Some do art for art’s sake, and others use their creativity as a platform to spark movements. Heralded as a genius by his closest friends and distant observers alike, Nico’s conversational approach to audience interaction is as enlightening as it is entertaining. He’s political but not preachy, insightful but not abstract, and seemingly always one step ahead with his creative direction.

A seasoned performer, Nico was opening for the Last Poets at 15, and soonafter expanding from concerts with thousands of hip-hop fans to national conferences on school reform among esteemed educators. Now entering his early twenties, Nico’s artistic and personal accomplishments extend from being a slam champ to a featured editor for Dave Eggers’ Best American Non-Required Reading.

Unsatisfied with the boundaries of conventional spoken word, Nico is now working on the much anticipated hip-hop theater production WarPeace, featuring internationally renowned tap dancer Jason Samuel Smith. He is also a co-founder of the highly praised music collective, The GetBack, and as a feature on Dahlak’s internet chart-topper, “Welcome to my Cypher,” Nico has developed a cult following of lyric-heads and anyone thirsty for action behind words, and purpose behind performance.