Coming out of the Bay area, rising director and videographer DotComNirvan has caused a ton of disruption in the underground scene — and is a long way from slowing down.
“If you want the best case scenario type of thing for yourself, it’s not supposed to be easy. The world doesn’t owe it to you. It’s gonna take hours and take a fucking grind” says Nirvan while chopping it up with OGM host Hakeem Rowe in his OGM exclusive interview — his first interview ever.
In a world where droves of kids are trying to figure out what their calling is in life, Nirvan is certain that he has found his passion behind the camera — directing music videos of the freshest underground talent around. With visuals directed for BabySantana, KA$HDAMI, Iayze and the rap game’s hottest new artist Yeat, Nirvan puts blood, sweat and tears into every visual he releases, with his creativity on full display.
Drawing inspiration from the legendary Cole Bennett, Nirvan’s visuals are both flashy and vibrant, filled with tons of colorful animations and transitions that really encaptures the essence and energy coming from each artist he films for. During his sitdown, he dives heavily into just how much Bennett has inspired him to direct videos of his own, as well as shares what he calls the “most valuable piece of advice” that the Lyrical Lemonade film director has given him.
“I showed him a video, and he was like ‘Is this dropping on your channel?’ I was like ‘No.’ He was like ‘Let this be the last video you don’t drop on your channel.’”
“Him telling me that made me believe that a lot more, so that when I met up with an artist for negotiating the situation with them, when I said ‘No, this has to go up on my channel,’ I fucking meant it — I said it with my chest.”
DotComNirvan on Cole Bennett’s advice
Shooting his first video back in 2016, Nirvan has always been infatuated with hip-hop’s underground scene. Before shooting videos for these artists, he was always a fan of their music. That alone is what drives his excitement to cover these artists simply because he loves the music — wanting it to be heard by all and wanting the line between underground and mainstream to be nonexistent.
One of his biggest cosigns and accomplishments came from his collaboration with the Soundcloud legend Trippie Redd for his single “Uh Uh (Hit Em With The).” While mostly working with underground artists, it was only a matter of time before his work would grow to the point where more reputable artists would begin to notice his knack for innovative visuals and the movement he’s been creating.
Nirvan stated that Trippie followed him two years prior to them collaborating, as he watched him grow into the director that he is becoming today. When the time was right, Trippie and Nirvan linked and made magic happen. This special moment in his four-year career was certainly a significant one, as this is yet another stamp from someone he has looked up to and proves that the grind is all worth it, and to keep going.
As Nirvan’s YouTube channel looks to eclipse 100,000 subscribers, it’s evident now that he has more eyes gravitating toward his work. Racking up thousands of views each day, and collaborating with many underground stars who are now getting more and more recognition, Nirvan is seemingly laying out the framework for the next chapter of his journey.
Watch DotComnirvan’s OGM exclusive interview below!
