Nardo Wick drew heavy criticism for what people thought was him glorifying his past life of robbery and crime during a December interview. The Jacksonville rhymer attempted to stop the bleeding with an explanation that he was speaking his truth and not trying to influence any of his listeners’ decisions.
Nardo joined DJ Akademiks for the latest episode of his Off the Record podcast on Wednesday (January 26) and clarified that it was his lifestyle and circumstances that led him to commit robberies on a regular basis.
“When my momma first came home from prison, and I started to get older so began to realize, ‘We really struggling,” he said. “I slept on the floor three years straight, that’s why I never had to have a bed.
“Even when I was doing it. I knew I wanted to rap. I knew I wanted to rap since I was 14. I just never had the time or the funds. I was just waiting, trying to perfect my craft.”
Nardo also admitted he was around drugs such a young age with his family having crack around the house when he was about five years old.
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“I been around this shit my whole life since I can remember,” Nardo said. “I’m four or five and my uncles cooking crack and I’m asking what that is… A circle of crack and they like, ‘A grown-up cookie.’ It’s always been in me. My mom was really street and my daddy was serving.”
The controversy originally stemmed from Nardo Wick’s interview with the Big Facts Podcast where he explained how it just made more sense to him to rob someone for about $5,000 rather than work for a $500 paycheck.
“I would just look at it like I would go rob a n-gga and get this much, why would I go to work,” he added. “But you got to think, for real though, if I go do this to somebody and get $7,000 or $5,000, why I’m finna go to work for two weeks and make $500, hell nah.”
'Who Want Smoke?' Rapper Nardo Wick Explains Why Robberies Were More Lucrative Than Having A Real Job
The 2022 HipHopDX Rising Star invaded rap’s mainstream behind his “Who Want Smoke??” slow-burning hit, which picked up steam thanks to a remix featuring prominent street rhymers Lil Durk, 21 Savage and G Herbo. The menacing track is now certified platinum and peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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Listen to the entire episode below.
