his creative production companies Wish You A Good Life and Huaxing, out on September 23.
“Being able to participate in this project is very meaningful to me, and I also enjoy the whole process of working on the lineup and the direction of this collaboration,” he shares in an exclusive interview with HipHopDX Asia.
“In recent years, I’ve been trying to dedicate myself to helping other young and new artists by sharing my own production skills, resources, and platforms…I wish to give back more to the scene, which also got me the opportunity to be the director of this music video for the song. I’m feeling very grateful at this point for being able to contribute more than before,” he adds.
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His drive and passion to platform Taiwanese hip hop are rewarded, as the hip hop multi-hyphenate continues to reach new heights in his already-stellar career. NICKTHEREAL has established himself as a jack-of-all-trades star. Despite his access to resources, he continues to be hands-on when it comes to his music. NICKTHEREAL composes, produces, sings, dances, and directs his own music and visuals. Despite being involved in every part of the music production process, he doesn’t shy away from collaborating with other artists, just as he does in “The Regionals: Taipei.”
“I think each of us really implemented our own style into each part. The result turned out to be really cool, and it is a really interesting combination that you rarely see in Taiwan,” he shares when talking about what he thinks of his fellow The Regionals participants’ verses.
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He takes it a step further, especially after finding out that the producer for the track is the award-winning Hit-Boy. “Hit-Boy is definitely one of the top producers in my ranking. When I first heard the beat, I thought it was a total Hit-Boy style [track], and [I] absolutely vibe with it.”
His participation and part in the production of “The Regionals: Taipei” highlights NICKTHEREAL’s love for Taiwanese hip hop culture. He says that he hopes that this can be an opportunity to showcase Taiwan’s hip hop scene and Asian artists to the rest of the world. This hope also translates into his own standards for producing the music video, which he shares that he “[made] sure to deliver this production with a more international level of standard.”
Catch NICKTHEREAL together with Julia Wu, Kumachan, and Karencici in the Taipei edition of the history-making cypher series, The Regionals premiering on HipHopDX Asia on September 23. Pre-save “The Regionals: Taipei” here and catch the music video premiere down below:
