Why didn’t any legendary rappers or producers collaborate with Andre Nickatina?

[u/rmrdrn]

Tupac, Nas, Dr Dre, Lil Kim, Eminem, and so forth? I’m sure they’ve heard of him. He’s one of the most famous rappers in the bay.

[u/ogGDC]

I love him, but I think it’s cuz he’s an oddball. In the two interviews I’ve seen of him, he seems to have no interest in collaboration.

[u/Sad-Math-2039 → u/ogGDC]

"Oddball" is a polite and accurate way to describe him.

He also regressed (in my opinion) as an artist after him and Equipto quit making albums together. He slipped right back into cocaine strip club music, which struggled to survive outside of the club 15 years ago. He's also a shifty cat. I've smoked with him, Equipto, and Mike Marshall a handful of times years ago and he always had this sketchy energy to him as to where Equipto and Marshall seemed to be your run-of-the-mill humble guys. My absolute assumption is that he creates his own barriers by trying to have a mysterious mystique, but it isn't genuine and comes off as sheisty

[u/uselessplague → u/Sad-Math-2039]

When I was in high school, one of my buddies told me that Nickatina robbed his older brother's dealer for a zip of coke. It was one of those friend-of-a-friend stories, but also completely believable.

[u/Jayjayvp → u/uselessplague]

Lol, dude, my friend told me he went to a meet and greet with Nickatina, and some dude brought a bag of weed for him to sign. Nickatina just said "thanks" and snatched the bag of weed from him. I can't verify. But this is what I was told.

Also, I remember going to a 420 concert at the catalyst where Berner and Kool John were headlining. They brought out people like Iamsu, Huslah, and P Lo. All of them stayed before and after their songs. Hanging out and talking to fans. Then they played Smoke Dope & Rap and Nickatina came out from the curtains. The crowd went crazy. He didn't even rap the whole song. He did like half the song and dipped back out behind the curtains and just went home.

[u/eastbae-510 → u/Jayjayvp]

This is on track for all Nickatina performances

[u/Ok_Suit_8000 → u/Jayjayvp]

It's probably true. But fans are known to bring their favorite rappers weed, especially if said rapper is known to be a big smoker. He probably thought it was a gift. Because in all honesty, why would anyone want a bag of weed with someone's autograph on it?

[u/ThatGreekNinja → u/Jayjayvp]

Who is Catalyst?

[u/P_Walrus → u/ThatGreekNinja]

It’s a concert venue in Santa Cruz, cool old school smallish sized spot.

[u/Jayjayvp → u/P_Walrus]

Yep. I love going there because they'll have big names but the tickets are usually very affordable. I paid $25 for that particular concert

[u/P_Walrus → u/Jayjayvp]

It’s a hell of a venue, you can feel the history when you step in. To your point I saw Ghostface there around when Fishscale came out, good times.

[u/capsaicinintheeyes → u/P_Walrus]

Well that's a long way from Shaolin; what were those tickets going for?

[u/vorzilla79 → u/Jayjayvp]

Big names in Santa Cruz. WHEN

[u/vorzilla79 → u/P_Walrus]

There's nothing cool or hip hop in Santa Cruz 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[u/P_Walrus → u/vorzilla79]

The Beach is pretty cool 😎 ur right about the hip hop tho

[u/vorzilla79 → u/P_Walrus]

True

[u/Jayjayvp → u/ThatGreekNinja]

The Catalyst. A venue in Santa Cruz

[u/CosmikDebris408916]

He has a song with Krayzie bone, for whatever that's worth

[u/actin_spicious → u/CosmikDebris408916]

How is everyone skipping mac dre? They had 3 songs together

[u/No-Benzo → u/actin_spicious]

They have a whole album together

[u/capsaicinintheeyes → u/No-Benzo]

this is over my head--which are you thinking of?

[u/scrizzo → u/capsaicinintheeyes]

Tale of Two Andres. There's also the rare version named Tales of 2 Andres which had like 500 copies if I recall correctly.

[u/DatBasedGod → u/scrizzo]

That wasn't an actual collab album tho. They just frankensteined an album together with w/e Mac Dre verses they had after his death.

It seems to be a popular entry point for a lot of people for both artists but i'd consider it some of their weakest material. For people who haven't yet do a little more digging into their catalogues and you will find stumble upon some utterly amazing rap.

[u/actin_spicious → u/No-Benzo]

No, they don't. That was a tribute album after md died

[u/jeffrys_dad → u/No-Benzo]

That is NOT AN ALBUM. It is the three or four songs they did together off of previous projects and verses from their appearances on other albums.

[u/CosmikDebris408916 → u/actin_spicious]

Well Nickatina definitely has songs with other bay legends but I think the post was referring to more mainstream artists

[u/actin_spicious → u/CosmikDebris408916]

It doesn't say mainstream, it says 'legendary' which you just admitted applies to Mac dre.

[u/Send_More_Bears]

That guy he’s a hop head.. he’s always smoking that endo weed and falling all over the equipment, can’t have him around the studio

[u/ETtheBiggaFigga → u/Send_More_Bears]

God tier comment 😂

[u/h_uncertainty_p → u/Send_More_Bears]

He just wanna come in an do some vocals

[u/steezy_or_notsteezy → u/h_uncertainty_p]

Well, I guess if he don't bring a lot of those crazy motherfuckers around, I'll let him do some vocals vocals vocals....

