Nomad Mr. Murk City is an American rapper from Sumter, South Carolina. The city of Sumter, SC where he grew up in over the years became more violent, earning the name “Merk City/Murk City” being that South Carolina is the 5th most violent state in the U.S. with Sumter being one of the most violent cities in that state. In the Summer of 2016, Nomad released his second solo project, Murk City Ent LLC Presents…”TruLife The Mixtape: Hosted By Dj Chuck T (Down South Slangin)”, which featured hit songs “CHICK” and “KEEP PUSHIN”.
ARN: What is your legal name?
MC: My name is Walter Jenkins, Jr.
ARN: How did you come up with a stage name?
MC: I got my name from always being on the go from place to place. So the name fit Nomad fit me based off that alone. Always in a different city making moves on the road. I am from “Merk/Murk City” so I just called myself Mr. Murk City beside I go hard for where I’m from. I just put it all together and ran with it.
ARN: Where are you from?
MC: I’m originally from Sumter, SC aka Merk/Murk City.
ARN: Where are you now?
MC: I currently live in Washington, DC. It’s a dope city to live in. There’s always something to do or some event going on.
ARN: Why did you first start making music?
MC: I can’t really remember exactly when I first started making music. I do remember that around the time my father passed away was when I first started writing sometime around then. Mostly as a way to clear my head. That was around ‘95-‘97.
ARN: Who would you say inspired you the most, as an artist?
MC: I grew up listening to Jay Z, Biggie, PAC, No Limit, Cash Money, OutKast, The Dungeon Family, UGK, Eightball & MJG, 3-6 Mafia, etc.
ARN: Talk me through your creative process.
MC: I used to write a lot early on, but as time progressed I started writing less and less. It got to the point where I only wrote when I was about to record a record. Now I don’t write, I just go in the booth and go off the vibes. I got to a point where writing doesn’t capture that feeling and the only way to express it is to just do it on the spot.
ARN: Do you remember the first rhyme you wrote?
MC: Nah, would be interesting to go back and read it just to see what I put down. Whatever it was though it had to be hard, because for a long time I was dealing with a lot of anger and depression. Took me a long time to get through those issues.
ARN: Where and how do you work best?
MC: I work best at night. I’ve always been more productive creatively at night. The wheels in my mind are always spinning at night. Some nights I don’t sleep because so much is going on inside my head. I guess I’m just nocturnal by nature.
ARN: Have you heard the theory that some musicians write their best music while they’re depressed or going through a bad time?
MC: Definitely, I can attest to that fact. Hell some of my best work came out of my own depression issues or just tough times in general. We just have to learn to use that frustration in a constructive way. For me it was making music. To keep it a hunnid, it’s more like therapy than it is just making music or being creative in general. Music helped save my life. I get in a zone so deep that all my problems seem to fade away. It’s almost like having a “runner’s high”.
ARN: What’s the best advice you ever received?
MC: To always keep God first and believe in myself. That’s the key. And a wise man once told me, “never be too proud, pride will keep you broke.” So I hustle hard for everything I want out of life.
ARN: What is still your biggest challenge?
MC: Right now just trying to navigate the music industry as an independent artist during this COVID-19 pandemic, on top being a Black man in America which is already hard as is. And one more thing, Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor!!!
ARN: Are you religious? If yes, what is your religion?
MC: I believe in God. I grew up Southern Baptist but I’m more spiritual than I am religious. I know God is real and God is the realest!
ARN: What were your grades like at school?
MC: I had decent grades in school I was never dummy. I just was focused more on getting a bag than I was trying to learn history. Been hustling all my life. I’m the eldest of seven kids so I had to grow up faster than everybody else in a lot of ways both good and bad.
ARN: What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received about your music?
MC: Someone once told me my music helped keep them sane while they were going through their personal struggles. I was thrown off a little because I never expected to hear that you know.
ARN: What would you have done differently if you knew then what you know now?
MC: I really wouldn’t change anything, I would just tell my younger self to go 10x harder earlier and buy Amazon & Facebook stocks lol!
ARN: What’s your latest release?
MC: I’m releasing my first album called TRAP BIBLE late August/early September. It’s my best work ever. I did it completely independent, no label, no angel investors. Just blood, sweat and tears. Funded out of my own bag and God on my side. Trap Bible means Take Risks And Prosper, Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.
ARN: What’s your best advice for handling criticism?
MC: The way I see it, opinions are like assholes, everyone has one. If you get easily offended then you might not want to try being an artist. Not everyone will like you or your music.
ARN: What surprising lessons have you learned along the way?
MC: I’ve learned that it takes team work to make a dream work. You can’t make it in any industry without a solid team. Me and anybody I work with are professionals and we’re about our business. Most importantly, “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. A lot of new artists think they can just make one record and then they will just blow up overnight. That’s a pipe dream in most cases. It’s takes a lot of hard work and dedication to survive in this industry. It’s survival of the fittest and King Kong ain’t got shyt on me.
ARN: What are you focusing your time on now?
MC: Right now we’re in the process of promoting my TRAP BIBLE album release. I’m also thinking to release another single off the album. Long story short we’re just preparing for the aftermath of this album release. I had to come back harder than ever. This album is personal. So I went all the way in on it.
ARN: How do you currently feel about the state of Hiphop in general?
MC: To be real, I don’t listen to a lot of mainstream music. I’ve always been a fan of the underground mixtape circuits. But from what I have seen and heard we need that real hiphop/rap to come back. I like music with a message.
ARN: What do you want your legacy to be? How do you want to be remembered?
MC: I want to be remembered as a man that stood for what he believed in against odds. Someone that my mother, father, family and friends would be proud of. The man that I see every time I look in the mirror and remind myself to become.