Exclusive: GRAMMY-Winning Producer Nascent Details Creating Soul-Baring Album ‘DON’T GROW UP TOO SOON’

The highly anticipated sophomore artist-producer album DON’T GROW UP TOO SOON by GRAMMY Award-winning producer Nascent is now available. This deeply introspective project delves into the journey of a grown man as he navigates and heals from childhood traumas.

Through a collection of vulnerable tracks, Nascent shares his personal experiences, offering listeners a poignant journey through his past. The album serves as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and a powerful reminder that confronting and overcoming past pain is a journey worth embarking on.

Nascent enlisted an A-list cohort of friends to join him on this musical odyssey, including Ab-Soul, PawPaw Rod, Duckwrth, and more. The album features recently released singles such as “Big Brown Eyes” featuring Orion Sun and “Don’t Check 4 Me” featuring Duckwrth and Saba.

One of the focus tracks, “Spinnin These Blocks,” features Maxo Kream, BJ The Chicago Kid, and Paul Wall. Accompanying the release is an official music video directed by Zach Sulak, capturing the vibrant spirit of Nascent’s hometown, Houston, Texas, where both Paul Wall and Maxo Kream hail from.

With DON’T GROW UP TOO SOON, Nascent invites listeners on a raw and emotional journey, showcasing the depth of his artistry and storytelling. The album promises to resonate with audiences as it explores themes of growth, resilience, and the power of confronting one’s past.

Speaking with The Source, Nascent discusses Don’t Grow up Too Soon.

Your sophomore album, “Don’t Grow Up Too Soon,” is described as deeply introspective and reflective of your journey through childhood traumas. What inspired you to delve into such personal themes for this project? 

Nascent: The inspiration came from a real-life experience of me having to deal with things that I was avoiding. My parents had found a few tapes of me and my brother’s childhood. I hadn’t seen those since I was a kid, and after watching them, I did feel a little bit of sadness because I realized that I had forgotten about that little kid and that I’d been avoiding a lot of issues within.

You collaborated with an impressive roster of artists on this album. How did you select these collaborators, and how did their contributions enhance the overall narrative of the album?

Thank you. Some of the artists on this album were also on my first album. These artists bring out my world, and I’m forever grateful to them. It’s also pretty cool to see the growth of their careers in the past three years since I dropped my first album.

The focus track, “Spinnin These Blocks,” features Maxo Kream, BJ The Chicago Kid, and Paul Wall. What was the creative process like in bringing these artists together, and what message were you aiming to convey through this collaboration?

I started that beat in a session with my close friend beat butcha. This was probably 2021. I sat with the beat for a few years and one day I just thought it would be cool to hear paul wall on that. I’ve always wanted to work with Paul Wall and I remember speeding and changing the key of the beat to give it a new feel. Then I remember putting paul walls drive slow acappella on it to make sure i wasn’t trippin. it sounded fire, so I reached out to my boy QB, who then sent me to Bruce Bang. I owe Bruce for sure because he made it happen ASAP. I’m super grateful for that. But before so got it to Maxo & Paul, BJ and I just pulled up to Truth Studios and i loaded the beat and BJ had this crazy idea. The song was easier to sell and show Maxo + Paul once the hook was on there. i’ve always wanted to work with Maxo, so it just happened to work out on this song.

Throughout the album, you explore themes of resilience and healing. Can you discuss how your personal journey influenced the overall sound and direction of the project?

I mean, I’m from Chicago, so there’s always going to be that feeling of soul. Also my biggest influences are Dr. Dre and Kanye West, so there’s gonna be some form of sampling also I’m always going to be very intentional with my drum selection and how the mix sounds, I definitely wanted to revisit the string arrangements on this album because it’s like a cherry on top and it compliments in my world very well. Thank you to Maurice Herd, John, Madison, and the Detroit, soulchestea for their work on this album.

“Don’t Grow Up Too Soon” serves as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. What message do you hope listeners take away from experiencing this album?

The message I want them to receive is not to be afraid to look deep. Fear will make us think that things are scarier than they actually are, but you’ll be surprised. Don’t forget about the inner child inside you as well. Also, enjoy the music. This album isn’t about following any trends or anything like that. I’m just doing whatever I want.

Are there any specific tracks on the album that hold particular significance to you, either in terms of their creation process or the emotions they evoke?

I love every song from my own reasons. But I think one of the songs that always sticks out to me is “he got the gas”. I remember when me and Jordan made that idea. I also remember when Ben Lusher and I started that idea at the Studio during a jam session. I also remember going to Atlanta and having Rizz come over to the Airbnb and laying his verse down. I remember going to Detroit to put the strings on it too. That song just hits me in a different way. That’s the best way I can explain it for real

Looking ahead, what do you hope to achieve with this album, both artistically and personally?

I hope to achieve helping more artist and producers out here in regards to their ownership and navigating this janky ass business we’re in.

Also, Im taking over this space we’re in and nothing’s stopping this train. They gon hear who really does this.