Photo by @mpvinny300
[YBN Nahmir](https://www.instagram.com/ybnnahmir/?hl=en) is only 21 years old and already one of the biggest artists of his generation. Just a normal kid hailing from Birmingham, Alabama, real name Nicholas Alexander Simmons exploded onto the scene with his viral single “Rubbin Off The Paint,” who’s official music video currently hails over 193 million views after being released in 2017. Within less than a week of the song taking off, he packed up his things and headed to Los Angeles.
Coming up as an integral member of the YBN collective, who released their collaborative tape _YBN: The Mixtape_ back in 2018, Nahmir, YBN Almighty Jay, and Cordae now celebrate over one billion streams total on the project. With each artist shifting their focus to their own solo artistry, Nahmir continues to gift his incredibly loyal fanbase with banger after banger, consistently providing turn up records while showcasing his fun, down-to-earth, bubbly personality.
To date, Nahnir’s impressive catalog includes “Bounce Out with That,” “2 Seater” with G-Eazy and Offset, and most recently “Opp Stoppa” — which years later, peaked as the #1 song on TikTok. A record that was originally a straight freestyle, Nahmir proves yet again why he’s at the top of the totem pole in the rap game. “Opp Stoppa” featuring 21 Savage has received over 30 million streams in the United States, currently serving as #2 Most Added at Urban Radio.
On the third episode of [Shirley’s Temple,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUhDutRaXnQ) YBN Nahmir sat down with [Shirley Ju](https://www.instagram.com/shirju) to discuss his recent trip to Atlanta, shooting the “Opp Stoppa” remix with 21 Savage, the definition of “WOOWAM,” his debut album _Vision Land_ arriving on March 26th, and more!
**You recently hit #1 on TikTok with “Opp Stoppa.” How’s it feel?**
It’s crazy, it feels great man. I'm back on top like how I'm supposed to be. I really never left, I was coolin’ for a minute letting everyone else do their own shit. I never left for real, but I did leave so everybody else got the position to where they can go in and do their own shit. This year, it's over with. All you n\*ggas can eat that dick up, I'm done helping n\*ggas. This to everybody, every rap n\*gga eat that dick up. I ain’t fucking with you, this YBN. I don't care who that is, I’m nice.
**It’s crazy you dropped this in June of 2019, and it just blew up.**
It really came out of nowhere, it blew up on TikTok randomly. I forgot about this song and everything. It started picking back up out of nowhere. It was one of them songs when I first put it out, alright this song’s for me. I like it, whoopty whoop.
**I saw your Genius shit where you said you wanted to make short songs, good for ringtones.**
Hell yeah, I like that type of stuff. It ain't my ringtone, I don't even change my ringtone. Damn, how people be downloading ringtones? I was a grown ass man back then too, trappin’ off the Razr.
**Talk about gassing through the song with no hook.**
I did that shit quick, it was all a freestyle. I didn’t write it down. I went in the studio, I was just saying shit. I don't know how people got in tune with it out of nowhere but it's one of them viral songs now so shit, I’ma put my all into it like how it’s supposed to be.
**Are you active on TikTok?**
Yeah, I'm active. Not really looking at everybody’s stuff, but I be posting. I don't know all the challenges and all that. It be crazy now, hella famous people be hitting me up on TikTok like “ay bro, we gotta do a video.” You can DM on TikTok, damn that shit crazy. All these people, I be looking at their Youtube even before I was famous. Now they on TikTok, still blowing up. They want to do a video with me now, it’s crazy.
**Are you with it?**
Hell yeah I'm with it. I be tryna work: “pull up man, back in LA” type shit.
Photo by @mpvinny300
**Who’s your favorite TikToker?**
Shit, me. I be posting hella funny shit to be honest. I be looking back at it at the end of the night like damn, did I really post this? Was I faded trying to post some funny shit? I really don't think twice about it but I do get that mindset: did I really post that shit? It’s already doing good on Instagram, but I do think about a lot of stuff twice sometimes.
