Nick Gray is in a peculiar class of underground music. While many artists today lean towards melody based vocals, Gray instead opts for premiere lyrical ability. Many today do not have the remarkable capability to flow seamlessly over a beat as straightforward as “Playless”, and many today also do not have the shiningly clean production quality Gray has throughout his body of work.
A standout track from Grays 2016 album Northside, “Playless” is an autobiographical short about the hustle and grind surrounding Gray. Accompanied by a brand new video treatment, thanks to the work of Gray and co-director Ryan Schaefer, “Playless” is outstandingly wonderful.
Gray explained that the video came together thanks to the inner workings of himself and his team. “(We) thought it was a really good song explaining my situation and didn’t think the song got enough shine on its own,” Gray recalled. “It really depicts/talks about my day to day, the hustle and grind, and we wanted to make a real authentic visual to match the song.”
The video begins as the Massachusetts native wanders through the nighttime streets, pondering upon how much monetary gain means to himself as well as those around him.
I just want some money just to spend it how I wanna// I just want some money just to spend it on my momma
While the video showcases Gray on his nightly hustle it also highlights his work ethic by way of having authentic scenes spliced together of Gray working at his after hours job, seemingly interconnecting the two together.
“The song talks about being in two worlds almost,” Gray explains. “In the city being a hand to hand hustler and then working with my dad in the dirty blue collar grind. The video shows that side by side storyline while the song plays on, full of intertwined wisdoms and truths I’ve picked up along the way.”
While Gray seemingly raps easily over the track, the production of the song is not to be missed. Clean and crisp 808s deeply ring throughout the verse while sparsely lit keys leave room for Gray in the bridge and chorus. While fans may believe finnestaban is a separate entity as the credited producer, the name is actually a pseudonym for Gray himself.
Gray says that he “likes the idea of producer me being a separate entity”. “I also just thought it looked funny when my name popped up twice in the title (laughs).”
The song is mostly about the grind of an everyday guy trying to make it through life, but there is also a darker tone and some larger than life thoughts explained between the dimly lit shots of Gray in the urban street lights.
I went through a depression for a year ain’t even make a song// Then I got my bread up now I got enough to break some off//I see how hard my daddy work and that’s what keep me motivated// He ain’t got no 401k, he just got mortgage payments// Middle class rich but what’s it mean when you in debt to Uncle Sam// The way the system setup make me wanna throw some fuckin hands
Gray cites that the influence behind the song was due to how emotional he felt in such a “personal time”. “I knew how real it was when I made the beat and really felt the emotion in it. It’s pretty simple so it left a lot of space for me to say everything I wanted to without it being overwhelming. The recording process is pretty much the same all the time. Go in the morning, crack a few jokes, and then just get in the mindset of the song and knock it out.”
While the humbly outfitted Gray treads through the sleeping city sites between shots of the music video, he credits co-director Ryan Schaefer with understanding his vision. “Schaefer reached out to me a few years ago when I wasn’t quite ready to get it poppin’ yet. Thats my homie. He has a hand in all visual aspects of the Nick Gray brand,” Gray explained.
Grays last message to his fanbase is sincere, and as authentic as his music. “To my fans that have been with me from the go, thank you and I hope you stick around,” he says. “I’m gonna keep being myself and making the music I like listening to. There’s always future plans for something. When everything’s right that’s when you’ll know.”