Nettspend
Nettspend | |
|---|---|
Nettspend in 2024 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Gunner Shepardson March 18, 2007 Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 2021–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | nettspend |
| Signature | |
Gunner Shepardson (born March 18, 2007), professionally known as Nettspend, is an American rapper and songwriter. He gained popularity after a snippet of his song, "Drankdrankdrank", went viral on Twitter in late 2023. Growing up surrounded by music, Nettspend began rapping while in fifth grade. After releasing multiple singles, Nettspend released his debut mixtape, Bad Ass F*cking Kid, on December 6, 2024. After an almost nine-month-long delay and a year following his mixtape, Nettspend released his debut studio album Early Life Crisis on March 6, 2026.
Nettspend's musical style stems from trap, rage,[1] and jerk, which are subgenres of hip-hop. He commonly employs "distorted 808s", "loose piano riffs", and "glimmering synths" in his music, according to The Fader.
Early life
Gunner Shepardson was born on March 18, 2007, in Richmond, Virginia.[2] He has three siblings,[3] and his father was a country singer.[4] Growing up, Shepardson listened to Michael Jackson, Katy Perry, and Justin Bieber,[3][4] and was heavily interested in skateboarding.[4] He first tried out rapping while in fifth grade.[3][4] Shepardson attended Hermitage High School[5] where he felt isolated in school and dropped out in ninth grade, citing the impact of the COVID-19 lockdowns.[3][4]
Career
Early career and breakthrough (2022–2023)
Nettspend began releasing music to SoundCloud in December 2022.[3][6] After steadily gaining popularity for a few months, a snippet of his song "Drankdrankdrank" went viral on Twitter, exposing him to a wider audience.[3][7] His song "Shine N Peace" was listed among the best songs of 2023 by The Fader and The New York Times.[8][9]
Bad Ass F*cking Kid (2024)
On January 11, 2024, Nettspend was featured alongside rapper Xaviersobased on producer Evilgiane's song titled "40".[10][11] The song was listed as one of the best songs of 2024 by The New York Times[12] and Pitchfork.[13] Nettspend performed at Rolling Loud on March 16, marking his first festival performance.[14][15]
In June 2024, Nettspend collaborated with rapper OsamaSon on the single "Withdrawals".[16] That month, he also made a cameo in the music video for "Devil Is a Lie" by fellow Virginia rapper Tommy Richman.[7] After teasing it at multiple shows, Nettspend released "That One Song", a song sampling "Entombed" by Deftones, in July.[17] In the weeks that followed, "That One Song", along with the majority of Nettspend's other popular songs, was removed from streaming platforms.[4] Most of these songs have since been reuploaded.
On October 3, 2024, Nettspend released the track "F*ck Swag" alongside a music video directed by Cole Bennett.[18][19] Two months later, on December 6, 2024, Nettspend released his debut mixtape, Bad Ass F*cking Kid.[2][20] He embarked on a promotional tour of the same name, bringing out English singer PinkPantheress at his Los Angeles show.[21]
Early Life Crisis (2025–present)
On February 21, 2025, Nettspend announced his "Invert" tour on social media. Vans sponsored the tour and ran from March 14th to April 16th. On March 11, 2025, Nettspend made his runway debut with Miu Miu on the last day of Paris Fashion Week alongside Cortisa Star.[22] On March 18, Nettspend teamed up with xaviersobased to release "Impact". [23] On August 22, 2025, Nettspend released a two-track single, titled "Gone Too Soon", which featured tracks such as "Stressed" and "Her Friends".[24] On October 28, 2025, Nettspend was featured in a holiday ad for Vans.[25][26] On February 13, 2026, Nettspend announced that his debut album, Early Life Crisis, would drop on March 6, 2026, following a delay.[27][28] Following the album's delay, Nettspend made his second runway with Gucci in Milan, Italy, alongside Fakemink.[28][29][30] On March 6, Nettspend would release the album following his word.[31]
Musical style and influences
Nettspend's musical style stems from trap, a subgenre of hip-hop.[7] His music has also been characterized as jerk,[32][33] a hip-hop subgenre which consists of "pitched-up, layered vocals and bass that will make your speakers sound broken," according to Pitchfork.[33] Most of Nettspend's songs are under two minutes long.[34][35] According to The Fader, he commonly employs "distorted 808s", "loose piano riffs", and "glimmering synths" in his music.[2] Nettspend's music has been described as "a symphony of stimuli" by i-D,[4] and "post-post-rage" by The New York Times.[36]
In an interview with i-D, Nettspend named Chief Keef, Lil Uzi Vert, Young Thug, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, and Michael Jackson as influences.[4]
Discography
- Early Life Crisis (2026)
References
- ^ Caramanica, Jon; Coscarelli, Joe; Srivatsa, Arjun (2026-03-18). "Why Is NBA YoungBoy on a Nettspend Song?". New York Times. Retrieved 2026-03-21.
- ^ a b c Medithi, Vivian (December 6, 2024). "Who's afraid of Nettspend? He hasn't even peaked yet". The FADER. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Lindert, Hattie (14 March 2024). "Xaviersobased, Nettspend, Yhapojj: The Future of Underground Rap Is Extremely Online". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Press-Reynolds, Kieran; Maher, Morgan (September 16, 2024). "An interview with Nettspend, the divisive 17-year-old rapper". i-D. Archived from the original on December 6, 2024. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ^ "Nettspend's school". reddit.com.
