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Nodust Writes His Lyrics Last and That’s Exactly the Point

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There’s a moment in Nodust’s creative process where nothing makes sense, and that’s by design. Before a single coherent word hits the track, he’s in front of his mic spitting pure nonsense, syllables that mean nothing but feel like everything. It sounds absurd until you realize it might be the most honest approach to making rap music in 2025.

The artist has built his entire workflow around what he casually calls “gibberish.” He loads a beat into FL Studio, throws on his baseline vocal preset, and starts recording sounds that aren’t words. At this stage, he’s not writing. He’s hunting for something more primal: the melody, the emotional peaks, the places where a vocal effect might hit harder. The lyrics come later, reverse-engineered from the shapes his voice already made.

“I literally spit gibberish in the mic,” Nodust explains. “At this point I’m just trying to create the melody and find key points for vocal emphasis and effects, then I listen back and I write lyrics to the gibberish.”

It’s a technique that flips traditional songwriting on its head. Most rappers start with bars, with meaning, with something to say. Nodust starts with feeling, trusting that the right words will eventually find their way into the spaces his instincts already carved out. The approach raises a question worth asking: in an era where melodic rap dominates, does what you say matter less than how it sounds when you say it?

Nodust

The answer, if you’ve been paying attention to artists like Nettspend, esdeekid, and Xaviersobased, seems to be yes. These are the names Nodust cites when talking about discovering what he calls “ultra technical flows that have never been done before.” Not technical in the traditional sense of dense wordplay or complex rhyme schemes, but technical in the architecture of sound itself. The way a syllable bends. The precise moment a voice cracks into something vulnerable. The texture of a phrase that might not parse grammatically but hits you somewhere beneath language.

Nodust came up through the emoplugg scene, drawing heavy inspiration from artists like D1v, Bladee, and his best friend Kill Red. That foundation taught him something crucial about emotional resonance. He describes certain songs as being “like drugs,” and he’s not using the comparison loosely. “I swear they put drugs in those songs,” he says of D1v’s “Sound of Silence” and Kill Red’s “Notice.” “I’ve had full days of only listening to those songs on repeat all day. Like 8 hours straight.”

That obsessive relationship with music, which he attributes partly to his ADHD, informs everything about how he creates. When he found himself drawn to the trap and jerk beats that exploded over the past year, he noticed a gap. Nobody was bringing that emoplugg melodic sensibility to the new sound. The result was tracks like Clairvoyance with producer 999ines, a song that made him feel, for the first time, like he might actually have a shot at making it.

What makes Nodust’s situation unique is that he’s doing all of it alone. Writing, recording, mixing, mastering, cover art, video editing. There’s no team parsing his gibberish recordings into polished product. It’s just him, often for 14 hours straight, because stopping means the song might never get finished. “If I don’t finish it in one go it’ll never get finished,” he admits.

Nodust

His latest release Numbers, which dropped November 28, continues the formula: massive bass, signature cadence, vocals that prioritize vibe over verbose. It’s music that doesn’t ask you to think. It asks you to feel.

The self-sufficiency extends to his visuals, with videos like M.I.A., Zoot, and Geeked shot by his girlfriend SuziWithAnUzi, who’s established herself in the Toronto scene and serves as both collaborator and proof of concept that this path can actually work.

Nodust is quick to credit the people around him, including producers like Sheepy, his longtime collaborator c0ll!e, and his mom, who genuinely gets pissed if he drops something without sending it to her first. But the creative core remains solitary, almost meditative. He describes making music as “the only time I can actually be in the moment and I’m not worrying about the past or the future.”

There’s something worth noting about an artist who builds songs from meaningless sounds and considers that the most genuine part of the process. In an industry obsessed with authenticity, Nodust has found his by abandoning meaning entirely at the start. The words come last because the words aren’t the point. The point is that high, that feeling, that moment when a syllable lands exactly right even if nobody, including the person who made it, could tell you what it means.

Maybe that’s where rap is heading. Maybe it’s always been there, and we’re just now getting honest about it.

With Toronto shows planned throughout the year, you can keep up with Nodust on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X, Soundcloud, and Apple Music.

This article contains branded content provided by a third party. The views expressed in this article are solely those of the content creator or sponsor and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or editorial stance of Popular Hustle.

