YBN Nahmir

Background

Years removed from his big break into internet fame with the song ‘Rubbin Off the Pain,’ Nicholas Alexander Simmons, popularly known as YBN Nahmir, did not anticipate his success at the beginning but now works hard to build from it. He grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, living with his mother, aunt, and cousins, and attended Clay-Chalkville High School, Alabama. His interest in music started and developed from his interest in the Xbox games Rock Band and Grand Theft Auto, a Christmas gift to him when he was 14 years old.

At 15, Simmons formed the group YBN, which had him and a bunch of his gamer friends, including YBN Almighty Jay, whom he met online while playing Grand Theft Auto V. Initially, the group was just Simmons and his friends coming together to play video games, recording themselves playing live, and uploading the videos on YouTube. His growing online popularity led to the release of one of his first songs, ‘Hood Mentality,’ with Almighty Jay. His music did not give him attention right away, but this did not discourage him.

His big break came when his song ‘Rubbin Off the Paint’ became a viral sensation after the popular Hip Hop publication World Star Hip Hop published the song’s music video on their YouTube channel. The song peaked at number 46 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, and its success encouraged him and fellow YBN members to pursue music. They later met Cordae, who joined the collective as YBN. Cordae. Simmons recorded music with his group as well as independently, earning him much more success. He was part of XXL’s 2018 Freshman class and signed with Atlantic Records. He has collaborated with several notable artists, including Gucci Mane and Wiz Khalifa, on the YBN. project “YBN: The Mixtape,” as well as 21 Savage, on the song ‘Opp Stoppa.’ He released his debut album, “Visionland,” in 2021, and keeps his momentum, making music and chasing his dreams.