nelson bandela is “the sexiest ugly nigga alive”

Nelson Nance is on some other shit. If you’re tapped into NYC’s vibrant underground scene you might know him by his aliases “Norvis Junior” or “DJAYTECHNOMUSTARD” or perhaps as “Nelson Bandela.” But if you’re nowhere near NYC or its underground scene you still might know of his work, the HBO series “Random Acts of Flyness” features Bandela’s off-kilter compositions as its soundtrack (his brother Terence is one of the show’s co-creators). As Nelson Bandela his music is an unpredictable blend of electronic music, hip-hop, and funk with a Dadaist twist to it. It’s heavy on absurdity and improvisation and light on formula — personal reflections and social commentary delivered through a mischievous smile.

Bandela’s latest mixtape, Sexiest Ugly Nigga Alive, features a Pen and Pixel-style cover featuring a hotep meme-fied image of Bandela, mic and ID in hand, kente-cloth crowned, and eyes aglow. It’s hilarious. The title track spins the humor of the cover into something profound when Bandela and guest MCs Lord Byron and multi-hyphenate creative Stonie Blue turn an inside joke into a self-affirmation: “Sexiest ugly nigga alive,” Bandela sing-raps before adding “You jealous of my African features/ you hatin’ my African features/ yeah, I’m a beautiful creature.” Over a rumbling bass kick and screechy synths the three men give their interpretations of the chorus as a mantra. Lord Byron revels in his own divinity: “I look like a god/ it’s not a façade/ just look in my eyes.” Stonie Blue turns his attention to self-delusion: “Sexy/ And alive/ but I’m still ugly/ from my decisions when I lie/ lie to my feelings/ lie to the mirror/ lie to my mind.” Rounding out the bunch is Bandela who pivots from self-love to praise his life partner: “Oh, I love your melanin/ it tastes like honey/ I know alotta folks that want what we got who got way more money.” Has ugly ever been this beautiful?

Buy Nelson Bandela’s Sexiest Ugly Nigga Alive mixtape on Bandcamp.