Patiently Waiting
“I
’m the lyrical guy that makes dope club records,” Kentucky native Kasanova says. With a blend of witty wordplay and marketable swag, Nova broke ground in the Louisville scene a couple years ago and became one to watch in his hometown. During high school, Nova took his poetry writing skills in a new direction after being introduced to Hip Hop wordsmiths like Ras Kass. A few years later he left college and was fully involved in making music, having completed a couple independent albums. His work soon captured the interest of Heavy Hitter DJ E-Feezy. With the assistance of this influential supporter, Kasanova released The Lu-Breeze mixtape with DJ Khaled in 2007, followed by Nova The Vicious with DJ Drama in early 2009. To date, Nova’s most popular record has been “Chain Swang,” featuring Gorilla Zoe.
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“I ran into Gorilla Zoe at the OZONE Awards last year,” Nova explains, of the collaboration. “We had met a couple months prior to that, so he was already gonna do a record for me.” “Chain Swang” was an automatic hit. Now that the song has solidified him in his region and is picking up in various locations nationwide, Nova is taking the necessary steps to branch out. While focusing on his growth, he says, “My next step is getting on the road and branding my face, name, and songs all together. The main thing I want is to make history; to leave a mark and have a following.” To appease his growing fanbase, Kasanova is currently recording his debut album Mama’s Basement, an ode to starting at the bottom and working his way up. Presently Nova has been offered a few major label situations, but nothing
that he’s chosen to accept. “I wanna make sure I get the right deal,” he says. “You don’t wanna jump on the first thing that comes along and end up getting a slave deal.” When it comes to the tone of his music, Nova says, “I wanted to show people that you don’t have to be a gangster; you don’t have to talk about slangin’ drugs; you don’t have to be the biggest baller. You can just make great music, be yourself, and still be successful.” Coming from a less-than-recognized market Nova describes as tough to succeed in, he’s proud of achieving a sizeable audience. “Kentucky is definitely a tough crowd,” he adds triumphantly, “but once you got ‘em they stick with you.” Words by Ms. Rivercity Photo by Quinest Harrington