Night Terrors: A Look Inside the World of Nico Ghost

Young Melbourne MC Nico Ghost has been busy. Busy putting the finishing touches on his new track “Night Terrors” and preparing for his opening spot on the Wu-Tang Clan's Australian tour. The 21-year-old former Gold Coast boy welcomes me into the South Melbourne studio with a smile. “This is my life; this is my home - this room. I love it here,” he says. His excitement for opening for Wu-Tan is obvious. “RZA remains one of my idols. His spiritual outlook encouraged me to dig deeper within myself”.

But behind the smile lies a bed of darkness. “I’m not really sure I know where to start,” he says as we sit down to discuss just how the South African-born Queensland boy became Nico Ghost.

Noisey: What made you leave South Africa?
Nico: My parents left for New Zealand when I was two. There was nothing left for us there. South Africa wasn't really a great place to be. At that time the opportunities and things you could achieve were defined by your skin colour. I was born right after apartheid finished in 1994. Before that you were defined by your race, and if you weren't white you were limited in a lot of areas.

Was it better once you left?
Not really man, it was kind of the beginning of many trials my family would face. Hmm, how do I say these things? (long pause). I’m the only survivor of four brothers. Two were murdered, the other committed suicide. This all happened before I was 13. .I died emotionally after that, that’s why I go with the name Nico Ghost. I was a ghost for a long time. I remember a lot from those younger years, tragic things rather than good memories but I kind of dealt with that later on in life.

When did you start making music?
After all the shit happened I met GXNXVS and Seywood. We were classmates on the Gold Coast’s Varsity College. After we met shit got interesting. we just like clicked, and that’s when we started making music. All my shit is done by my homies – "Coolin", "Cold Ass Bitches", "Silent" were all produced by everyone in the house which was cool.

Who were your early inspirations?
Oh man Nelly, Kanye West and Lil Wayne definitely.

I heard you were in a church band in high school.
Yeah, I was in a heavy metal church band called Hand of the Architect. I was raised as Christian but I wouldn’t say I’m religious. I’m very spiritual, I like religion to an extent but I don’t really believe in religion as whole. I believe in spirituality. There’s a difference.

Was making music a way of dealing with your past?
The events of my past made me really question the world around me during my late high school years. I was dealing with my belief in God, my belief in what am I doing here – I was just questioning the point of life when it was so easily taken. I felt alone, like no one around me understood where my mind was at. The only thing that saved me is Kid Cudi.

He has a knack for that.
For sure man. I remember this one time, I was in my bathroom, loaded my lil’ pipe to brim ready to smoke out, debating whether or not life was worth living. I pressed play on "Soundtrack 2 My Life" and as the chorus hit I was just like, I’m not alone. There is someone out there that feels the exact same way that I feel. I don’t need this fucking razor.

A line in "Silent" goes, "My greatest strength is the fact I accept my greatest flaws". This seems to sum up your attitude.
Accepting yourself for who you are is one of the hardest things. Once you do that, you’re untouchable. This whole world is instilled with fear as soon as you’re born. Fear is false evidence appearing real. It doesn’t exist. I know my story is crazy and I have to share it, which is why I’m doing this music.

Check Nico performing on the Wu-Tang Clan Australian Tour:
Feb 24 – Sydney at Allphones Arena
Feb 26 – Brisbane at Riverstage