We had the good fortune of connecting with Derek Moore and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Derek, what role has risk played in your life or career?
In both business and in life I’ve learned that every decision is a risk to some degree. For me, it’s all about taking the right risks that align with my morals and values. I took a major risk by changing my brand from talking about mainstream hip hop, to focusing on independent artists. Now I feel like I’m truly giving value to my supporters and they give that value right back. It was all worth the risk.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I never planned to end up on the path of hip hop journalism, it just kind of happened. I’ve always been in love with hip-hop and have participated in many forms from rapping, making beats, audio engineering and more. I just knew that whatever I did for a living, as long as it has to do with my love for hip hop, I was down. Debating hip hop topics is something I’d engage in often, so that turned into me vlogging about my favorite mainstream rappers. That was fun for a while, but I wanted to find a way to stand out and stand for something bigger than myself. I switched up my business plan again. Since I’ve lived in a few different states, and met a lot of really great artists, I almost feel like it’s my duty to be a voice for the voiceless. I champion the indie hip hop artists only now. I use my RapNerd.Online platform to highlight the world’s best indie hip hop acts through written and video reviews. I learned that when you give value, it always comes back to you in great abundance. Learning how to adapt and learning how to constantly reinvent myself has kept me going strong. The journey is not easy, but it’s still beautiful. I want the name Rap Nerd to be known worldwide as a lifestyle shared by real hip hop heads through fashion, music, and entertainment. Everyone has an opinion, but in hip hop there are only a few people’s opinions that hold real weight. I want the Rap Nerd opinion to be one of the most valid and highly respected in the culture.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m out here in Austin TX currently. There are plenty of cool things to get into. ATX is the live music capital of the country. The main areas of interest in the city would be downtown 6th street , The Domain, and Kalahari Resorts. All of these areas are full of great restaurants, bars, and other fun activities.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Shout out Asia “Musically Inked” Jones for helping with the direction of my brand. Shout out to all of the talented hip hop artists in Austin Texas,they’ve inspired me a lot. Much love to the legendary DJ Michael 5000 Watts for co-signing me, and shout out to everybody who loves hip hop culture!

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Website: https://www.rapnerd.online/

Linkedin: https://www.instagram.com/rapnerd_/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RapNerdCommunity/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiaD0oBYWjnfwruejLqIudw

Image Credits
Elena Charis

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