**You got a lot of eyes on you!**
It be kid shit sometimes, like fuck it. At the end of the day, it's me. If you knew me in person, if everybody else knew me in person, they’d be like “oh okay, I get what he’s saying.” I do be extra-ed out on some bullshit, some tiny shit will be extra-ed out. I can’t even say what it is, it’ll pop up and they’ll say “yeah he’s a kid.” But I know exactly what they talking about because I’m trying to act like a kid. I’m 21, I don't want to be old. I got a baby face and all that.
**I can’t believe you’re 21!**
Me either, shit crazy. I celebrated with y’all.
**I had the pleasure of being there for your birthday party. Were you surprised?!**
I was surprised as hell. I was talking about the whole time: “damn bruh, if I don't get a surprise party for my 21st…” I was forcing it, I was hitting everybody like “hey bro.” Even my friends from out of state, “hey y’all gon’ come out here?” They said “nah, we ain't got no money to do it.” They’re lying the whole time, they all came out here. Every single say I was hitting them: “hey bro, I want a surprise party for my 21st birthday.” Swear to god, I was hitting them.
**How were you surprised if you’re telling ‘em…?**
They’re telling me no, I really believed them. I usually can tell when they’re lying, but this time I really couldn't tell because I know how it be. I know there’s shit going on in everybody’s life, it’s not like all my friends are famous and got money.
**A lot of people from Alabama?**
NAH nobody from Alabama came. I got a few people I keep in touch with, but it don’t be like that.
**You don’t miss home?**
Hell yeah, I miss that shit all time. I miss my old house, I miss going to school but missing Alabama. It’s something I can't think about all the time. It‘ll make me reminisce, I hate that shit. I hate reminiscing about old shit. Damn what the fuck? It felt like it was yesterday. I jumped and moved too. I was in Alabama, I came to California quick as hell.
**How quickly?**
Like a week. I got kicked out to school, then alright California. Boom.
**Is that when “Rubbin Off The Paint” took off?**
Yeah, right when it first dropped.
**What’d you get kicked out for?**
They said I was a terrorist threat ‘cause I had tattoos and guns in my videos. Damn everybody in school got tattoos damn near, tattoos in their necks and shit. It came out of nowhere. Fuck it to be honest, I wasn’t really trippin’. I was kind of happy. Months after, damn I miss home. This shit happened quick, it was what it was. I had to get through that shit.
**Did you fall in love with LA?**
Hell yeah. Every time I leave, damn I can't wait to get back home. This shit too weird, anywhere.
**You’re ducked off, I know you got a crib with the moms.**
Shit’s cool, you already know how my mom is. I stay with my mom so you know. \[laughs\] If you staying with your mom right now, you already know your mom’s gon’ tell you what to do and what not to do. You gotta listen or deal with the shit she’s talking about it, it gets annoying.
**Do you have to do any chores?**
Hell no! Shit, I got my cousins and my friends. \[laughs\] Shout out Pooh, Mr. 3 o’clock. He does all the chores. Pooh’s over there in the back somewhere. I can't see him, he dark.
**How many dogs you got?**
5 or 6 right now. I can't do it, it’s crazy. It’s weird, they know I was gone for a long time. When they run up to me, ooh shit. Damn kids calm down a little bit, I know it's been a minute. I miss them like a motherfucker too right now.
**I went to** [**Ace**](https://www.instagram.com/pplcallmeace/)**’s the other night, one of his pitbulls pounced on me.**
They my dogs, I damn near raised them. The first dogs I was really fucking with. They calm as shit. They kinda trained, halfway there. They’re 75% trained.
**Do you work with Foe? I be slippin’.**
Hell nah, Foe is from the hood. Foe’s from the trenches. Foe is a n\*gga. Say I have a friend spend the night in the other room, he’ll jump and pee on the bed. He doesn't pee inside the house or nothing, just to say “bro you're new, you gotta know…” Every time someone else new came, he hopped on the bed and peed on it. It’s weird, he wants to let the other dogs and everybody know it's his house. Cuz be weird, I don't really fuck with him. Thats Pooh’s dog now. I love him to death but I don't fuck with him, he be on weird shit. \[laughs\] Foe done changed. He be on bullshit, he’s a gangbanger. He’s funny.
**Do you have another favorite dog?**
Right now I got Bones and Blue, they’re my favorite dogs. Foe and the other dog I got, Breeze they my favorite dogs. Coolness-wise, it’s Blue and Bones. He looks like a bone. When I seen him, Bones. Aright fasho, his name’s Bones.
