Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Matthew Allen. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Matthew, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I think a lot of how I learned to do what I do came from trial and error. Growing up in a church that put on what essentially was a rock concert every Wednesday night/Multiple times every Sunday Morning meant I had a lot of time to cut me teeth in performing to a big room with high expectations. I also was involved theater throughout my schooling which also added to my stage time. Then It was performing in various rock & roll bands in venues full of the loyal partners of the band members and empty air.
It was a lot of performing, doing badly, and working on not doing whatever that was again.

I don’t really know if there is a way to “speed up” learning how to be a great performer. I think it’s like a muscle you have to train. Maybe lights and a PR team can help you get to a bigger stage but the only way you do well on that stage is the hard work put in before that moment. However I do think I would have said yes to more opportunities earlier on and been less afraid to try out something I was really excited about because trusting your gut is something that can help you out immensely.

As far as skills
Being able to do a proper soundcheck
Developing a healthy practice routine
And learning how to ask questions were super essential

Obstacles were mostly time, space, and money. Not having the time to practice or a space to really be able to sing full on. Then needing money to rent a space and having to spend time making money. The arts has A LOT of up front costs in order to make it. Most people spend year paying in before anything ever starts paying out.

Matthew, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Well my name is Matt and I am a black, plus sized, queer, class clown from Rosemount MN in the USA. My industry is entertainment and I do that primarily through hip-hop, though I do dabble in other areas as well like theater, stand up, and acting.
While I do love those other things music has always been my passion.

I have been doing hip hop for little over four years now and I have been having a blast playing all over the country with fans all over the world. I have been the keynote speaker at conventions, I have had my own TEDx talk and I performed on some of the most prestigious stages and along side some of the most respected names in the industry.

I am happy to say that I have made 7 full length works that are out everywhere the newest being a project called “HVN”. I also have a number of singles as well and collaborations with artists all across the country. Not to toot my own horn or anything but I think one of the things that sets me apart is that my music speaks to so may demographics at the same time. There is a Nur-D song for every emotion, every gathering, and almost every life situation that one can experience. I strive to find a way to make music for everyone.

That inclusivity is one of the things I am most proud of and along side of that I am able to use this music to help my community a better place. I get to make music that makes people feel seen and then I am able to take the money I make from that music and invested into the people around me who need it the most. Imagine if your macaroni picture you brought home for your parents also fed the hungry kid down the street cuz that’s how I feel.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

That you have to do it all on your own. I think one of the first thing that young artist have to get over if they are going to be successful is that the “self made sensation” is a myth.
EVERYBODY had help
EVERYBODY had someone get them in the door.

So many of the artists we know and enjoy had backing from rich parents or industry studios or something that helped them get to point A to point B.

And thats OK.
There is nothing wrong with asking for help from someone with the tools and/or expertise to help you get to the next level.

The faster you learn that the faster you stop beating your head against a wall doing something you’re not skilled at and handing it over to someone who is.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I sure have because it’s how I got into hip hop. For the longest time I would have sworn to you that I was going to do Rock & Roll for the rest of my life. I liked hip-hop just fine and I enjoyed rapping from time to time with my friends but I wanted to be a rock & roll performer.

A lot of it was because I loved the genre but also a lot of it was I didn’t want the people who ASSUMED I would be a hip hop artist because I was black to be right. I hated the idea that these people who were so safe in their ignorance that they felt they could say something like that to me out loud to feel like they were right along.

It was a lot for me to drop that weight.
I did Rock & Roll for 8 years even when I knew it just wasn’t going anywhere just because I didn’t want to seem like I failed.

I also didn’t want to be a front man, not really. I would insist that people didn’t see me as a front man because I truly believed that someone who looked like me couldn’t be one. I needed to surround myself with others because that way nobody would see how much I didn’t really like myself.

But in both of those instances I was letting my life be dictated by other people and what they thought of me, not what I truly wanted to do.

I enjoyed making music, any type of music really, and I loved hip hop. It is a part of my culture. It was made in the city I was born in. Who cares what some bigots thought? If I loved doing it and I was good at it the only thing that I should be worrying about is how to do it on my terms.

So I made the switch. I stopped doing rock & roll and started over again at open mics cutting my teeth in hip hop. But this time I had the years of performance experience and a new sense of self that others around me didn’t have and I stood out.

The rest is history.
Well it’s still being written but I hope it will be history someday.

Contact Info:

• Website: nurdrocks.com
• Instagram: @nurdrocks
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NurDClub
• Twitter: @nurdrocks
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BlackGenesis
• Other: https://linktr.ee/nurdrocks

Image Credits
Mari Weigel – Photographer