BIO
Twenty plus years in the game, NYC based rapper, Mic Nickels, (aka Nickel Five or Nickel Killsmics) has been an inspiration for underground indie artists, with continued dedication to his craft. Whether as a solo artist, or frontman for jazz fused hip hop band, Nickel and Dime Ops, this emcee and producer has consistently recorded and released numerous albums, making countless collaborations with an international hip hop crew called MHB which he co-founded, as well as various artists across the globe.
In the studio he has worked with several Grammy award winning and nominated artists, such as Ian Hendrickson-Smith from The Roots, Lawrence Leathers, Brandon "Bizzy" Hollemon, Jean Baylor, Method Man, Timbo King, Rah Digga, Rockness Monsta, Kurious, and more. He has made hundreds of performances, carrying a weekly residency at Smoke Jazz Club in Manhattan for over eight years, and appeared in venues across the United States and in Europe, opening for acts such as Pitbull, Gregory Porter, Jeru the Damaja, The Alkaholiks, The Skatalites, Biz Markie, and more. His latest solo album, and tenth release, Bars for Days, is now available.
Interesting Dime Ops Facts
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- Nickel and Dime Ops performed over 500 shows at SMOKE Jazz Club, Blue Note NYC, SOBs, The Cutting Room, Joe’s Pub, The Bitter End, Ginny’s, Zinc, Bowery Electric, Sullivan Hall, Ashford and Simpson’s Sugar Bar, Gin Fizz, Rockwood Music Hall, Rutgers University, Guttman College, South in Philadelphia, The Summer Nostos Festival in Athens, Greece, and more.
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- The resumès of the 150+ musicians that have played with Nickel and Dime Ops feature names such as Alicia Keys, The Roots, D’Angelo, Amy Winehouse, Sting, Al Green, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common, Pharaohe Monch, Erykah Badu, Aretha Franklin, President Obama, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Steely Dan, Wu Tang Clan, Bobby McFerrin, and many more.
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- Special guests sitting in include Dr. Eddie Henderson (trumpet disciple of Miles Davis), Gregory Porter (Grammy Award winning vocalist), Jean Baylor (from Zhanè), Jacky Terrason (world renown piano player), Dennis Davis (Long time drummer for Stevie Wonder and David Bowie), T-Bone Davis (Drummer for Public Enemy), Brandon Bizzy Hollemon (Grammy award winning guitar player and producer for The Weeknd, Mims, and more)