**Can you define WOOWAM for us?**
WOOWAM is jiggy, not getting jiggy but getting jiggy jiggy. It’s sex with two people. Woowam is normal sex, not normal sex but jiggy. It's a cool little song, everybody likes it so...
**Is that how you tease songs?**
Most of the time, I try to tease it on Twitter before I put it on Instagram. I done had some shit where n\*ggas talking crazy sometimes. At first it was like that with “Wake Up,” they was dick sucking and all that shit. Now everybody fucks with the song, it’s catchy. That’s what I was telling everybody, then they heard the normal song because the mix sounds different. It’s hella weird shit, but everybody fucks with the song at the end of the day now so.
**What's the first thing you do in the morning when you wake up?**
Wake up and get my dick sucked. I’m playing, not for real. To be honest right when I wake up, alright I woke up at the wrong time. Let me smoke this blunt, go back to sleep if I can. If I can't, let me hop on the game or go to the block. What time do I wake up first? 5 in the morning, 6 in the morning. I be up till 12pm, then I take a nap.
**What time do you go to bed?**
2am or 3am, so I get a quick 2 hours of sleep. I wake up like damn, now I’m burnt out when I gotta do stuff. It be weird, hella shit going on.
**Does weed help you go to sleep?**
No. It does sometimes, it depends on how your day went. It’s hard to explain, it’ll be some good days where alright, I’ma hit this blunt and go to sleep. Or let me hit 5 of these motherfuckers and play the game. I'm tryna go to sleep and I gotta keep checking my phone. It be different times, I don't know. It’s probably the weed.
**How much are you smoking in a day?**
It really depends on how the day going too. If I'm faded faded, if I'm drinking and tryna have a party, I’ma smoke a whole zip damn near. A whole ounce with all my friends. If it's a normal day, I smoke 5 to 6 blunts. That's a lot too. I need to slow down on everything, I'm getting older. My body gon’ stop changing.
**I know you said you feel like a 45-year-old man.**
I swear to God. I don't know if it's ‘cause I was partying so hard being young, or if it's really ‘cause I'm getting old. \[laughs\] I feel old as hell. I'm a grown man.
**I know you got your neck tatted recently, what’d you get?**
It's an angel right here on this side, the Eye of Providence, then I got my block numbers and outside Converse hanging on the light pole. It’s angels watching me while I'm outside. It mattered to me, some cool little tiny shit.
**How long did it take?**
7 hours. It really didn't hurt, it felt like a lineup like a razor was going on me. The Adam’s apple was the smoothest part. This part hurt more than anything: when he got back to my ear, that's when it started feeling a little weird. Other than that, I didn't really feel it. It was a 4 out of 10 to be honest. The whole 7 hours, I thought it was going to be crazy.
**Were you high? The pain intensifies when it’s high.**
I was faded. I couldn't go in there normal. I got it in Orange County, my boy [Herchell.](http://instagram.com/rockrollg/)
**That numbing cream is a gamechanger.**
That’s what I got to, I got the numbing cream. I get numbing cream every time, I don’t care. I never got a tattoo without it. I was faded. \[laughs\] If I wasn't faded, it would’ve started hurting. I started getting cold, the shivers. It started getting weird at the end.
**End of last year, you tweeted you have over 632 songs in the vault. Is that still true?**
It was more than that. They ain't come out. Not on purpose, you know it would have came out if it was on my time. Hella shit. Weird shit, you already know.
**When are we getting the debut album?**
If I had the pull to drop what I wanted to drop, I’d fucking go crazy right now. It wouldn’t even be no “hold up, where this n\*gga been at?” I woulda been dropped the album, been did everything. But it's going to come soon, so I'm not really trippin’. I'm going up right now, I'm excited to see what's coming up.
**I know _Visionland_ is inspired by an adventure park back home, how often were you riding rolling coasters?**
That’s going to be crazy, everybody going to fuck with that. Especially the older people who said ”who is this n\*gga?” They’re going to say “damn, now I can listen to some of his songs.” I made songs on my album, I didn't just say anything. I wrote all my music down, I did everything. I took time out of my day, damn near 3 years to keep progressing that shit. It's going to be the one.
