Over the last few years, Jacksonville rapper Nardo Wick has been making a bit of a name for himself. He went viral in 2021 for his single "Who Want Smoke?" The track received a remix that featured appearances from 21 Savage, Lil Durk, and G Herbo. The remix peaked at #17 on the Billboard Hot 100, and has since gone multi-platinum. He followed up with "Me or Sum," a track with Future and Lil Baby. Though it did not perform as well on the charts as "Who Want Smoke," it has also become a multi-platinum single. His official debut album, Who Is Nardo Wick?, showed that Wick, then 19, had plenty of promise. Now, he's back with a new EP, his first project of any kind since his debut album (though he has released singles in the interim).
Hold Off is a six-track EP, clocking in at 15 minutes. It's very reminiscent of the new Florida sound, with names like Bossman Dlow immediately coming to mind as comparison points. The EP has one feature, with fellow Florida rapper Kodak Black. Their collaborative track "I Don't F**k With This Beat" pays homage to the XXL Freshman Cypher that Black participated in nearly a decade ago. He opens his verse with "now who the f**k made this little sorry-ass beat?" It is a direct callback to that now-iconic 2016 cypher. Elsewhere, Wick delivers his trademark street raps, with a vocal delivery that occasionally sounds similar to 21 Savage. The beats sound big, but don't overpower his more understated delivery. Nardo Wick knows what he sounds good on, and this is not any different. His sophomore album, simply titled Wick, is due for release later in 2025. Give this EP a quick listen in the meantime.
Nardo Wick - Hold Off (EP)
Hold Off tracklist:
All My Friends
Move
I Don't F**k With This Beat (feat. Kodak Black)
Bobble Head
Sorry For Dem
I Wonder
