Nic Nac
American record producer and songwriter from California
- Hip hop
- pop
- R&B
- Record producer
- songwriter
- audio engineer
- rapper
- FL Studio
- guitar
- piano
- vocals
Musical artist
Nicholas Matthew Balding (born July 5, 1989), professionally known as Nic Nac, is an American record producer and songwriter from El Cerrito, California. He is best known for producing a string of successful hip hop recordings during the mid–2010s, including "Loyal" for Chris Brown, "Do It Again" for Pia Mia, as well as DJ Khaled's "I'm the One" and "No Brainer".[1] He first started out in the group Go Dav[2] in the early 2000s, and is a member of the group Starting Six.
Early life
Nicholas Balding was born on July 5, 1989, in El Cerrito, California. He started to DJ when he was in fifth grade. His parents got him something called a "DJ In A Box" that came with two turn tables, a mixer, and two speakers. He just used basic drum beats and didn't know how to play piano yet at the time, as he does now. He started to DJ because he lived up the street from a Guitar Center and went there everyday to hang around the people who worked there. They showed him how to DJ, so by the time he got to high school, he met a kid in his class who made beats and he gave him a program. In 2003, when he was in the eighth grade, Balding and his cousin started a DJing group; they were DJing for their friends parties, for school dances, and so on. He was playing songs by different rappers such as the Ying Yang Twins, E-40, Lil Jon, and Too $hort.[3]
Career
He got into production when he was fourteen years old in high school and was using Fruity Loops (now FL Studio). Later in high school, Nicholas formed a group with four rappers and one singer called, Go Dav. Nick was the only member that wasn't from Oakland, California. They got famous for their song "Ride or Die Chick" and were known mainly in the East Bay area. Being in the group, made him more interested in furthering his career in music. In his first year he got together with some of his best friends at St Mary's High School in Berkeley, and started a group, going by the name Starting Six.[6]
His first major success as a producer was the song, "143" by Bobby Brackins and Ray J. He made enough money from that song and was able to move out of his mother's house and relocated to Los Angeles. He got a manager after moving to L.A. but things didn't work out between them later on.[4]
After "143", the next big hit he produced was "Beat It" by Sean Kingston, Chris Brown, and Wiz Khalifa. After making "Beat It", Balding was trying to get a manager and was trying to get better at producing. Nicholas's and Chris Brown's managers were close friends.[4] Later in 2013, he produced the single by Chris Brown titled "Loyal". During the making of "Loyal", rappers Ty Dolla Sign and B.o.B wrote the chorus and first verse. Balding's manager played the beat for Chris Brown's manager and Chris took the beat for his own the same day.[3] He cut the track that night and got Lil Wayne, French Montana, and Too Short on it all within a week. Balding currently lives with six of his high school friends, one of them being his cousin that he grew up with. They have a front and back house, (three live in the front, three in the back). They formed the group called Starting Six and have released several videos online.[4]
In 2015, he then produced Chris Brown and Tyga's single "Ayo". Balding delivered, his production replete with an echoing "I neeeed you" helium vocal sample.[5]
Production style
Nic Nac says, he always had these little video gamey melodies, and put more R&B chords underneath that melody. Even if it is dark chords, a happy melody, a video game melody, is always in his beats. He's always done that since high school, so it was always his own thing.[3] He also uses a loop featuring the lyrics, "let me see you" in most of his songs, most notably in Chris Brown's 'Loyal'
Personal life
In 2014, he started dating singer Pia Mia.[6]
Production discography
| Year | Song | Artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | "Demo On Wax" | Team Knoc | The Makeover |
| 2010 | "Rocket" | Yuna | Decorate |
