Nick Menn

4. Creative Promo Pays Off

Sure, in most instances, freebie CDs and promo cards allow artists to get their message across fairly easily. Yet, at an event extravagant as A3C, standing out meant stepping up your game, which is exactly what Doorway did.

After renting out a spot among the food trucks in the middle of Old 4th Ward and setting up a trailer-turned-stage with a merch booth, this St. Louis crew performed in front of thousands of dedicated hip-hop fans for an hours on end – often garnering as many fans as the actual A3C shows. Were not sure if they made they’re money back, but we’re damn sure everyone at A3C could knows exactly who we’re referring to right now – which is half the battle. - SmokingSection.net

Doorway

With nearly ten years of working the words, the artist collective known as Doorway hopes to infest ears with sharp wisdom. With lyrics ranging from the cautionary to the self-affirmed, Doorway provides solid rhyme for several ways of life. Whiteout, L-Gifted, RT-FaQ and SD the Dizzle Man show classy teamwork in bringing a shapely, versatile sound. Doorway covers all angles with unabashed self-awareness, and goes hard while keeping modestly grounded. The hooks dig deep with poignant lyrics and honestly inventive beats. Doorway insists on relentless positivity, which might prove to be the very distinction the group needs to survive in a climate of talented imitators.
-Joseph Hess

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Doorway
http://www.doorway.us
http://youtube.com/user/AudioUG - Riverfront Times

Doorway is announced Riverfront Times 2013 Best Hip-Hop Group Award Winner - Riverfront Times

Rapping tends to be a solitary exercise, a musical journey where an emcee combines poetic dexterity and creative self-expression to captivate an audience. But there's something especially impressive when a group of performers band together, unselfishly sharing the spotlight for the greater good.
Such is the case with RT-FaQ and WhiteOut, two members of the Fairview Heights-based Doorway collective. The two rappers released a video recently for "When the Stars Come Out" aimed at showcasing the group's sound, as well as giving even more visibility to the effervescent Cherokee Street. The song also features an appearance from Family Affair.

RFT Music caught up via e-mail with Nick "WhiteOut" Menn and group manager and engineer Cory Rose to peer behind the scenes of both the collective and the eye-popping video for "When the Stars Come Out." Questions and responses have been edited for clarity and length.

Jason Rosenbaum: Explain a little about Doorway and how it got started.

Nick "WhiteOut" Menn: Doorway is a collection of emcees, producers, and behind the scene talent originating from the East Side of STL. The emcees consist of WhiteOut (Nick Menn), RT-FaQ (Ramel Prince), L-Gifted (D.J. Hendricks), S.D. (Charles Crape) and Veo (Virgil Patterson).

WhiteOut, L-Gifted and S.D. started Doorway around ten years ago when Whiteout and L-Gifted were in 8th Grade. And over time it's evolved into a business and a healthy staple in St. Louis hip-hop culture. Each artist is capable of producing solo records and group records, all of which are coming sooner than later.

In the end, Doorway is hardworking group of entertainers and people looking to walk through the doorway of success in the music industry.



What sort of work went into making the video for "When The Stars Come Out?"

Cory Rose: The video was shot with Joe Lombardi of AZTech Productions, with the special effects being done by his partner DJ Cosgrove. For the special "stars" effect, we actually just used tennis balls as markers and Cosgrove later on added the effects over the tennis balls.

NM: The overall theme of the video was for us to literally bring stars out on the town with us to the show. The special effects crew did a great job with making that happen. All you need is a tennis ball with some tracking tape on it (along with talented F/X people) and you can make stars.

Did you try to put forward a particular theme or message within "When the Stars Come Out?"

NM: As far as messages go, there wasn't anything too profound we were trying to pass off with this video. We really just wanted to have a good time and accompany the good feeling of the song with a great visual. "When the Stars Come Out" is referring to the stars of the hip-hop underground scene here in St. Louis: Coming out on the town, having a good night and putting on a good show for the people. By calling ourselves "stars," we're also referring to the feeling of being a "star" and having that extra glow about you when you know you're feeling good.

