Nardo Wick’s career began as a family affair, with the Jacksonville, FL–born MC recording into a cheap microphone with his dad as engineer. Nardo started spitting at a home studio as a way to stay off the streets, but this activity quickly turned into a full-blown career. His sharp storytelling about the horrors and highs of life on the streets, his chest-caving beats, and his clever wordplay launched him to household-name status shortly after he dropped his first track. This initial success snowballed into his superstar-turning moment, “Who Want Smoke??,” his first Platinum hit and the centerpiece of the deluxe version of his stunning debut, Who is Nardo Wick?. The track was boosted on the bonus project with 12 new songs—with a remix featuring G Herbo, Lil Durk, and 21 Savage. Wick went from a disciple of those artists to their peer, thanks to the success of “Smoke” and the resounding acclaim that accompanied Who is Nardo Wick? The rhymes were recorded on a studio mic (his first was reportedly only $40), but Nardo’s success on the project was due to his unflinching authenticity—a style he began honing on his first tracks. The camera-shy artist was willing to let his music do the talking. Nardo made it clear that his story would be told on record and on record only. The album served as the clearest insight into the artist to date, the only way for fans to understand his passions, what makes him tick, and the way he views the world. He threatens that his opps will end up on the news but laces his bars with smart turns of phrase, like on “Lullaby,” where he describes how his crew puts people to sleep. On the Future- and Lil Baby–assisted “Me or Sum,” the superstars take turns recounting the ways their love interests mimic their signature traits. “Let her put my chains on, now she think she me or somethin’,” Nardo raps with a chuckle. It playfully twists Future’s verse that kicks off the song, signifying that Nardo not only can attract rap’s biggest stars on his songs but has become one himself.