NLM Geno Talks Dropping Second Installment of “Get It Campaign!”

“Get It Campaign 2” now available on all major streaming platforms.

Every 4-years we conduct election to elect or re-elect a US President. During that same time frame, it appears we can also expect Chicago rhymer, NLM Geno to drop one of his, “Get It Campaign, projects as well. The self-proclaimed, “Candidate for hustlers,” submitted his second installment of the album title 4-years after the first drop. “Get It Campaign 2,” contains 13-tracks that serve as a manual for hustlers, grinders and go-getters. Staying true to his, NLM moniker, an acronym for, ‘Never Lose Motivation,’ Geno provides a spark for hustlers looking to maintain the sense of urgency during these crazy times. Geno’s timing could not have been better to drop this much-needed shot in the arm during the Covid-19 pandemic and social unrest.

During my recent conversation with, NLM Geno, he speaks candidly about the dangers of living in Chicago on a daily, opens up about, “Get It Campaign 2,” and much more!

How is everything going?

NLM Geno: It’s definitely been crazy, but still going and still staying focused as usual.

You are in the restaurant business as well as music industry and both industries were affected either directly or indirectly because of this virus. What has that been like?

NLM Geno: I think the benefit for me was I got the opportunity to be able to juggle both. It’s always better to have more than one income, you know what I’m saying.

You just dropped, “Get It Campaign 2,” exactly 4-years after the first one dropped. Is this series wrapped around Presidential elections?

NLM Geno: The, “Get It Campaign” series was always a plan for me. I was always planning to drop part two. I was actually planning to drop it sooner, but due to everything that started happening, I had some delays with getting to the studio and things like that. I just really wanted to do it at the perfect time. So, once I got over the delays and whatnot, my anniversary date for my label actually came up on May 20^th. So, I dropped it on that day to give it a little more symbolism. It’s crazy because the first one came about, I did drop it around a Presidential election. The colors and everything on the first mixtape kind of just blended well, so I just wanted to keep that theme for the hustlers. I’m a candidate for the hustlers (laughing).

You have a joint on there named, “2020 Vision,” and if it hasn’t been a difficult 2020 for everyone, it’s definitely been an altered one. In what ways have your plans for this year been altered and how do you push forward?

NLM Geno: It’s a lot of things I feel like I was late on. I definitely wanted to do a lot more this year as far as getting out here. But due to the quarantine, everybody had to distance themselves and stay in for a little bit. It’s hard to say. I’m a real artist. I like to express about reality, so anything that I can feed off of on a day to day basis, I incorporate into my music just to help me make it relatable as possible. Anything that I can do as far as traveling or moving around, especially with everything going on right now is always good. Even if you don’t directly speak on the current topics, having them in your awareness while you’re making your music… I like to stay relevant with the people.

You showed off multiple flows on this project. I’m sure that was intentional.

NLM Geno: Most definitely! You can always expect that from me. I like to keep my projects well rounded. In a sense, I like to take them on a mood rollercoaster, you know. You’re not going to be in one mood every day while you’re listening to an artist. At least I feel like you shouldn’t just get one sound. If I’m going to give you a project with these many songs, with everything going on right now, a lot of people have a short attention span. You can get distracted easy. So, I like to hit them from different angles. If I can’t catch you here, I can catch you over there. Either way, my plan is to catch you.

What’s your favorite joint off of the project and why?

NLM Geno: Honestly, I would have to say, “Run It Up,” would be my favorite joint. I had a crazy energy in the studio that day. I just like to drop gems about the grind and the hustle. That one kind of set my overall tone. If I were to take out another single, that would definitely be the one. “Run It Up,” I don’t know what else to tell them but to get the money. You gotta be relentless with your efforts if you want something. You just gotta put in that work to get the results period. I’ve been showing myself that and I’ve been showing others that. I just try to stay in that lane and keep moving. Regardless of what’s going on, stay as focused as possible. When you put that work in, you will get the results no matter what.

“Finesse Is Life,” is my favorite. I like the tempo, like the flow. How did you come up with the concept for that one?

NLM Geno: “Finesse Is Life,” is one of my earlier songs off the project that I wrote. I got a couple vices myself, you know. I don’t like to put too much into the music, but I do like to let them know that I’ve been on the other side before. I know what it feels like. Everything isn’t a straighten arrow for us. I’m just going to be real about that. We strive for perfection and to do things the right way, but you gotta cut a few corners every now and then. I just wanted to shine light on that. It’s a few people that listen to me that are fans and they live that lifestyle. They will be able to relate and understand some of the underlying things that I’m saying on the song. Guys that are out there hustling, they might not be hustling the legit way, so they get caught up, court cases and things like that, so I just shined a little bit of light on that in a short song. Let people know what that really is. A lot of people… I feel like they watered down the word, finesse. Nowadays, everybody really think they doing it, but these are the type of things that surround that lifestyle. It was like a true story. You have those conversations.

What do you feel like the game is missing the most?

NLM Geno: We’re missing that general substance that we used to have. I’m influenced by a lot of old school hip-hop; from the source of it. Where it started from. I feel like a lot of new music is kind of missing substance. Music is ever changing. It’s always improving, always new sounds and stuff like that, but sometimes I feel like a lot of artists are missing that real substance. I’ll listen but I don’t really hear anything.

Do you feel like that’s a void that you are filling?

NLM Geno: Yeah, I definitely do. I feel like you always have to have someone that’s doing something that others aren’t doing. Coming from my city in Chicago, we have a lot of negative things that have been glorified. And probably other places too. So, while all of those things are going on, I like to be the person to take the attention away from that and say, “Hey, we can still do this, while that’s going on.” We can still grind, we can still hustle, and make a living and we can be peaceful while we do it. I definitely feel like I help fill that void to give people to stand on. Some values that they can follow. It’s almost like I give codes or guidelines through my music of how you can navigate this thing. A how to do list.

When you’re surrounded with negativity, is it hard to keep your mentality of grind, hustle and positivity because Chicago can be a rough place to think positive?

NLM Geno: I’ll be lying if I said it wasn’t hard, bro. I can literally tell you, in the past couple of weeks, lives have almost been lost and everything. That’s still an everyday reality. It’s hard. I definitely can see, a lot of people look at me as a strong individual, but it’s definitely hard.

You ever thought about moving out of Chicago?

NLM Geno: I’ve always had thoughts of moving out of Chicago. It’s going to always be home. Even when I talk to my family and things like that, I say, “We ever move around, Chicago will always be home.” You can’t be scared to leave the house and go outside. If I leave I will always be back. But I have no problem getting up outta here if the opportunity presents itself. I definitely will fly, but you always gotta come back to the birds nest. That’s just what it’s about.

I appreciate you, my man. Is there anything else you would like to add?

NLM Geno: “Get It Campaign 2” is out on all major streaming platforms. You gotta get it. It’s a must have. You can expect some live music on there, some hustlers inspiration and some work hard inspiration. Just a general mind state of being out here and getting it and being successful. If that’s what you about, this mixtape is for you. Get up and get it and stay focused. Never lose motivation.

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