When did you fall in love with hip-hop?
If you ask Nicki McKay, she will tell you that she has always loved hip-hop. She is from the boogie-down Bronx, the birthplace of hip-hop, and both of her parents are musicians. Her father was a part of the renowned group Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5 and her mother went to school for performing arts.
After graduating from the University of Bridgeport with her Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication with a concentration in Journalism, finding a job in her field was a struggle. She did not let that deter her from her passion, so Nicki decided to start something of her own. She created her website Hip Hop’s Love Child along with the podcast Love Childs’ Theory, which gives local and underground artists a platform. The podcast also discusses politics, gentrification, things happening in the community, and much more. Nicki is most proud of interviewing Kiyanne, rapper, comedienne and former cast member of Love & Hip Hop New York. She interviewed her before Kiyanne was on the VH1 show, and once she made her appearance, the website received a lot of traffic.
Nicki has a team as well as an intern that keeps her website and podcast running. But that’s not all she does. At the start of the year, she joined Black Girls in Media as their PR and creates content for their social media account. When she is not doing any of that, she works as a substitute teacher. To manage her time, her team holds her accountable, she makes to-do lists, has reminders on her phone, and brings her work to school and as the students are doing their work, she’s working on her craft.
If you think that’s all Nicki does, you are wrong. She is an artist and she has been drawing since middle school. It is a hidden talent! In 5 years, Nicki sees herself living in L.A. and doing what she is currently doing but on a larger scale. She hopes that she can get an A-list feature on her website as well. Even though life after graduation was not a breeze, she continues to push forward and overcomes any obstacle that comes her way.
Nicki, Women's Empire salute you! We appreciate all you have done and will continue to do for our communities.