Nardwuar, notorious Canadian interviewer John Ruskin who’s known for unconventional questions and astonishingly deep research, linked up with burgeoning Austin rapper Quin NFN during South by Southwest.
As usual, the so-called Human Serviette surprised his local subject with gifts. First present for the homegrown rapper turned out to be a copy of the August 31, 2018, edition of the Chronicle, which featured Quin NFN on the cover alongside fellow MCs Teeta and Kenny Gee.
“This is ahh-mae-zing, Quin – you on the cover of the Austin Chronicle!” exclaimed Nardwuar. “What can you say about that?”
“They had it everywhere,” nodded the Eastsider. “My momma was loving it. It feels good. It feels amazing. I feel like I’m on one with this.”
The interview, which garnered over 20,000 views in the 14 hours since it was posted, also shouts out several Austin artists. Nardwuar first brought up Sertified.
“Yeah, I fuck with Sertified,” Quin responded. “He taught me how to roll them Backwoods [blunts].”
The host then name-dropped Kydd Jones. “I was just in the studio with bro,” Quin acknowledged, also discussing Kade Fresco among other ATX hip-hop contemporaries. “There’s a lot [of rappers in Austin]. They gonna pop out soon.”Venturing ever deeper into Austin rap history, Nardwuar shouted out Papa Chuk, Tee Double, and producer/musician Salih Williams. Check out the full 12-minute video:
This article appears in March 22 • 2019.