Sometimes the best way to tell a story is to make it concise and to the point. For instance, a boy, born in Germany but raised in Ravenna, fell in love with music, pursued his dreams and is now being featured on songs next to artists like Lil Wayne.
But let’s be honest, it’s the details that really make a story like that worth reading. So again, from the top …
Ely Nash, 31, whose real name is Marquix Cole, began his journey into the music scene when he was 18 years old. Nash began creating instrumental tracks for hip-hop and rap songs, called beats, during his senior year of high school and worked as a DJ in Akron and Cleveland nightclubs for the next five years.
During that time, Nash listened to a wide variety of artists, but says Michael Jackson, Drake and Kanye West inspired him the most.
“I’d never heard a rapper that could sing and rap as well as (Drake) did and the way that he did it,” Nash said. “He basically revolutionized the game. Without Drake when he put out ‘So Far Gone,’ there wouldn’t even be (an) Ely Nash.”
Once he stopped DJing, Nash taught himself how to be a sound engineer and released his first mixtape, called “The Underclass Project,” in 2013. The music-making process these days is simple thanks to technology — now all you really need is a computer, audio interface, microphone, monitor and headphones. Although the engineering side of it takes more skill, according to Nash.
“For (sound) engineering you got to have the ear for that to really know what you’re doing, especially when you’re dealing with melodic artists,” He said. “So, I just took my time over the years teaching myself how to hone my skills and my ear to really be able to get the sound that I wanted for myself.”
Just two years later, one of his beats was picked up by Cleveland rapper Ray Cash, who used it in his single “Saks Fifth.” The exposure became a springboard for Nash’s music career. From 2015 to 2018 he worked as an engineer at local music studios, recording for big artists like Rio Da Yung Og, FMB DZ and Ampichino. Nash moved to Akron in 2018 and has since fostered bonds with other members of the area’s music scene, dubbing it his “second home.”
Nash in the news: Ravenna music producer trying to make it big
In 2020 he released his most recent album “Colors,” which has three of the musician’s favorite songs to date. One of those songs, “Almighty,” is essentially Nash thanking God for everything he went through to get where he is now. Another of the three records, “We Came Up,” is a favorite because of its popularity and the work he did with Iso Cellis and Testa Gee to create it. The meaning of Nash’s song “1 & Only” is attached to his upbringing and musical ambition.
“I came from the slums basically, and (the song is about) me persevering through my struggles to put myself in a position to where I’m elevated and I’m standing out from the crowd,” he explained. “Really just showing people what (I’ve) really got capable within me.”
“1 & Only” and “We Came Up” are the two records he believes stand out the most from the album. They’ve gotten the stamp of approval from local radio personalities like Micah Dixon and platforms such as Cleveland’s Z107.9 and the University of Akron’s WZIP 88.1.
Nash released a record and music video with K Suave called “Blood on the Opps” in 2021. Since then, Nash has been working with Bay Area artist Mula the Pisces on an upcoming song called “Same Time” that will feature himself and Lil Wayne.
Right now, he works as a sound engineer and creates his music at Jones Hookah Palace on Main Street in Kent. Nash will open for Blue Siren at the kickoff of the Ravenna Rocks concert series this summer. The event will be in downtown Ravenna from 4 to 9 p.m. every Saturday starting July 2 and ending in October.
“It’s a great opportunity for me to show my city like what I can really do,” Nash said.
Want to hear Ely Nash before the concert? Listen to his music on Spotify, YouTube and all other music streaming services.
Contact Beacon Journal reporter Tawney Beans at [email protected] and on Twitter @TawneyBeans.
