After revealing the Lost Tapes to us in July, Nines goes back into the vault once again, this time taking us to his teenage years.
The mixtape comprises 15 songs recorded during his teenage years, with the majority being made when he was just 17. Nina himself described this body of work as “the mixtape before his first official mixtape”.
Throughout the project, Nines features Church Road artists we know and love, such as Likkle T, Baloo and J Styles, Cuzn Sugz and Tuff.
In this piece, we’ll be taking a look at Nines’ Young Nina mixtape and reviewing it thoroughly.
Intro:
As we do in every review, we have to start with the intro (peep the wordplay).
Here, Nina introduces us to his teenage self, delivering his classic flow over an authentic UK hip-hop-style instrumental. He reflects on his lifestyle at the time, giving listeners an insight into his younger years.
Honestly, it’s a strong start to the project and has that refreshing sense of nostalgia that we love about our UK classics.
If you’d like a deeper intro into Nines then look at our article that covers the entirety of his career:
When I Blow:
In this track Nines foreshadowed his success by beginning the track with “Fuck all the hoes that dissed me When I Blow, they’ll miss me”.
He also speaks about the hustle required during his come-up and reveals that music wasn’t necessarily his main focus at the time.
The beat has a distinctive US hip-hop sound that gives us a sense of déjà vu. We can’t quite put our finger on what it reminds us of, but the production definitely sounds familiar.
14 Years Old First Song
As the title suggests, this track takes us back to when Nines, whose real name is Courtney Leon Freckleton, was just 14 years old, and he was already flowing crazy!
You can hear his raw lyrical talent throughout the track, even with the occasional voice cracks that remind listeners just how young he was when recording it.
He also speaks about wanting more from life than what his circumstances had to offer. At one point, he expresses his desire to move away from drug dealing, while later reflecting on the uncertainty of where he might find himself in the coming years.
Looking back at how his career eventually unfolded, these lyrics are particularly interesting.
Later in the track, fellow CSB/ICB artist and longtime friend Likkle T hops on with an American-style flow.
Sh*t On You Freestyle:
On this solo track, we hear Nines rapping over the same instrumental used by D12 on the US hip-hop classic Sht On You*.
Young Nina definitely did his thing on this beat. The only downside is that the track is under two minutes long.
Interestingly, this feels like one of the moments where Nines was beginning to find his signature sound. His delivery, flow and overall approach to the instrumental have elements of the artist we would eventually come to know.
It makes sense why Nines described this project as “the mixtape before his first official mixtape”.
Outro:
To close the project, Nines uses a West Coast-inspired instrumental.
He speaks about seeking forgiveness from God for his past crimes while reflecting on his hunger for success and his ambition to make it in music & in life.
The track also features Cuzn Sugz, who delivers a hard-hitting road rap-style verse that complements Nines’ performance.
Overall, it’s a good track and a fitting way to close the mixtape.
Overall:
In our opinion, Young Nina is a solid project. There aren’t any tracks we’d class as “trash”, nor would we label any of them as fillers.
However, one of our main criticisms is that the subject matter remains largely the same throughout the mixtape. While the individual tracks are good, the recurring themes can make the project feel repetitive at times.
Although it’s a good body of work, we feel this release is primarily aimed at Nines’ hardcore fans, particularly those who have followed his journey from the start.
For casual listeners, we don’t necessarily see the entire project having significant replay value in the long term. However, for fans interested in hearing how Nines developed his sound and lyrical ability during his teenage years, this mixtape offers an interesting insight into his beginnings.
Young Nina Rating:
For the reasons stated above Young Nina gets a 7/10 rating with 5 being average. As mentioned good tracks however the subject matter stayed the same throughout the Mixtape.
