Production duo Nard & B, hailing from Atlanta, have worked with many of your favourite ATLiens. This includes, but is not limited to, T.I., Future, and Gucci. In this interview, HNHH talks to the Grand Hustle signees on what projects they have in the works. They also discuss their grind in the city, as they try to become a household name. Finally, Nard & B speak on linking up with Tip after he was released from prison, XXL Freshman Future & more. Check it all out below.
HNHH: What are you working on right now?
Nard and B: We’re working on all Grand Hustle projects including Grand Hustle D.O.P.E. if you’ve heard of them. It consists of Rick Kid Shad, Spodee, and Yung Brooke. They’re a new group. They just did their single actually. We just put it out. It’s called "Know That" with Stuey Rock. Other than that, we’re about to get in the studio working with Iggy for her album. She just signed to Interscope [Read here: Recent speculation on whether Iggy is a free agent]. We’re putting songs together for the OMG Girls. Then Tip, you know he’s working on Trouble Man.
HNHH: When does his album come out?
Nard and B: I don’t know exactly and if I get that information before you do, I’ll definitely let you know. Other than that, outside of the Hustle fam we’re working with Future obviously. We did two songs on his album, "Straight Up" and "You Deserve It". Also working on Plies, Gucci.
HNHH: You guys have a lot going on. What’s going on with Gucci?
Nard and B: He’s working so we’re about to start working.
HNHH: For his album?
Nard and B: Yep.
HNHH: Do you know when that comes out?
Nard and B: Nope, but when I get that information I got you [laughs]. Other than that we’ve been working with a lot of writers. Trying to get the pub check up. You know how that goes. Pretty much trying to work with everybody in the city. Trying to get our name more household than it is now. We have stepping stones that we have met but we’re trying to take it to another level and work with people from other cities. We’re working Dorrough real heavy. We just did his single with Juvenile. Other than that it’s just beats, beats, and more beats.
HNHH: You guys have a lot of singles coming out. How long did it take T.I. to reach out to you after he was released?
Nard and B: Probably like a week. He was trying to chill out with the fam and out of nowhere-it wasn’t even him. First, it was our manager Jason Geter. He hit us like “Yeah, I need a CD for Tip.” Then one of the A&Rs from the label, Doug, was like, “We need a single for Tip.” So, it was just instant. He works though. He’s one of the hardest working people. I can’t really say rappers. He’s one of the hardest working people I know.
HNHH: How is it working with him?
Nard and B: It’s great. We always push each other every time we get in the studio together and try to come up with something crazy. But we’ve been working together for a while so that chemistry is there. That’s why we try to take that same standard when we work with other artists.
HNHH: What songs have you done?
Nard and B: I don’t want to talk about any old stuff. So all the new stuff, I can’t disclose that information. Especially this one song we’re working on.
HNHH: You can’t give us any hints?
Nard and B: [laughs] Nope. Just know it’s going to be the truth. It’s going to make you sit down.
HNHH: It’s different?
Nard and B: Yeah, it’s different. It’s what he needs though. It’s what the city needs to hear from him.
HNHH: So what’s going on with Gucci?
Nard and B: We haven’t had a chance to get in the studio yet. We crossed each other and he said he was ready to work so when we go in we’ll see what we come up with. We worked with him awhile back. We worked with Gucci in, I think, 2005. I had a little set up downtown. A little studio around the corner from the Hustle but he didn’t really know who we were and that was the beginning stages of what we had going on so it’s all good. But you know great minds come back in contact with each other, especially in the city.
HNHH: Right. Speaking of the city, Future. He blew up out of nowhere didn’t he? Not as in he didn’t have the potential, but as in how fast it happened. It was "Racks" and then next thing we know, he’s doing a collaboration with Drake.
Nard and B: Nope, he put in work. His momentum was so strong. He put out mixtape after mixtape and every mixtape had at least three to four songs that could have been anybody in the city’s singles and they’d be in the same position as he was. So why wouldn’t it work? He took a single off each mixtape and put it on the album. So everything coming up to the album and everything that he’s been doing is deserved. He put out over nine solid mixtapes within a year. That’s crazy. The only person I know that does stuff like that is Wayne. Every mixtape was hard.
HNHH: So how’d you link up with Future?
Nard and B: We were working with this group called F.L.Y., one of the artists in the group told us Future wanted to do a verse. So he did a verse and I hit Future trying to get in contact with him because I didn’t know who he was forreal. So we called him up and was like, we need to go in. We finally got in and come to find out, he’s the same Future we used to see when we used to go to the studio with Rocko all the time. So it’s a blessing that we got a chance to get back in with him. The first night we went in, we did "Feeling I Get" and then from there it went crazy. We did "Long Time Coming". All the mixtape joints been going hard so we got a chance to be blessed and to get on the album.
HNNH: Congratulations on the album! Anything else you want to say to the people?
Nard and B: Thank you, thank you. Follow the Twitter, @NardandBNation. Go to the website. That’s NardandBNation.com and they can go there to get in contact with us for beats. You know we’re always looking for work. That’s work with an E. W-e-r-k.