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GMDCASH Talks Comebacks, Jail Time, and Why He’s Just Getting Started

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GMDCASH

Some artists talk about grinding. Others actually live it. Calvin Davenport, better known as GMDCASH, falls squarely into the second category. The Seattle-born rapper has navigated the kind of obstacles that would make most people quit, including incarceration, legal restrictions on his content, and the predatory side of an industry that loves to take advantage of independent artists. He’s still here, though, and with previous coverage in outlets like Earmilk and The Source already under his belt, his recent output suggests he’s figured out how to turn setbacks into fuel.

His latest single “Bump A Whore Pt. 2,” released January 16th, 2026, sees him team up with MikeJack3200 and Frostydasnowmann for a polished follow-up to the original. But it was his comeback track “I’m The Product,” dropped at the top of the year, that set the tone. That title isn’t just a song name. It’s a thesis statement. The track positions GMDCASH as someone who’s done waiting for opportunities to find him. Instead, he’s become the opportunity. With a new EP on the way, he’s building momentum on his own terms.

We caught up with GMDCASH to talk about what drives him, how he creates, and what’s next.

GMDCASH / January Cover

Take us back to a specific moment when you knew this was what you were going to do. What happened?

I think after getting out of jail I geared my focus towards my music career. I really needed a positive outlet, something that woke me up, drove me, and inspired me and the people around me. Music did that for me.

If someone’s never heard your music before, how would you describe what you do?

I would say my music is for everyone. I have a pretty big catalog and it’s forever expanding, so if you don’t hear something you like, check back every now and again. I’m sure something will catch your ear. And if not, it’s more than music. It’s my life story. I want people to be inspired by my music. I want people to hear it and know that anything is possible.

Who or what shaped your creative voice the most?

My family is a big part of my influence. Both my parents and some of my family members have been in the industry. Growing up in a musical household is number one. I have a unique style. I couldn’t say one thing shaped my creative voice, and I feel like my creativity is forever changing every time I’m in the studio.

Walk us through how you actually create.

Honestly, I book a session and spend four hours minimum in the studio. Sometimes I don’t even book. I’ll just feel something and call a studio and get to work. Most beats are made as soon as I pull up. The producer gives me the sample, I approve, he starts the loop. Most of my lyrics are life experience, so it’s not hard for me to make a song. I just rap how I’m feeling. Sometimes it’s a smooth process, others take time. Then they mix and master and I schedule the release.

What’s something you had to figure out the hard way?

I think going to jail at the end of the year was really a wake up call. I have to protect myself and keep people around me who want what’s really best for me, not just have anyone around me.

Is there anyone you’d love to work with down the line?

I really would like to collab with Hurricane Wisdom.

Where are you at in your music career right now?

This is just the beginning. I feel there’s so much more to come. Music is my passion. I don’t think I’m leaving the mic anytime soon.

What are you working on that you’re excited about?

I’m excited for my next EP coming out early this year. I focused on songs with uplifting, positive energy and the GMD, Get Money Daily, vibe. I’m hoping to do at least two shows before the middle of the year. I’m just excited about the possibility of the new year and all the good things it has to bring.

If there’s one thing you want readers to take away from this feature, what is it?

I’m an up and coming Seattle rapper. Check out my music, be inspired, follow my page, interact, share your thoughts.

GMDCASH

What stands out about GMDCASH isn’t the adversity itself. Plenty of artists have tough stories. It’s the clarity that came out of it. He’s not chasing validation or waiting for a label to cosign his vision. Beyond music, he has plans to move into artist management and eventually relocate abroad. For listeners who connect with authenticity over polish, that long-term thinking is the whole point.

Stream GMDCASH on Spotify, Youtube, and Apple Music, visit his official website, and follow him on Instagram.

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Meet Lil Deezull, the Cambridge Rapper Finding His Moment

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Lil Deezull

Some artists spend years waiting for their moment without realizing it already came and went. Lil Deezull knows what that feels like. He’s been rapping since 2015, freestyling with friends in Cambridge, Maryland long before he thought of it as a career. It took seven years and a viral track before he understood what he’d been sitting on.

The Cambridge rapper, born August 16, 2005, didn’t start out with a plan. His first actual track, “Big Booty,” got passed around locally and gave him his first taste of what connecting with an audience felt like. But it wasn’t until 2022 that everything clicked. A track called “Purple Rain” went viral, and suddenly the kid who’d been rapping for fun had people actually paying attention.

Lil Deezull

“Since then I started taking my music career seriously,” Lil Deezull says. That shift shows in his output. His 2024 album, For All The Snow Bunnies, marked his biggest project to date and helped establish him beyond his Eastern Shore hometown.

