Nocando

Evolution is the only constant in the landscape of hip hop music. Styles shift like tectonic plates in every aspect of the genre, from lyrical content and rhyme delivery to regional trends, fashions and business models. The new pioneers of this ever-expanding frontier are the artists who recognize the necessity to blaze one's own trail, all while celebrating the ground broken before them. Nocando has understood this truth from the moment he first burst into the rap scene, and he continues to evolve to levels other emcees can't even imagine.

Nocando developed his witty, acerbic style in the very LA streets that reared him. Cutting his teeth in the local battle rap arena, Nocando took on all challengers, indiscriminately serving both veterans and newcomers alike. Spending countless Thursday nights with his Customer Service Crew in the renowned Lemiert Park district, Nocando honed his craft and mastered his improvisational skills at The World Famous Project Blowed open mic. His reputation solidified and grew in 2007 with his victory in the MC battle at Scribble Jam, the largest hip hop festival in the United States. Since then, Nocando has taken his legend abroad, performing all over the world in England, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Colombia and Japan, electrifying crowds with his brash and confident stage presence and a bitingly sarcastic, yet seemingly effortless flow, leaving audiences with a ravenous hunger for more.

Nocando delivered just what fans craved, releasing his critically acclaimed debut album, Jimmy the Lock, on Alpha Pup Records in 2010, all while splitting his time as resident host of the innovative and world renowned Low End Theory club night, and as founder/CEO of Hellfyre Club Records, a prominent indie rap label home to esteemed artists such as Sahtyre, Open Mike Eagle, VerBS, Pistol Mcfly, Subtitle and a slew of others. Nocando continues to work tirelessly, freestyling each week at Low End Theory, releasing various independent mixtapes, EPs, and singles from himself and his Hellfyre Club alumni, and collaborating with artists such as MURS, Aceyalone, Busdriver, Abstract Rude, Free the Robots and Gaslamp Killer. Currently, Nocando is gearing up to release his highly anticipated sophomore album in 2013, entitled Jimmy the Burnout.

Constantly growing and evolving, MC Nocando has earned the respect of his contemporaries and the adoration of his fans around the globe. Sometimes hilarious, often poignant, Nocando always delivers an unpredictable performance that brilliantly embodies both the polish and sophistication of the mainstream and the undeniably raw, unfiltered, creative energy of the underground. Ever one step ahead of the constantly turning tides of the hip hop and electronic communities in Los Angeles and around the world, Nocando and Hellfyre Club are poised to give fans worldwide a sound and a message that rings true, all birthed from the streets of Los Angeles and the constantly churning mind of Nocando.