Sam Kilgard-
When you’re young, you dream for the stars, but as we grow older many lose sight of the vivid, vertical light beams and focus on more dimly lit goals. One small town man is trying to touch those stars and is currently on the right path to do so.
Nolan Hall, a 21-year-old University of Wisconsin–Stout student, grew up in a small city just east of the Mississippi River: Chippewa Falls.
Hall grew up attending Parkview Elementary and developed many ideas and aspirations as to what he wanted to be once he grew up. Hall reminisces, “In elementary school I always dreamed of becoming an archeologist so I could discover never-before-seen artifacts. In middle school I changed my mind and wanted to become an architect, and then in high school I started to develop a love for creating music.” As Hall grew older, he began falling more and more in love with music; the poetry, sound and flow captivated him.
In his sophomore year of high school, Hall started to create beats for a group of friends that enjoyed freestyle. “It was in the tenth grade,” he recalls. “I remember I downloaded an online audio mixer and made several beats for Chaz and Cody, [my friends], to flow over.” After creating a few beats for his friends, Hall gave himself the name Ninety4 after the year he was born and started to work more intensely on creating music.
Hall’s next step in his musical career began when he came to UW–Stout. It was here that he took his music producing to the next level. He explains, “When I came to college I started to get more serious about making music. I bought some software and a drum pad to help me get things going.”
Since arriving at UW–Stout, Hall’s career has blossomed. He has found a unique style that blends melodic tunes with deep reverberating bass, creating an exhilarating listening experience that you cannot get out of your head. Hall also embraces heavy trap elements in some of his songs, making it physically impossible to sit still and listen at the same time, like in his song “Untitled” from his Fractal EP. Lately, Hall has taken an interest in more dance-themed music.
He says, “I don’t have many influences because I want to create my own style, something that has never been done. I can’t do that if I incorporate another artist’s style in my music, that’s just not me.”
He has attributed his friends as a main factor behind his work because they are the people who give him the constant energy he needs to keep creating new music.
After starting his college experience, Hall has played at various houses throughout Menomonie, entertaining hundreds of people with his infectious beats. His biggest performance to date was when he opened for Carnage the Executioner, a well-known Minnesotan rapper at the Cabooze in Minneapolis, which had a couple hundred people in attendance. Hall has also released over 35 tracks on his Soundcloud and has amassed over 900 followers.
Following graduation, Hall wants to get out of the Midwest and head somewhere where he can immerse himself in the music market.
Whether it be in the Midwest or in California, Hall’s path has only just begun. The product of a small Wisconsin town, Ninety4 has created a musical avenue that is all his own. With the love and support of his friends and family, Hall may reach his shooting star after all.