Bronze Nazareth is a soundsmith.
The beloved Hip Hop double-threat recites rhymes of dictionary percussion, and his highly regarded beats surround ears like the sound of a helicopter propeller. A sonic whirlwind on the boards and the microphone, nothing he says, or scores, is done to simply blow hot air.
Born and raised in Grand Rapids, MI while standing firmly and iconically as a resident of Detroit, Bronze has ridden a gust of heat from The D all over the world. Whether he’s with his mentor RZA and The Wu-Tang family, his group The Wismen, or solo, Bronze’s great migrations are consistently thought for food. His current platter, the album If You’re Worried, You Should Be, is being touted as the best work of his acclaimed career.
We caught up with Bronze Nazareth for THIS INTERVIEW ahead of his homecoming concert in Grand Rapids at The Pyramid Scheme (Dec. 2, 2022), an event he co-headlines with comrade super producer, fellow Grand Rapids native/iconic Detroit resident, and life-long best friend Apollo Brown.
Bronze, how excited are to be coming home to Grand Rapids to perform again?
I’m over the moon! It’s been a while. It’s been a few years. I did the GZA [Liquid Swords 25th Anniversary Tour at The Pyramid Scheme] last time, but that’s always a different thing because that’s the GZA show. To come home and jump on this shit at The Pyramid Scheme with Apollo, my brother from another mother, and with us both being from this grain and having taken the journeys we’ve taken in music…
For the shit to come back to a head in Grand Rapids, it’s that good homecoming! You know how it is in sports when you’ve got that homecoming game. As far as Hip Hop in our city this is the homecoming game. I’m excited. I’m anxious. I’m a ball of confusion like the song says, but in a good way! [Laughs]
Tell us about your love for the city of Grand Rapids. Also share your thoughts on how it’s grown and where you still see growth potential.
Grand Rapids is the grain. Gun Rule. I’m an 80s baby so I came up in the thick of G-Rap. It was growing then and it definitely has become something other than what it was when I was coming up.
I think the scene is more vibrant. They’re getting the nightlife together. My brothers Willie The Kid and Jonathan Jelks, and their crew, are opening up with some dynamic businesses. Governor Slugwell is doing his thing.
The Hip Hop scene is coming together very well. Grand Rapids is burgeoning, it’s brilliant. We’ve got a little ways to go with the cops, but some of the city is definitely having a surge and I think it’s going to continue.
Why is The Pyramid Scheme stage special to you?
The Pyramid Scheme is a Grand Rapids staple. You’ve got other venues that are important as well, but as far as Hip Hop and being an artist who has made a career with it, if you don’t go to The Pyramid Scheme and rock out, you’re not doing your Hip Hop right if you can’t come to Grand Rapids and do it there!
I just think it’s the premier venue. It’s set up beautifully. It’s the spot right now, especially for the Hip Hop artists. I see it as a staple – big time.
The Hip Hop artists in Grand Rapids who are on the rise, and those who certainly have established themselves, look to you as a blueprint, a mentor, and a role model. Here’s a few names: SuperDre, J. Rob, Lady Ace, Rick Chyme, Willie The Kid, Sixman, and Dean Martian. Give us your feelings on how you’ve, minorly or majorly, helped influence or inspire their roads to success.
Mmm. Shit. I think, hopefully, I’ve given a picture of turning this shit into a career. All those people that you’ve mentioned are career artists now. I’m not saying I sparked their careers or anything, but I think I was a good example of coming from where we come from, being an artist, and getting it done musically.
What’s a respectable indication that you’re getting it done musically?
It’s all about your catalog. There’s been a multitude of great artists to come through, in and out of Grand Rapids. But as far as catalogs, there’s only a few of us with those real thick catalogs that stand out from Grand Rapids. So, I hope that I’ve just been an example to those artists and others, or an assistance to those artists. Willie and I did a crazy album together!
I hope I’ve been a picture of what it looks like, and that you can have a career in this shit. It’s good money in Hip Hop as long as you do what you should do in every career, which is work hard. I hope I’ve been an example of hard work; staying at it, chopping at the tree, and finally seeing the success you feel you deserve.
Imagine a sit-down conversation between DJs Ill One, Omega Supreme, Monk Matthaeus, Composition, Dean Martian, and Head DeBiase, all of them discussing songs of yours on their playlists and sharing what they like most about your music. Fully aware that this could legitimately happen, how does it feel to have support from prominent DJs from home?
I would love to be a fly on the wall for that conversation! Us artists we like to have our egos stroked a little bit, so to hear other people discussing your music is lovely!
I love the support I’ve gotten from home. I know they keep spinning me and keep me in the mix. They keep talking about me. It’s love. Any one of those guys can hit me up if they need something because the love from me is returned twofold. I salute the DJs. They keep your music running. Big love.
Bronze, what should audiences expect from your live performances?
Passion. It’s going to be a passionate performance. When I get up there I let it out. I go through all my different projects; I got some The Great Migration on there, some Bundle Raps, the Ekphrasis with Roc Marciano, I got joints off the new album If You’re Worried, You Should Be, a couple with Apollo … We’re going to bang out heavy and go through a good span of the discography.
My boy Ty Farris is jumping on the stage with me as a special guest, and Lord Jessiah as well. I’m going to be up there sweating! I’m going to be looking at them and talking to them! I put on. And for homecoming, you’ve got to. | THIS ENT
[By Mr. Joe Walker]
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