- ^ Pete, Pistol (2024-10-03). "Budding Rapper Nettspend Drops Wild "F*CK SWAG" Video". HipHopCanada.com. Archived from the original on 2024-12-07. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ a b c Smalley, Griffin (13 August 2024). "From the 804 to the World: Nettspend's Meteoric Rise". RVA Magazine. Archived from the original on 20 August 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
- ^ "The 100 best songs of 2023". The FADER. Archived from the original on 2024-01-02. Retrieved 2024-12-08.
- ^ Pareles, Jon; Caramanica, Jon; Zoladz, Lindsay (6 December 2023). "Best Songs of 2023". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 28 December 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ DeVille, Chris (11 January 2024). "Evilgiane – "40" (Feat. Nettspend & xaviersobased)". Stereogum. Archived from the original on 24 January 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
- ^ Horvath, Zachary (15 January 2024). "EVILGIANE Produces A Banger For Fresh Talents Xaviersobased And Nettspend". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on 17 January 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
- ^ Pareles, Jon; Caramanica, Jon; Zoladz, Lindsay (9 December 2024). "Best Songs of 2024". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2024-12-09. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
- ^ "The 100 Best Songs of 2024". Pitchfork. 2024-12-02. Archived from the original on 2024-12-02. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
- ^ Cruz, Reanna (19 March 2024). "The Highs, Lows, and Whoas of Rolling Loud California 2024". Vulture. Archived from the original on 21 March 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ Okon, Wongo (13 March 2024). "Here Are The Rolling Loud California Set Times For 2024". Uproxx. Archived from the original on 29 March 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ Fisher, Caroline (2024-07-03). "OsamaSon & Nettspend Join Forces For Chaotic Single "Withdrawals"". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on 2024-12-07. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ DeVille, Chris (10 July 2024). "Nettspend Samples Deftones On New Single "That One Song"". Stereogum. Archived from the original on 22 July 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
- ^ "Nettspend Lands Lyrical Lemonade Debut with "F*CK SWAG"". Hypebeast. 2024-10-03. Archived from the original on 2024-12-04. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
- ^ Cole, Alexander (2024-10-03). "Nettspend Teases His Debut Project With Fresh Single "F*ck Swag"". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on 2024-12-07. Retrieved 2024-12-06.
- ^ Corcoran, Nina (December 6, 2024). "9 Albums Out This Week You Should Listen to Now". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on December 7, 2024. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ^ Mahadevan, Tara (December 20, 2024). "Nettspend's L.A. Tour Stop: PinkPantheress Surprises Fans". Complex. Archived from the original on 2024-12-21. Retrieved 2024-12-21.
- ^ Wang, Steffanee. "Nettspend & Cortisa Star made runway debuts at Miu Miu's fall 2025 show". The Fader. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
- ^ Williams, Aaron (March 18, 2025). "Nettspend's 'Impact' W/ Xaviersobased Rings In His Birthday". Uproxx. Uproxx Media Group. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
- ^ Clash Music Staff (August 27, 2025). "Nettspend unleashes surprise two‑pack Gone Too Soon". Clash Music. Clash Magazine. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
- ^ "The Vans are heading home for the holidays. Stay tuned. 🎁, user=vans". Instagram. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
- ^ Hypebeast Staff (November 3, 2025). "Vans unveils festive 'Meet the Vans' collection for the holiday season". Hypebeast. Hypebeast. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
- ^ Medithi, Vivian (February 27, 2026). "Nettspend says new album early life crisis will drop next week". The Fader. The Fader. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
- ^ a b Hardy, Alyssa (February 27, 2026). "Nettspend Is Officially a Gucci Runway Model". Teen Vogue. Teen Vogue. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
- ^ Cowen, Trace William (February 27, 2026). "fakemink and Nettspend Follow in the Footsteps of Playboi Carti for Demna's Gucci Runway Show". Complex Networks. Complex Networks. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
- ^ Hypebeast Staff (February 26, 2026). "Rap's New Underground Wave Hits Demna's Gucci Milan Show With fakemink, Nettspend, Feng, Fimiguerrero & EsdeeKid". Hypebeast. Hypebeast. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
- ^ Spencer, Tallie (March 6, 2026). "Nettspend Blesses Fans With 21 New Tracks On "early life crisis"". HotNewHipHop. HotNewHipHop. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
- ^ Press-Reynolds, Kieran (2024-04-30). "THE FACE's guide to the American rap underground". The Face. Archived from the original on 2025-07-06. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ a b Harris, Allison. "YhapoJJ: P.S. Fuck You". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ Wickes, Jade; Lai, Tiffany; Reed, Davy (2024-09-17). "8 names to keep an eye on right now". The Face. Archived from the original on 2024-12-09. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
- ^ "Songs You Need In Your Life: July 2024". The FADER. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
- ^ Caramanica, Jon (15 March 2024). "7 Artists Shaping the Sound of 2024". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2024.