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The Niceguys

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Excelsior is the motto

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Hometown	Houston, TX
Genres	Alternative Hip_Hop, Hip_Hop
Band Members	The Niceguys comprises MC (Yves ‘Easy Yves Saint’ ... » more
Achievements
Upcoming Shows	None

Contact Information:	Manager Joseph Dexer Joseph@thepigroup.net 281-865-7660 Booking Edica Tella Erica@thepigroup.net 832-725-8699 Publicist Dan Friedman Dan@audibletreats.com 410-522-8380
# Years Experience Performing Live:	5
# Live Perfomances Past Six-months:	35
Market Draw:	New York, NY: 101-150; Houston, TX: 451-500; Austin, TX: 251-300; Dallas, TX: 201-250
Venue History:	The Scoot Inn - Austin, TX Sullivan Hall - New York City, NY House of Blues - Houston - Houston, TX Victory Grill - Austin, TX WareHouse Live - Houston (3 Blocks Down From Minute Maid Park), TX University of Houston - Houston, TX Prairie View A&M University - Prairie View, TX Texas A&M - College Station, TX Cielo's Nightclub - Austin, TX Antone's Night Club - Austin, TX
Opener Experience:	J.Cole; Dom Kennedy; Nottz & Asher Roth; Big Sean; Wiz Khalifa; Curren$y; Talib Kweli; The Clipse; Wale; Black Milk; Weezer; Bun B; MF Doom; Scarface; Ween; Yeasayer
Similar Artists:	Anyone thats good!
Performing Rights Society:	ASCAP
Discography:	The Show LP—2010; The Green Room EP—2009

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About the Artist

Sometimes, preconceived notions can be good; the comfort of expectations met is often a welcomed feeling. For the more adventurous among us, though, the best part of defined expectations and preconceived notions is having them broken, shattered even, in...

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Music

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Achievements

Upcoming Editor Picks for the OurStage Facebook page!

Reached 41st in Best of Urban chart in 2011. In the top 100 for 6 weeks.

Alternative Hip-Hop Winner, October 2011

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Press Coverage

The Niceguys - The Show HipHopDX by
Rappers in the “Lone Star State” have long been known for their appeasement of candy-painted rides, chopped and screwed vibes and an overall emphasis of southern hospitality. Breaking this ceremonious mold, Houston-based quartet The Niceguys (Easy Yves Saint, DJ Candlestick, Christolph and Free) have made a name for themselves by providing universally-crafty records attuned to the younger Hip Hop fans online. Contrasting their humorous video series with a steady appetite for the studio, it would make sense for the group’s debut album to be fairly light and entertaining, yet professional in approach. That’s exactly what ensues on The Show. As the mouth piece of The Niceguys, Easy Yves Saint personifies their theme of “performance and energy with a dash of awesomeness” nicely. Whether he’s administering a verbal hex on haters with “Contraverses” or getting his celebratory fix on “Toast,” Saint’s radiant delivery carries an assertive tone that is comparable to veteran emcees. Unfortunately, what turns out to be Yves Saint’s biggest flaw is his ostentatious lyricism that seemingly has no implicit value. Take “The Good Shepherd” in which he raps, “Must I remind you, getting behind dude / Like being blind with a good seeing eye to guide you / I’m a dog, four legs but stand on my hind two / Don’t bark, rather I spark my ‘K’ and my nine too.” Sure, the word play looks good on paper, but the constant metaphors interferes with the message he is trying to get across. Then on “It’s Like That,” Saint bewilders the listener with a clumsy homophone barrage; “Brakes loose, no brakes, we break rules / And we don’t use the brakes, I break her off until the break of dawn.” While Christolph and Free “share” production duties for The Niceguys, Christolph’s volume of work on the album is a sign of whose beats worked best for The Show. Characteristically soulful and upbeat, the aforementioned “Toast” is an instant head-bobbing record layered with synth keys, drums and horns galore. In stark contrast, the aggressively Rock-induced “Mr. Perfect” shows the range of Christolph’s creations. However, it’s his work on “Things Ain’t The Same” and “On This Road” that provide the album superb audible context. On the former track, Christolph matches Easy Yves Saint’s disappointed lyrics over the loss of a girlfriend with a dejected guitar riff melody that brings out the emotion of record. On the latter, it’s his addition of an alluring flute that thrusts the journey-filled narrative forward. To be fair, Free’s contributions are not too shabby either as production for the album-ending “Curtains” properly fits the vibe of the record. With musical peaks and valleys, The Show is an admirable debut for a group that has yet to tap into their full potential. Still, the question at hand is whether they can become a staple figure in a genre that sees too many new artists come and go. Whatever the case, The Niceguys have become an interesting group to watch in the near future.

