When powerhouse indie label L-Town Records hosted its L-Town Idol competition last year,
the talent poured in like an open faucet. There were rappers, dancers, R&B singers, gospel
groups and even country singers, spoken word artists and rock bands.
Although there were many gifted artists in the running, rapper Nuonk outshined many of the
other contestants and finished as a finalist in the contest. The result is his recently released L-
Town Records single “Willie Wonka” and as-yet-untitled upcoming EP set to be released in the
Fall.
“Being one of the finalists felt good,” Nuonk admits. “It let me know that what I’ve been
thinking and what my peers have been telling me is all true. It let me know I need to do
something with my talents.”
Born Derrick Cooper and raised in Laurel, Miss., Nuonk has had a lifelong love affair with
music. Coming up in the church, he started his musical journey at age eight, singing in the
church choir. In his home and in the church, it was all about gospel music. But in the streets, it
was all about hip-hop.
“I always loved music since a baby,” he recalls. “I was raised in the hood and gravitated to
everything in it. So eventually, I moved over to rap…Everybody in the streets was listening to
rap, and I fell in love with it. I wanted to learn how to rap and flip my words too.”
Nuonk started off freestyling and then, started to write his rhymes. After mastering the art of
writing rhymes, he stopped writing altogether. Today, no pen nor pad is ever needed when
creating a song.
“I haven’t written a song in years,” he explains. “I compose it in my head and go to the studio
and record it.”
Nuonk’s first time releasing material to the public was last year’s debut single “Smooth
Criminal.” He put little to no promotions on the single but released it on all music platforms
online to rave reviews.
“It was just me testing the water,” he informs. “People had been telling me that they liked my
music. The response I got from my first single let me know I had something special.”
His peers weren’t the only ones who realized Nuonk’s talents. His recent pairing with L-Town
Records has yielded runaway debut single “Willie Wonka” and as-yet-untitled upcoming EP set
to be released in the Fall.
“My music is unpredictable,” Nuonk explains. “You never know what you’ll get from me
because I like all genres. I may blend any genre with my music. It’s full of anything that can
come about. My mind is always racing.”