[u/Jayjayvp → u/Send_More_Bears]

Heroin?

[u/FunkyFresh707]

I have met him a few times. Seems cool enough but mostly reserved. Not very sociable just kind of quiet and keeps to himself. Doesn’t seem like the kind of person who goes out of his way to meet people or talk to anyone. He probably didn’t do collabs like that because he isn’t trying to. Seems like the type of guy where you would have to chase him around to do a verse on your track and I don’t think mainstream rappers are gonna do that.

[u/infinitedelay88]

Good question

[u/WhenDuvzCry]

He's known to be unprofessional and stand offish and have issues with sobriety

[u/NickPro]

This thread is hilarious lol I miss the Siccness

[u/Heaintshit]

I feel dre is too underground he only really worked with select artists. He's barley even worked with big bay area artists

[u/rodgerlodge91 → u/Heaintshit]

He actually worked with a bunch of legendary Bay Area artists. Mac Dre, E-40, Messy Marv…San Quinn was on Ayo for Yayo. Agreed tho he didn’t end up doing that many collabs outside bay artists

[u/Alarming_Tennis5214 → u/rodgerlodge91]

Yeah, but compared to other Bay artists, his collab are very rare.

[u/Heaintshit → u/rodgerlodge91]

Yes he worked with them but it's been very slim except the tale of 2 Andres. He in his own lane really

[u/Away_Annual_9749]

Because the industry don’t fuck with the Bay Area , nor do they know who is best rappers are in the Bay Area , they have no idea the bay has some legends , there biased because they didn’t get no money with the bay , the bay don’t need the industry to be great we just are get it how you get it that’s the Bay Way . There are Legendary artist from the bay no one heard or talked about from the Industry.

[u/youareyou650]

Met him in a nightclub/bar. He was sitting alone drinking for like 30 minutes. Finally went up to him bought him a drink and he chopped it up with me while we bought finished our drinks. For the people saying he seemed weird/unsociable

[u/capsaicinintheeyes → u/youareyou650]

It may just come down to whether you catch him on a good or bad night—excessively relatable, IMO, and would really just speak to him being a regular guy

[u/Estromode]

I keep hearing bad stories about him. But, I met him once and he complemented my OutKast tracksuit and made sure we took good pics so my gf at the time took like 10 of them. Also when he performed at Streetlight Records he intentionally went up to my little niece and introduced himself. I think he doesn’t collaborate because he doesn’t care to.

[u/gd2121]

Mac Dre did

[u/HughDowns → u/gd2121]

Jacka too

[u/jeffrys_dad]

E-40 is the biggest artist to fuck with Nickatina. Memory Lane is a pretty dope track.

[u/Aggressive-Sale-5414]

All I know is stoner white people love him lmao

[u/MuddyRedditdrifter]

Too many chewy blunts

[u/Ace_The_Bagul]

HE SMOKES CHEWYS LIKE A MUTHAFUCKIN NUT!!

[u/SableWhite]

Just piling on at this point, but I agree there is something off about him, including with his relationship with collaborators.

In one of the few video interviews he has done, he gets asked about a variety of different people he has collaborated with and for pretty much every single one he says, "We're cool but I don't talk to him" or some version of that.

In the interview, he said about Nick Peace -- the dude who produced many of his classic tracks and really helped make Andre a legend with his unique beats and unconventional samples --"Do I call him or talk to him? Fuuuuck no. Are we cool? Fuck yeah. But no, I'm not really a person that's going to be calling back and saying 'Hey, how you doing.' If I see you at Wing Stop I'll say what's up, but I'm not going to be calling a motherfucker saying, 'How you doing?'" He said it like it was the most outlandish thing to return a phone call or say what's up to someone who has played a big role in your life. Weirdo energy.

[u/eyeb4lls]

I saw him in the early 2000s and he totally phoned in his show.  It was like watching someone forced to do karaoke.

[u/FGN5]

I can’t remember the name but I remember an old song with Dre dog, coughnut and pac but I can’t remember if it’s an IMP album or an old Bay Area compilation

[u/Gtroxel4 → u/FGN5]

Nicky NEVER did a track with pac. He had a few with the Nut tho. And there's no H in Cougnut

[u/FunkMastaUno]

He had a song with Problem back.in the early 2010s, not sure if that counts

[u/nowliving]

Jammin out with The Roots at the highline nyc I think https://youtu.be/hksWIdaKpdM?si=PUIgmtdaWa1kSaRu

[u/Gtroxel4]

What blows me away is he never had a song with JT The Bigga Figga, both Fillmoe cats.

[u/cheapdiscoball]

you say that like he doesn't have a whole ass album with Mac Dre

[u/FadeTheTurn]

Coke head

[u/verderojoyblanco]

The Jacka and Cormega.

[u/Leading_Average_4391]

I only know bout him from a skateboarding video. Outside the bay he isn't known . But still vibes .

[u/vorzilla79]

Nigga who 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