Albany’s Nbhd Nick: The calculated hustle of a hip-hop entrepreneur

ALBANY — When rappers talk about bars, they’re usually referring to their lyrical prowess, but for Nick Sprague, better known as Nbhd Nick, the term carries a different weight.

For Sprague, bars could just as easily refer to metrics in a spreadsheet—data points that define the success of his music and the precision with which he approaches his craft. Not beats. Not rhymes. If a producer feeds him a beat that doesn’t move him, he’ll move on within seconds, wasting no time. At 31 years old, Sprague demonstrates a business acumen marked by strategic thinking and an unrelenting focus on efficiency.

“I run my own analytics,” he explains. “I put together spreadsheets with the numbers because if someone wants to come by and buy my music, I have all the numbers for you.”

Sprague produces tracks at a prolific rate, and the common thread running through his work is his hustle. Drawing inspiration from his first love, basketball, his work ethic mirrors that of Kobe Bryant’s. The late Los Angeles Laker developed an on-court persona known as the Black Mamba—a cold-hearted executioner on the court. When the Orlando Magic’s Matt Barnes once feigned tossing the ball into Bryant’s face, Bryant didn’t flinch.

Sprague’s business-minded approach is just as cold, bypassing traditional routes and local gatekeepers to focus on a broader, more lucrative market. Unlike many artists who spend countless hours in the studio, he’s highly disciplined in his recording process. He plots out studio visits for each financial quarter, recording 24 to 36 tracks annually. This efficiency is no accident; it’s a calculated decision that maximizes his output while minimizing costs.

“I go down to the studio, and if I’m there longer than an hour, it’s because we’re talking or watching something on TV,” said Sprague, a Black Mamba-focus towards recording.

For Sprague, music isn’t just about creative expression; it’s a product designed to resonate with commercial audiences. He’s not attached to his songs in the traditional sense but views them as vehicles for sync placements in commercials, ads, and social media—an area of the music industry he believes represents the future.

“I treat my songwriting the same way,” he explains. “People don’t care about most of the lyrics anyway. The production is what sells it.”

This focus on sync placements has paid off. Sprague’s music has been featured in campaigns for major brands like Under Armour, Team USA, and New Era. His strategic positioning in this market ensures a steady stream of income, independent of traditional album sales or concert performances.

“I found a partnership to make money from my music immediately,” Sprague said, referring to his distribution deal with Epidemic Sound. The Swedish media company provides royalty-free music and sound effects for content creators. Music creators, in turn, are compensated upfront for their work and also receive half of the streaming revenue generated by their tracks. “No matter how successful my records get, I have a baseline of income coming in, period.”

Sprague’s approach to his music career is one of independence and self-sufficiency. He owns his music, manages his bookings, and only partners with others when it makes business sense. His decision to keep his records clean is another calculated move, aimed at maximizing opportunities for sync placements without the added cost of producing alternate versions.

This pragmatism extends to his views on the local music scene, which has largely ignored him. When nominees for Hip Hop/Rap Artist of the Year at the Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Awards were announced in February, Sprague’s name was absent—but he hardly noticed.

“Yeah, I don’t know 70% of these people. This seems like a ‘who’s in the local mix’ award show versus ‘who’s impacting the industry from here,’” he said, noting that Souly Had’s omission from the list was “comical” as well.

Sprague has detached himself from the local scene. After years of grinding in the local circuit, he experienced burnout. He took a year off from music to reassess his approach, sought insight from industry contacts, and discovered the potential of sync placements, making a strategic pivot that has since defined his career.

As Sprague looks to the future, his focus remains on efficiency and growth. His next project will take him to Stockholm later this year, where he plans to record a new EP. This will mark his first time recording outside the U.S., a move aimed at not just creating new music but also building content and expanding his brand on an international level.

“Labels are in shambles right now, and you know, staff is getting tossed—they don’t really know what to do with the talent,” he said. “They have playlisting, soundtracking, song placement, and syncs. That’s the future, and I’ve been doing it for four years now.”

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