The numbers tell part of the story. His track “Suffering” has pulled over 106,000 plays with solid engagement, while newer releases like “NO KINGS” show he’s building consistent momentum rather than chasing one-off hits. He works primarily in hip-hop and rap, pulling from the melodic trap style popularized by artists like The Kid LAROI and Polo G, but he’s not interested in staying in one lane.

“I am a multi genre artist and I make music for everyone,” he explains. Recently, that’s meant studying country artists like Morgan Wallen, looking for ways to expand his reach beyond rap’s typical audience. It’s an unconventional move for a young rapper from Maryland, but it speaks to how he thinks about his career.

His lyrics draw from personal experience. Daily life, observations, things he sees and hears in Cambridge. He wants listeners to find something relatable.

“My hope is that people will relate to me and that my music can help them get through whatever they are going through in life,” Lil Deezull says.

‘Maryland Man’ by Lil Deezull

His next project, Maryland Man, drops May 16 and represents a return to collaboration after a solo-focused 2024. The album features fellow Cambridge rappers Lil Mop and Murda2x alongside international collaborator Brixton, who appeared on For All The Snow Bunnies. It’s a deliberate effort to spotlight his hometown’s scene while building on last year’s momentum.

At 19, Lil Deezull has already been making music for nearly a decade. He’s had time to figure out what he wants to say, and he’s also had time to accumulate regrets. “Don’t be like me and have a life full of missed opportunities,” he says. “Live your life and take any chance you get.”

It’s a surprising bit of self-awareness from someone still early in his career, but it tracks with why he finally got serious after “Purple Rain” took off. He’d spent seven years treating music like a hobby while the moment kept knocking. Now he’s answering the door.

Follow Lil Deezull on SoundCloud, Instagram, and YouTube.

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Dennis Dewall Reboards the Spy Genre with International Thriller ‘THE TRAIN’

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Dennis Dewall / THE TRAIN / Westside Studios (credit: Davide Marconcini)

Trains make for inherently cinematic settings: the claustrophobia, the momentum, the fact that you can’t just walk away when things go sideways. Dennis Dewall clearly knows this, and he’s using it to full effect in THE TRAIN, an espionage thriller that narrows his Spy Capital universe into the confined intensity of a luxury locomotive.

Dennis Dewall stars as Major Alex Stirling, a former SAS operative who finds himself in the middle of an intelligence turf war aboard the Majestic Imperator, a privately owned train carrying high-profile passengers through Central Europe. When rival intelligence services close in, what follows is a volatile mix of surveillance, manipulation, and direct confrontation. The train becomes a rolling battlefield where everyone’s watching everyone else, and nobody’s safe.

Boris Volodarsky / Westside Studios

What separates this from standard action fare is the man behind the camera. Boris Volodarsky isn’t just a filmmaker. He’s a legitimate espionage authority who’s written extensively on KGB operations, Stalin’s intelligence apparatus, and high-profile political assassinations. That real-world credibility shows up in the film’s approach, lending THE TRAIN grounded authenticity that distinguishes it from more stylized espionage entries.

Madalina Bellariu Ion / THE TRAIN / Westside Studios (credit: Davide Marconcini)

The cast pulls its weight. Madalina Bellariu Ion, who’s appeared in projects like THE YOUNG POPE and TAKE COVER, plays Natalie Krug, an operative who’s equal parts dangerous and magnetic. Anouk Auer holds her own as Stirling’s daughter Olivia, adding emotional weight to the high-stakes narrative. The ensemble rounds out with Peter Ormond, Alan Burgon, Martin Ploderer, Suzanne Grieger-Langer, Polina Kuleshova, and Nadine Grosinger, all contributing to the film’s international texture.

Peter Ormond & Cast / THE TRAIN / Westside Studios (credit: Davide Marconcini)

Dewall and his team shot across Vienna, London, Malta, Bangkok, Budapest, and Prague to capture authentic international locations. The action choreography, handled by martial arts expert Ali Kabalan, emphasizes physical realism. Dewall performs his own stunts, which adds weight to the physical confrontations and underscores the production’s commitment to authenticity.

Ali Kabalan & Dennis Dewall / THE TRAIN / Westside Studios (credit: Davide Marconcini)

THE TRAIN releases September 10, 2026 in Germany and Austria, with a London premiere and additional territories following a week later. Dewall’s emphasis on physical authenticity and real-world intelligence expertise positions THE TRAIN as a grounded entry in contemporary espionage cinema. Sometimes the best action happens when there’s nowhere left to run.

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