**What's the tracklist looking like?**
\[flutters lips\] A good 20 songs. I’ma drop some more shit after that, I’ma drop more shit before it too. I’ma start getting hella shit out there.
**Is “Black Jeans” on the album?**
Nah, “Black Jeans” isn’t on the album. I’ma drop it. I wanted it to be the only thing where everybody could pay attention to that, instead of looking at _Visionland_ and being like alright, “Black Jeans” is on there. It’s all new music, stuff people never heard. New shit, grown man shit.
**How’d 21 Savage end up on the “Opp Stoppa” remix?**
I don't know how that happened. I woke up, “hey bro, you know you got a song with 21 Savage?” Everybody, I got put in 5 different group texts. I woke up, phone blowing up. What the fuck are they talking about now? Please don't let me have to post some Fashion Nova.
**How good is the Fashion Nova Men bag?**
That shit great. They love me to death, I love their ass too. So I woke up out my sleep, they tell me 21 hopped on the song. Damn I’d just messaged this n\*gga 3 weeks ago about hopping on the song. We talked about it before too. I seen him at Young Thug’s shit, we chopped it up. I was supposed to do have done something with him, and it happened out of nowhere. I woke up and seen the song, ooh y’all filthy with it. Y’all ain’t tell me nothing. I had the mp3 in my messages, sent it to all my friends. I was excited.
**You have no idea how that remix happened?**
Hell nah. Fuck no, we going up. That’s all that matters.
**How was it shooting the video with 21 Savage?**
Whore shit. Y’all seen the first video, now the remix I can't come with no bullshit. We’re going crazy with the remix.
**You like Atlanta?**
Ehhh, it reminds me of Alabama. It’s the same shit, I fuck with it. It was across the street from a funeral home. I was in the middle of some section, I don't even know.
**Best memory from the weekend?**
Being faded and having fun to be honest, I was out there with all my people. Everybody came out from Baltimore, Virginia, Florida, so it’s cool they got to see that up close and personal. Nobody else gets to see it for real. They got to see behind-the-scenes, how it really happened. That's their first time seeing a music video for real.
**When Nahmir pulls up somewhere, how many deep is he?**
If I really pull up somewhere on some cool shit, it’s me and my homeboy. If we going to something, it’s probably 5 of us. If it's a video shoot or going to the club, it’s going to be a few of us. There ain't no headcount to it, it’s 30 of us. It's different situations how I move.
**I saw you post a throwback recently saying you had people scared of you, what was Nahmir like then?**
Back then in 2014/2015, it was weird. I was a kid before, doing kid shit. I didn't really care about nothing. I cared about stuff, but I really didn't care. I knew I was going to be something, but I didn't expect it to happen while I was that young. I wasn't even thinking about this back then, I was thinking about whole different shit.
**What were you thinking about?**
Getting money, hella shit. \[laughs\] I wasn't smoking because I got laced. In 2015, I got laced. I was smoking a blunt at a football game, at Homecoming. We’re in the bleachers, I’m smoking a Dutch with my homeboy. The dyke homegirl I be with, I’m smoking with her. I hit the blunt, pass it to my homeboy. It comes back to me and this time, it tasted different. I hit it twice, boom pass it back to them. They talking the whole time, I'm just staring. The football game over, I'm staring. I had to go to a special class for 2 days. They laced the blunt with a Xan, but it was a different type of Xan. Alabama’s different, it's hella shit. I done been through hella shit.
It was quick though, I walked in the house and told my mom. She said “lay down baby, lay down.” She already knew, she didn't even get mad at me. She’s like my son is fucked up right now, yep. You can ask her. That shit was bad. I had to tell her, who else I’ma going to tell? My aunt was already on me when I walked into the house: “have you been smoking?” I’m like “no, hell nah! Auntie no. I was in the car while they’re smoking, that’s it.” Whole time my eyes were red, I'm moving weird. I’m trying so hard to be normal, it didn't work out the way I thought it was going to work out.
**Do you still have that pink MCM backpack from the “Rubbin Off The Paint” video?**
Hell nah, I don’t know where that bitch at. I think they took it. I moved from Alabama and my auntie stayed down there in the house, she put everything in storage. It's in storage or my cousin Manny got it somewhere. That was my shit.