| "Random Awesome" | |||
| "I'm Ready" | Bobby Brackins, Marc E. Bassy | Live Good 0.5 | |
| "143" | Bobby Brackins, Ray J | ||
| "Nighttime" | Young Murph | Nighttime Sunshine | |
| "Nighttime 2.0" | |||
| "Little Devil" | Campa | — | |
| 2011 | "180" | Bobby Brackins, Jeremih | |
| "Bout That Life" | Mann | ||
| 2012 | "Chainless" | Tinashe | In Case We Die |
| "Young Booty" | Bobby Brackins | Stay On It | |
| "B.Y.O.B." | Bobby Brackins, Wallpaper | ||
| "Yanking" | Bobby Brackins | ||
| "Breeder" | Bobby Brackins, Starting Six | ||
| "Like Me Revemped" | Bobby Brackins, Nic Nac | ||
| "S.O.D" | Starting Six, Aliky | On Yo Beach | |
| 2013 | "I Hit It First" | Ray J, Bobby Brackins | — |
| "Open Yo Legs" | Bobby Brackins | Maxwell Park | |
| "Big Body" | Bobby Brackins, Clyde Carson, Ty Dolla $ign | ||
| "Jungle Fever" | Bobby Brackins | ||
| "Kindergarten" | |||
| "Rari" | Bobby Brackins, Ray J | ||
| "Westside" | Bobby Brackins, Marc E. Bassy | ||
| "Beat It" | Sean Kingston, Chris Brown, Wiz Khalifa | Back 2 Life | |
| "Hold That" | Sean Kingston, Yo Gotti | ||
| "Seasonal Love" | Sean Kingston, Wale | ||
| "Shotta Luv" | Sean Kingston, 2 Chainz | ||
| "Ayo (16th Floor)" | Sean Kingston | ||
| "Save One For Me" | |||
| "My Baby" | Zendaya | Zendaya | |
| "Wake Up In It" | Mally Mall, Sean Kingston, Tyga, French Montana, Pusha T | Well Done IV | |
| "GLOBE" | YMTK, Bread | MPL 2: Murphy Pan's Labyrinth | |
| "Hotel Party" | YMTK, The Six | ||
| 2014 | "Dolo" | Kid Ink, R. Kelly | Full Speed |
| "Fucking Around" | 100s | Ivry | |
| "Nothing" | Ma$e, Eric Bellinger | Now We Even | |
| "2 Blessed" | Roach Gigz | Roachy Balboa Round 4 | |
| "Loyal" | Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, Tyga | X | |
| "Came To Do" | Chris Brown, Akon | ||
| "Fill Me In" | Pia Mia, Austin Mahone | TBA | |
| "Fuck With You" | Pia Mia | ||
| "Watch Me Work" | Tinashe | Aquarius | |
| "I Don't Get Tired" | Kevin Gates, August Alsina | Luca Brasi 2 | |
| "Say What" | Ernest Rush | STRT TRBL | |
| 2015 | "Dolo" | Kid Ink, R. Kelly | Full Speed |
| "Ayo" | Chris Brown, Tyga | Fan of a Fan: The Album | |
| "Bitches N Marijuana" | Chris Brown, Tyga, Schoolboy Q | ||
| "I'm Up" | Omarion, French Montana, Kid Ink | I'm Up – Single | |
| "Do It Again" | Pia Mia featuring Chris Brown and Tyga | Do It Again – Single | |
| 2016 | "Faithful" | Bobby Brackins, Ty Dolla Sign | To Live For |
| "Back to the Crib" | Bobby Brackins, Wash | ||
| "Joy Ride" | Bobby Brackins, Austin Mahone | ||
| 2017 | "I'm the One" | DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper and Lil Wayne | Grateful |
| 2018 | "No Brainer" | DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, and Chance the Rapper | Father of Asahd |
| 2019 | "All I Do Is Cry" | Kim Petras | Clarity |
| 2024 | "Back to Me" | ¥$ (Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign) | Vultures 1 |
References
- ^ https://www.californiabirthindex.org/birth/nicholas_matthew_balding_born_1989_18993269 [bare URL]
- ^ "Go Dav – Ride Or Die Chick Lyrics". Genius. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
- ^ a b c Turner, David. "Beat Construction: "Loyal" Producer Nic Nac Talks Chris Brown, DJ Mustard, and the West Coast Hottest Summer". The Fader. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
- ^ a b c Drake, David (September 17, 2014). "Interview: Producer Nic Nac Talks About the Making of the Other Song of the Summer, Chris Brown's "Loyal"". Complex. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ Drake, David (January 2, 2015). "Bout to Blow: 10 Dope Songs You Should Be Hearing Everywhere Soon". Complex. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
- ^ "Celeb News Pia Mia dating her producer NicNac". ATRL. December 7, 2014. Archived from the original on February 10, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
^ 6. https://broadview.sacredsf.org/3697/a-e/starting-six-east-bay-group-on-path-to-dream/
External links
- Nic Nac on Twitter
- Nic Nac on Instagram
- Nic Nac on Facebook
- Nic Nac on SoundCloud
- Nic Nac discography at Discogs
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