Nicholas Alexander Simmons, also recognized as YBN Nahmir, is an American rapper who was the prominent figure in the short-lived hip hop group YBN.
He rose to prominence with his hit song “Rubbin Off the Paint” in 2017, which reached the 46th position on the Billboard Hot 100.
He continued his success with the release of “Bounce Out with That” in 2018, which reached the top of the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.
Another notable achievement was his 2019 single “Opp Stoppa” featuring 21 Savage, which peaked at number 78 on the same chart.
REAL FACTS ABOUT NICHOLAS ALEXANDER
FULL NAME: Nicholas Alexander Simmons
DATE OF BIRTH: December 18, 1999
PLACE OF BIRTH: Birmingham, Alabama, U.S
NATIONALITY: American
OCCUPATIONS: Rapper, Songwriter, YouTuber
LABELS: Def Jam, Atlantic, Art@war
EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION
Simmons, who was born in Birmingham, Alabama on December 18, 1999, was brought up by his mother, cousins, and aunt.
Despite initially attending Clay-Chalkville High School in Clay, Alabama, he decided to drop out after the success of his song “Rubbin Off the Paint” and eventually completed his education in May 2018.
His passion for music began when he was fourteen years old and received an Xbox 360.
He used the gaming console to record his first song. Simmons gained popularity on YouTube by playing Rock Band and uploading gameplay videos of Grand Theft Auto V.
Freestyling in Xbox Live parties eventually led to the formation of the Young Boss Niggas collective with his friends.
CAREER
In 2014, Simmons established the hip hop group YBN in Birmingham, Alabama, together with YBN Almighty Jay, YBN Cordae, YBN Glizzy, YBN Manny, and others.
At the young age of 15, Simmons and YBN Almighty Jay uploaded their first song “Hood Mentality” on YouTube in March 2015.
Despite receiving minimal attention, they continued to release music, leading to mixtapes like “Believe In The Glo” on SoundCloud in January 2017.
Simmons gained significant recognition with the release of “Rubbin Off the Paint” on September 18, 2017, through WorldStarHipHop’s YouTube channel.
The song quickly became popular, causing him to miss school and switch to online classes as its success grew. It entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 79 and eventually reached its peak at number 46.
In November 2017, Simmons faced controversy when a record label claimed ownership of his song due to his manager selling the instrumental to a third party.
To address this issue, Simmons now has an in-house producer from the YBN collective. He released six more tracks that year.
Simmons made his debut on Lyrical Lemonade’s YouTube channel with the release of “Bounce Out with That” on January 23, 2018.
Initially, the song was not available on streaming platforms, but it has gained over 159 million views on YouTube since then.
In April 2018, Simmons signed a contract with Atlantic Records. He was later chosen to be part of XXL’s “2018 Freshman Class” and participated in a cypher alongside Stefflon Don and Wifisfuneral on June 12, 2018.
On July 13, 2018, Simmons announced a European tour with Almighty Jay and Cordae, visiting countries such as France, Germany, Poland, and Sweden.
The YBN collective released “YBN: The Mixtape” in 2018, featuring artists like Gucci Mane and MGK.
He followed up with the release of “Baby 8” in March 2019 and the music video for “Opp Stoppa” in June 2019.
In March 2021, Simmons released his first album, titled “Visionland.” He signed with Def Jam Recordings on July 9, 2022, and on February 23, 2024, he collaborated with Indian Rapper MC NIKHIL on the release of “BEAM.”
PERSONAL LIFE
YBM Nahmir and social media influencer Sahlt began dating in August 2018, but it was revealed in 2021 that they had ended their relationship.