**A huge part of this show is mental health. What do you like to do for self-care?**
Play the game, Grand Theft Auto. It's on the computer so it’s hella new shit. Real life clothes, real life cars, you can make your own character. I play with everybody. We got a whole server, 100 people can get in there. It has a queue so when somebody leaves, another person can join. It's a real server, they do all the coding on the computer. It’s crazy.
**Are you nice with it?**
Hell yeah I'm nice with it. Everybody that plays, that be on there for real. We be role-playing. However you move on there, you can be nice at doing something else instead of being nice at one thing. Hella weird shit but I'm nice with everything.
**Do you play with your fans?**
I play with everybody. You really can't tell if they’re your fans because they’re in character. It's really LA on the game. It’s really gangbanging on there: they got the Bloods, Pirus, Crips, all that shit.
**Who are you role-playing?**
Right now I’m RP, some n\*gga from 11 Deuce Hoover. It’s some cool shit. It’s hard to explain, it’s crazy. It’s some new shit to everybody tuning into it.
Photo by @mpvinny300
**What else do you like to do besides play the game?**
Just smoke, listen to music, sit in bed. Chill at home, I be chilling at home for real. I really don't be doing nothing.
**Ideal date night with wifey (Sahlt)?**
We don't really be going on dates for real, we be chillin’ in the house. If we go on dates it's for a special occasion, or we going out with her parents or somebody else.
**What do you like to do at home?**
Everything, home is the best place ever. I could feel like me, I could be whatever. I feel good playing a game, I feel good taking a shower, I feel good going to sleep, I feel good watching TV. I feel good with everything in my house.
**And you get to record at home…?**
Well, I just moved my studio out. I need a better space to get a different vibe because I was trying too hard in there. I was trying too hard in the house, I can get tired quick.
**What inspires you the most creatively?**
Seeing me grow. When I’m like “damn, my light’s going up! Ooh, this going up. Oh man I'm feeling good. I’m gaining a little weight, I'm not skinny no more.”
**Do you workout?**
Hell nah. I need to start though. I be starting to work out, then I stop. It’s weird, I took a year off really. I ain't try none of that shit in a year, I’ve been crazy. I took the whole year off, whole 2020 was over.
**How excited are you to perform “Opp Stoppa”?**
I’m excited as hell, words can't even explain it. I got so much music that already came out and I can't even perform it. Damn, they waiting for me! I'ma turn it up, everybody going to have fun.
**How was it on the Endless Summer Tour with G-Eazy and Lil Uzi?**
Oh man, that was crazy. That was my first real tour, that was fucking crazy. One time, I said “alright let's go get some food from the little carnival stuff.” ‘Cause we don’t got no food back here, so I took everybody with me. I'm tryna sneak around the back, this one kid said “hey, that's YBN Nahmir!” Everybody started running over, it was a mob. Damn, where do I go from here? So I had to turn around, getting the pictures. I realized I can’t even go that way I was tryna go so I gotta walk past the crowd. I'm walking past a whole stadium, everybody’s like “ohh, it’s YBN Nahmir!” Everybody jumping off the balconies taking pictures, it was hella cold. I had security with me. It was kids. I was 18 so 17 and 18-year-olds. The tour was crazy, that's when tour was fun. I can’t wait till this quarantine shit is over because I’m tryna have fun.
**Talk about your new clothing line called Heathens.**
Heathens man, I started it with Joey Fatts. We coming with a whole lotta new shit. You see the cutthroat.la, he’s going up right now. I had no choice but to do that. Yo Joey, can we do something please man?
**Why the name Heathens?**
‘Cause we some heathens. To be honest, it was a car group at first. We’re doing some car stuff, then we developed it into a clothing brand. Hella shit, I can't even say nothing. I want to surprise people with that, that's something I gotta wait for my album. It's going to be some crazy shit, not gonna lie.
**Anything else you want to let us know?**
Don't get sick mayne, stay inside. If you don't gotta go out the house and get some food or pick up some weed, stay inside. If you don't gotta go outside to the liquor store and get a bottle for your mama, then stay at home. That's all I got to say for y’all. Stay blessed.
