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Vegas rapper Nevos Tyler’s music reflects family legacy and his own quirky personality

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Nevos Tyler
Photo: Valor Perry / Courtesy

Friedrich Nietzsche and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood might not be regular hip-hop talking points, but topics like those are front and center in rapper Nevos Tyler’s lyrics. Whether he’s talking about philosophy or anime, there’s a duality that exists within the MC, distinct ideas that come together to form Tyler’s unique and charismatic identity.

“When it comes to my music, I like to [take] the parts of me that I don’t get to express on a daily basis,” Tyler says, whether that’s his self-described nerdy side or his introspective, thoughtful one. Just take one look at his pixelated, millennial pink website or his Instagram posts full of Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh! references and, well, you’ll understand.

“In a song I can express a full thought and have it transfer to the listener in the way I want it to,” he says. “It’s just a reflection of me in the truest form.”

Originally from Chicago, Tyler moved to Las Vegas two years ago after graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University, where he studied criminal justice. After a friend told him about the Vegas art scene, Tyler decided to take the plunge. “He was telling me a lot about the scene and how dope it was, and that got me in my creative flow,” Tyler says. “So I decided to move out here with him and build my music career out here.”

So far, he says, Las Vegas has lived up to his expectations. “I’ve done a lot of open mics [and] shows, and met a lot of great people out here,” Tyler says. “The people are just great artists and make a great community.”

Due to the unexpected COVID-19 pandemic, Tyler says he’s focusing on his online presence. “I was planning on doing more shows, but because I couldn’t do that, I had to figure out another way to build myself up, and online was the only other option,” he explains.

Tyler credits his father Oz (also born Nevos Tyler), one of the original members of the Chi-Rock Nation, as one of his first inspirations. Formed on Chicago’s South Side in 1985, that group is credited with releasing that city’s first-ever hip-hop record.

“I moved from Chicago when I was about 13,” Tyler says. “I wasn’t really into music back then … but I grew up surrounded by Chicago music and is very much influenced by my dad’s music.”

Now, Tyler is part of his own hip-hop crew, the Sad Art Collective, a group of “musicians mostly in Vegas but all over the U.S.,” according to Tyler. “We all just make our own type of music. None of it sounds the same.”

Tyler recently released two singles, a track about Japanese culture and anime called “Weaboo Sh*t” and a chill cut called “Flow,” both of which he’s preparing to debut live.

“I’m so excited to perform again,” Tyler says. He’s currently working on a new single about police brutality, due in November. “Once I get back onstage, I have so many songs [to share]. That’s a dream of mine right now.”

NEVOS TYLER nevostyler.com, instagram.com/nevostyler

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