How's the response been to the video thus far?

CR: The response so far has been nothing but great. It really has served its purpose in what we were trying to do with it - and that was to blow people away.

NM: So far it's spreading at a decent rate. It's definitely viral throughout our local avenues and by word of mouth, which is always awesome. The word most used to describe the video so far is "dope," which is not a bad thing at all.

I think people are responding well to the special effects, the song, the cameos and the backdrop of the video. [That includes] 2720 Cherokee and Cherokee Street, along with other sites in St. Louis and East St. Louis. The video is a collective effort from all different type of people in STL, from all sides: east, west, north, and south. Everyone came together to make something dope, and that's definitely helping with the response as well.

I don't mean to sound cocky at all, but I literally have - Riverfront Times

Doorway is announced as the 2012 Riverfront Times Best Hip-Hop Group Award Winner - Riverfront Times

Whiteout, and running mate RT-FaQ, will never be accused of not showing up. Literally, in that they can be found at as many St. Louis hip-hop shows as anyone, rapping along with their peers as fans. And on stage, where they come to work, to get people moving and shouting. - Riverfront Times

The Doorway collective (voted Best Hip-Hop Group in this year's RFT Music Awards) contains no shortage of talent in its ranks, but Nick "Whiteout" Menn stands out among the standouts. Maybe that's the result of his energetic delivery, dense rhymes or effortless flow — when performing as a group, Menn's rapidly delivered verses turn heads, and his onstage charisma makes clear that he enjoys what he does. The members of Doorway are known for imbuing everything they do as a group with positivity, and Menn in particular uses his platform as a hip-hop artist to address serious social issues, specifically heroin use and addiction. A Fairview Heights, Illinois, native, the rapper has seen many in his hometown fall victim to heroin, resulting in the release of the song "HeroInside" on his 2012 mixtape Kush & Kung Fu. The song's title has since become the name of an organization founded by the members of Doorway to raise awareness about the evils of the drug. Visit HeroInside.org for more information. - Riverfront Times

BelleVegas Rocks: Doorway - Belleville News Democrat

Doorway's music reflects the diversity of its members.

Nick "WhiteOut" Menn, 23, of Fairview Heights, formed Doorway when he was 13. Doorway? He was in eighth grade and was standing in a doorway when he chose the name because, he said, "Doorways always lead to new things."

But the rap group didn't really get serious about its music until 2010. Band members are: Menn; Ramel "RT-FaQ" Prince, 24, and Virgil "Veo" Patterson, both of Washington Park; and D.J. "L-Gifted" Hendricks, 23, of Collinsville.

They describe their sound as a mix of feel good and socially conscious music. While Menn and his cohorts write the lyrics to their songs, the "beats" come from local producers.

"When I first heard (Tupac Shakur's "Changes"), that-was one of the first rap songs I ever heard," Menn said. "It was really socially driven. I'd be singing along. I liked the rhythm. I liked the flow. I liked the melody and I liked what I was getting. I never knew -- 'til I got older and I rapped it and I heard what was being said -- the social implications that were with that.

"I definitely gravitated to that more to the point where that's really all I see now and that's what I look for now. The rhythm and flow is not as important."

The personal experiences of the group members have had a profound influence on their music. For example, Prince, who joined Doorway in 2010, had a difficult childhood.

"Three o'clock in the morning feds bust in the house," Prince said. "My mom was actually pregnant with me at the time. They took my Dad in and they let my Mom give birth to me. Two months after she gave birth to me, they took her right to prison."
As a father of two, Prince is committed to avoiding the problems that fractured his family.

"My father was 25 when he went to prison. I'm 24 now. I've never been to prison. I could have easily fallen down that same path -- just because my dad sold drugs, that means I'm going to sell drugs. I don't want to do that. I want to be there every day for my kids if I can."

