(Left to right) Darren “Young D” Metz and Quinton “Yung Trybez” Nyce make up the hip-hop duo Snotty Nose Rez Kids. Credit: Sterling Larose
For the sixth stop on its 30-date “Hot Planet Tour,” Indigenous hip-hop duo Snotty Nose Rez Kids will headline Ace of Cups Tuesday in light of its two new singles, “I Got Paid Today” and “96 Bulls.”
Originally from Kitamaat Village, British Columbia, in Canada, Snotty Nose Rez Kids is a First Nations double act comprising Haisla Nation rappers Darren “Young D” Metz and Quinton “Yung Trybez” Nyce, according to a January 2018 interview with CBC.
The twosome shared a love of hip-hop while growing up and began writing their own music when they were just high school students, Nyce said.
“We’re from the west, so we grew up heavily with West Coast rap,” Nyce said. “As we started to get older, we fell in love with that southern [hip-hop] style.”
Before Metz and Nyce began making music under the “Snotty Nose Rez Kids” name, they went by “Minay Music” for a mixtape project Metz was assigned during his time at Harbourside Institute of Technology, according to an October 2018 article from NOW Magazine.
While wanting to stay true to their love for hip-hop, Metz said he and Nyce are exploring new styles and genres as they create their new album “Red Future,” which is yet to have a set release date.
“We’ve been stepping outside of our comfort zone,” Metz said. “We keep trying to push the boundaries and keep elevating our sound and our style.”
Metz said the duo has done a lot of growing and healing throughout the “Red Future” album creative process.
“With this [new album], we’re definitely more on the experimental side, but it’s also just another lane for us to express ourselves and what we’re going through now,” Metz said. “We’re not those same wide-eyed, young kids that we were when we first started. With a lot of growth comes a lot of hurt sometimes, like growing pains.”
Nyce agreed.
“You can really see how comfortable we are within ourselves, which is us being able to explore different sounds within our music,” Nyce said.
The “Snotty Nose Rez Kids” moniker reflects both musicians’ upbringings, which were shaped not just by family ties but also by a broader collective, Metz said.
“We grew up in a small northern town where we weren’t raised by our family, we were raised by the community,” Metz said. “There’s a sense of freedom that comes with that. Growing up surrounded by mountains and the beautiful ocean, we could just go outside in the backyard if we wanted to. We wanted a name that would let you know exactly who we are without us having to tell you who we are. We may be rough and raw around the edges, but there’s beauty in that.”
Metz said Snotty Nose Rez Kids is immensely grateful for its Indigenous supporters on and off the road.
“We’re going to bring the same energy every single night because our goal is to inspire at least one person from the show,” Metz said. “The support that we get when we pull up, it means everything, like, we do not take it for granted at the very end of the show. Our fanbase in the community is the reason why we’re able to do what we do in the first place.”
With continuous support from its Indigenous community, Metz said Snotty Nose Rez Kids hopes to explore other creative realms outside of music going forward.
“We’re looking to expand into other avenues,” Metz said. “Whether it be getting into film or, like, a TV show, or whether it’s getting into fashion, we just want to keep expanding and pretty much building the blueprint for the next generation or two that comes after.”
One of Snotty Nose Rez Kids’ new singles — “I Got Paid Today” — serves as a playful celebration of the duo’s recent signing with SONY Music Canada in September, Metz said.
“We knew there were going to be some people that were just like, ‘Oh, they signed, like, they’re sold out, they’re selling out,’” Metz said. “So like, OK, let’s drop ‘I Got Paid Today,’ and if you really listen to the record, it’s really tongue-and-cheek because there’s a section in the song where it’s just like, ‘G** d*****, I’m broke again, back to bummin’ them smokes again. I need help from my folks again, swore I’d never be broke again.’”
Metz said Snotty Nose Rez Kids creates a high-energy atmosphere at its live shows due to the duo’s lively stage presence.
“If you come to one of our shows, you will see it,” Metz said. “We grew up playing basketball and when you’re playing a game, it’s like you leave everything on the floor. So whenever it comes time to perform, we leave everything on the stage.”
More information about Snotty Nose Rez Kids is available on its website. The duo’s show at Ace of Cups will begin Tuesday at 7 p.m., and tickets — which cost $20 — can be purchased here.
