Niontay is an American rapper and producer born in Milwaukee, raised in Florida, and currently living in Brooklyn. Though he experimented with song writing on and off through his teenage years, he didn’t take rapping fully seriously until moving to New York in 2019, when an off the cuff drunken cypher session reignited his inspiration. Initially getting by through working various modelling gigs, Niontay would eventually meet MIKE. The pair would quickly become frequent collaborators, with MIKE taking him on tour and signing him to his record label 10K Global. In 2023, Niontay dropped his debut album Dontay’s Inferno featuring much of his own production under the moniker sexafterchurch, including standout hits “THANK ALLAH” and “Da City of a Hunnid Plays”. Riding the buzz, Niontay released Demon Muppy that same year, a six-track EP including features from MIKE, Earl Sweatshirt, 454, and El Cousteau. In between the success of his sophomore album Fada<3of$ earlier this year and a European fall tour, Niontay spoke with Carlos Semedo about his latest project, regional rap scenes, his progression as an artist, and what’s next for the 26-year old rapper.
Full segment featured in Issue 12 of Living Proof Magazine.
All right, man, let’s get it rolling. You got some questions for me?
(Laughs) A little bit, a little bit.
First, I just wanted to congratulate you on the great album, bro.
Thank you, brother. Appreciate it. Excuse me—I gotta piss real quick. Couldn’t hold it.
(Laughs)
Take your time, G.
Man, I appreciate you, bro. You’ve seen this from the ground up, so it really means a lot coming from you.
That’s just what I do. Before you know it, you’ve got another EP on your hands, then another.
How many songs you sitting on right now? Like 13.
That’s a whole project already, bro. I wanted to talk about Will too. You two as a duo, and Florida in general, what do y’all mean for the scene?
Florida’s usually known for the Baltimore/D-Long type energy, you know? That sound, that lane. But me and Will, we represent a different side. We can relate to that side, but we’re also on some art shit, you feel me?
Facts. Bro, are you a fan of DJ Quik?
From California, right? Yeah, I fuck with DJ Quik heavy.
Y’all remind me of him. The gangster’s there, but the artistry’s there too. That’s why your album is doing what it’s doing, you threw your hat in the ring with the best of them. People can talk about you with the top guys now.
Yeah.
Let’s talk about refining your sound, was that intentional? Did you want to cut down the time it takes for people to get used to you? Because this album feels like you listen once and you’re either a fan or you’re not…
Honestly, I just got better at making music. Straight up. The timing was good for those songs. It might sound like I took my time, but really I just improved. It wasn’t me saying, “I’m trying to make my best work.” It was me making music over two years. That’s a lot of different emotions, different situations I was living through, and that comes out in the music naturally. I let people come up with whatever they want about it.
That’s the best way, you weren’t trying to be the best artist ever, you were trying to be the best Niontay. Just being yourself. And before you know it, you’re compared with the top guys.
Yeah, exactly. Whatever that means. I just kept making music, bro.
Your choruses are on another level here. What song is it, the Tony Seltzer beat?
Vice Grip. Yeah, Vice Grip. First single. It aged perfectly by the time the album dropped. It feels like the album caught up to Vice Grip.
That was you writing a proper hook, but still just being you. That comes from a thing in the rap industry called “flying hooks.” Like, I might rap something, finish the song, and someone’s like, “Yo, you wanna fly this part back?” And suddenly that’s the hook. Future changed the game with that. He structures whole songs like that—say something, then go back, switch it, re-build it. That definitely influenced me.
You ever heard his Drunk in Love reference? Yeah. That’s peak songwriter shit right there.
What are your favorite songs on the album?
Hundred Underdogs and Poltergeist.
Funny those are your favorites, I already know why.
I wasn’t trying to be the best artist ever. I was trying to be the best me.
-Niontay
Slick, slick. But they’d be my favorite even without all that. Even the ganging one.
Alright, let’s talk about the UK. You always tell me how much you love it. People might not realize Jada’s a real hip hop legend, he’s got King Krule beats. David’s a real-life alien.
Yeah.
With all that being said, do you think the UK washes the US in a battle?
No. Give me five from Philly and they’ll wash the whole UK.
[Laughs]
They’re technical though.
Yeah, true. Over there, almost everybody can rap technically. Over here, not everyone can. But a lot of them are corny, bad beat selection, even if they can rap. So nah, they’re not washing us.
