Nesby Phips — born Courtney Nero in 1980 — is a New Orleans rapper, producer, and visual artist who helped shape the sound of Jet Life, producing "Prioritize" and "Hold On" for Curren$y's landmark Pilot Talk records. The grand-nephew of Mahalia Jackson, he grew up on the same blocks and in the same classrooms as Lil Wayne, Curren$y, and Mack Maine, and his work carries that Hollygrove pedigree into everything he makes.
In 2003 he founded Bakadahouse Music as the home for his production, and his tracks have since landed with Wiz Khalifa ("Supply" on Kush & Orange Juice), Juvenile, Fiend, and Lil Wayne — whose Sqvad Up mobile game Phips scored in 2016. GQ named his "Passive Cassanova" one of the top 25 records of summer 2014, and a year later he sold out Preservation Hall for a show with Fiend. His solo catalog runs from The Catch Up (2011) through Phipstrumentals (2015), Black Man 4 Sale (2017), and Therapy (2018), and he is currently at work on the documentary Mystery Lights.
Off the boards, Phips is a visual artist and a working cultural liaison: after Katrina he worked with ESPN, The New York Times, and VICE to document and protect New Orleans culture, and as co-owner of 0017th Records he is investing in the next generation of New Orleans talent. For production, booking, or records, his Bandcamp is the front door.