The Niceguys "The Show" by URB.COM
Yes, The Niceguys are based in Houston, but don’t let this fool you; there’s nothing pop-lock-and-droppin’ about this thoroughbred hip-hop crew. The Niceguys make it evident from the title-track opener of their full-length offering, The Show, that this is not going to be an exercise in frivolous nursery rhymes. There is something very genuine about The Niceguys, whose core aim is to entertain and have fun with energetic hip-hop. Following the title of the album, The Show actually plays out much like an actual hip-hop show. There is a brief introduction that leads right into the party-starter, “Toast”. Although the sing-songy hooks leave a bit to be desired, the production is full-throttle, and prepares the listener for the remainder of the album. The album concludes with the appropriately titled, “Curtains”. And, much like many hip-hop concerts that don’t venture far from the traditional, there are ups and downs in The Show. The Niceguys thrive under a verse-hook-verse structure, and it is on this basis that much of the album is built. Therefore, when the hooks are strong, the tracks tend to follow suit. Take “Things Ain’t The Same” for example; the hook is catchy, but doesn’t overwhelm or detract from the superb lyrics being delivered as the emcees wax poetic about loves lost. It’s one of the many tracks on The Show that unveils the multi-faceted persona of The Niceguys. At the same time, The Niceguys are clever. From a production standpoint, they rely on heavy drums and thumping basslines. Tracks are layered with smooth grooves, such as on the mellow “Cave”, which sheds light on the backwards politics of the inner-city (perhaps better known as the code of the streets?). Lyrically, they can drop lines that are insightful directly alongside topically comical lines relevant to modern technology. Check the Tumblr mention in “Die Later”. However, The Niceguys do play it safe throughout The Show. There is no truly innovative progression here, which holds the album back from being terrific. Although Yves is certainly a talented emcee, his rhymes play by the rules, sometimes painfully so (rare, but still). Furthermore, the beats are standard. At their best they are certified bangers, perfectly suited for a party atmosphere or a summer night joyride. At their worst, the beats are fair – rough around the edges and uninspired. All in all, there is more than enough worthy content here to make The Show an engaging and enjoyable listen, and The Niceguys a formidable group in the new age of hip-hop. There are numerous bright moments indicating that The Niceguys have a strong future ahead of them.

The Niceguys - The Show(Review) by DayandADream.com
Once you mention you’ve arrived to a perceived destination, you’re at “The Show”. The road you take to get there can vary. You can be shot straight out of the bottom leagues and blossom at the right moment or you have it immediately ordained on you like a high school phenom. While many believe the road of the high school phenom is the one most wanted, it’s the former position which yields the most results of success. After slowly proving they’re ready for the bright lights since 2007’s Nice Guys Finish Last, the Houston-quartet of Niceguys show out on The Show, a debut album that is essentially their Green Room EP on HGH. Yves is the wordsmith, Free & Christoph are the composers of lavish soundscapes and Candlestick spins everything into a blend. The band ventures into so many different aspects and sounds that The Show is about as balanced a hip-hop album you will find this year. From the title track “The Show”, the early trademark of The Niceguys is Yves Saint’s committed to blistering bars and intricate wordplay. Backed by Lee Lonn Walker’s vocals, Yves starts off the album reveling in the group’s greatness, pushing through production featuring crowd cheers, bluesy horns and light drums. “Toast” speeds up the melody to Steely Dan’s “Do It Again” to build a backdrop of triumph and expression. Saint seems fixated on making sure everyone knows he and his guys have made it and refuses to drop the baton. Musically, The Show takes a varied approach. The soul samples and jazz influences that found themselves on the group’s earlier releases are there but linking up with James Kelly gives the production more of a punch to touch more diverse crowds. “On This Road” is essentially what Kill Bill would be like had Tarantino decided to produce. It’s spacious and epic with spaghetti western type horns and Steve Bigham’s grainy chorus. For seven minutes, Yves throws in a barrage of punchlines ranging from Tyler Durden to Zach Galifinakis. “Things Ain’t The Same” matches the template of lyrics crafted before production, bleak guitar riffs tied behind lyrics simple in delivery, complex in meaning. The contributions from Lee Lonn Walker on “Somebody” and Jack Freeman on the closer “Curtains” add even more soul and emotion to a record chock full of it. Walker’s pleas are rich in texture, giving the singer poise beyond his stature and Freeman trades in his boastful braggadocio found on “Not At All” for a somber, relaxing croon. Through weaving lyricism, Yves Saint wants nothing more in the world than maybe some Jack Daniels, Shiner Bock, a healthy box of Domino’s and “victory for his Niceguys”. Judging by the group’s effort on their debut, he might just get that and then some. It’s pretty ambitious but The Show is what genre bending hip-hop sounds like: equal parts loud, soulful & different. The Show proves that the group has taken every step and precaution to be a step ahead of the rest.

Meet The Niceguys by Houston Press
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