Where do you think they got it from then?
Rap is still new there. We’ve been rapping since the late 60s, but they’re still tied to clashing and battling. Over here, battling is niche now. Over there, it’s still close to the roots. That’s why people like Jada and David sound so different.
Especially David, and the young homie Voldy.
Yeah, them niggas are the reason the whole UK underground is moving like that right now. They’re tapped in.
Prada Pants?
Yeah. But people be stealing swag from them too. Voldy’s another alien. Makes songs like nobody else. He showed me I don’t gotta stick to one sound, I can throw a bunch of different styles on one project.
Okay, so besides Hundred Underdogs and Poltergeist, what else has a special place in your heart on the album?
Hop Is Hot. I made that in London. I was staying at the homie M’s crib. Amari pulled up, I was searching for grabba, nobody had any. Ironically, Amari had just got back from New York with some. He played me some beats, first one, I was like “send me this right now.” I knew it sounded like an intro. Made it the next day. Originally that was supposed to be the intro track. Victorious, triumphant energy.
Yeah. When I first heard the album, every song blew me away, but Old Care Road stood out.
Yeah, I was saying some shit on there.
You were at the peak of your powers. That’s the song you play someone who doesn’t know you—it shows your personality. Reminded me of Madlib.
Yeah.
Doom too of course, but Madlib especially. Every song on your project is different. He’s my favorite artist because he’s got rock albums, jazz albums, stuff under fake names people still find today. Talk about Madlib’s importance to you.
Low-key one of my favorite producers.
You can hear it in your music.
Nah, not really. I wish I could say so, but nah. What Old Cat Road did for me was show me what I had in my arsenal. Even with other producers on the album, my catalog showed me range.
Smooth Soldier Man, best beat on the album, maybe the best you’ve ever made.
I damn near agree.
That’s some Madlib-level versatility, to make the hardest shit, then go smooth with vocals.
Smooth is crazy talented. We got songs that never dropped that are hard. His album is amazing.
Lovely is one of my favorites. My girl plays it all the time.
Your girl? When that happen? [Laughs]
[Laughs]
Yeah. That’s like A Thousand Miles part two. An ode to the ladies. But more than that, it shows how woman-friendly your music is. A lot of rappers don’t have that. But you go to your shows, women are there, enjoying it. You have that R&B sensibility.
I be singing like a motherfucker sometimes. Maybe they pull up off Mike, then meet me and see I’m chill. Gotta be a little abrasive too, push some people away. But yeah, I got joints for the women too. Some slappers on the new one. If the women aren’t dancing, you’re not doing it right.
Facts. Okay, lines I loved, you said “I glide on this ho, product of soldier Reeves and Jabos.” Bro, I’ve been in a big Cash Money / No Limit resurgence lately. Driving with the windows down, blasting it. That’s Southern living.
Hell yeah. When I first heard Cash Money, Hot Boys, I was in Milwaukee. It hit like the Beatles. Affected the whole country, not just the South. That feeling of riding out on a Sunday with Cash Money—classic.
Exactly. And you also lay out your influences clearly, people can connect the dots.
Apparently not, because they say I mumble. But it’s the southern drawl. They’ll catch up. They gotta check Genius to figure it out.
Any closing statements? Why did you ask me to interview you?
Because you know how to communicate what I’m feeling, you wouldn’t ask me dumb shit. Plus, you’ve known me the longest in this journey. This made the most sense.
I appreciate that. You always include everybody in your story, literally, Henny and Jake on the album. People don’t realize how hard you work to bring everyone into this world…
Yeah, I’m doing this next tape with Top$ide, calling it Agent 407. All Kissimmee—Esteban Auto, BMG, Henny, Sonny—all of us. Trying to make it a short film.
With great power comes great responsibility, and you’re handling it. Sonny’s on tour with you now. That’s special.
Yeah, bro talented. All he needs is an outlet, instead of the corny politics back home.
That’s why this album matters—, t never happened in Kissimmee before. This is just the start. People are gonna talk about this album 2, 3, 5 years from now.
One more question, who are some influences people wouldn’t expect?
Bootsy Collins. And Lil Wayne. To be 13, 14, 15 when Carter 3 came out, you watched the world change. He started the whole run-and-gun video style. Shoot at the crib with your homies. Every room in the house had a video.
Read the full interview in Living Proof Magazine Issue 12, available on the Living Proof Patreon and Online Shop.