Doorway has produced four albums that are available for download on the website www.doorway618.com. They perform regularly in the metro-east and St. Louis area. They will perform April 14 and 28 at 2720 Cherokee in St. Louis.

"I don't know if I'm chasing success or if I'm running away from failure," Menn said. "Regardless, I'm going to keep going, keep working hard. I think it might be a little bit of both."

Here is an excerpt from Doorway's song "Opinions":
"Too many false dreams, too many false dreams
"The TV makes it seems like we're all kings
"We throw away more food than most people eat
"We buy and don't use what most people need
"In America our foundation's greed
"That's the basis of a real capitalistic society"

Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/2012/04/11/2137262/doorways-always-lead-to-new-things.html#storylink=cpy - Belleville News Democrat

"..when we get to get on stage and look people in their eyes and express our passion... for however long our set is; we take advantage of that anytime possible, even if it means taking two gigs in one night.. The people of St. Louis, all of us on the East Side and the surrounding areas are more important than most of them even know. Without them there is no US. Point blank." - RT-FaQ, 2.12.11.

Hailing from East St. Louis and Fairview Heights, WhiteOut and RT-FaQ had one of the best live performances I have ever seen. Their passion and enthusiasm represents WATC and it is highly visible in their words and presence. When I talked to them after their performance, I was shocked by the amount of energy they still had left over that even my scatter-brain-insomniac-mind could not comprehend. It was an impressive, yet graceful impression they left not only on myself but everyone in the audience. These twenty-something guys are driven by their heart and pushed by the constant attainment of more complex and rewarding goals that they create for themselves. Who knew two non-natives would defy the St. Louis DIY ethic..

If you are going to spend any cheddah on a bag of flaming hot cheetos or a rello (or some shitty chocolates), hold up on the artery cloggin' and purchase their single, On and On on iTunes. Celebrate this VeeDay by showing some positive love. - WeAreTheCity

Best Hip-Hop Group: Doorway

Best Hip-Hop Solo: Nick Menn - Riverfront Times

Budweiser and Vice Noisey have teamed up to create the "Made in America" series, a project that sees Budweiser/Vice travelling all across the country and showcasing homegrown talents in the cities throughout. The entire affair is a run-up to Jay-Z's big "Made in America" festival, slated for August 30 in LA and Philadelphia.
In the video, the fourth so far in the series, Nelly discusses his decision to remain in St. Louis even after becoming a superstar, we meet Nelly's nephews in JGE Retro, Nick Menn discusses the community aspects of the St. Louis scene and Tef Poe shows the interviewers around Vintage Vinyl -- which, according to Nelly, is the "last record store still standing in the world."

The video contains many more gems about the local hip-hop scene as well -- it is about eight minutes long and is well worth your time. (Though you should be ready to have patience with the long, lingering shots of Budweiser bottles that frequently occur during the interviews. Gotta pay those bills.) - Riverfront Times

Doorway

Rappers sometimes are known for waging lyrical (or worse) war on each other. Not so with Doorway; these guys have made it clear that collaboration and positivity are the keys to good tunes. A collective of individually talented artists, Doorway takes advantage of its killer songwriting chops to explore relationships, social issues, cautionary tales and more with hooks that are a little bit throwback, a little bit street and a whole lot of jam. Throw in partnerships with local titans Rockwell Knuckles and Tef Poe (see next page), and Doorway has a deep, versatile song list that suits its energetic live shows well. - Riverfront Times

Any fan of The Big Lebowski will more than appreciate WhiteOut & Tef Poe’s new visual. This extremely well-done piece pays such attention to detail, you find yourself dumbfounded at the strategy that must’ve gone into recreating certain scenes to a tee and wondering how much time went into pre-production.

Then, you realize the song itself is just as fresh. Carried by producer iKlevah’s well-used Isley Bros. sample and eerie horns, this sigh of relief from these two St. Louis spitters creates a moody atmosphere that perfectly compliments the unorthodox nature of the Cohen Bros cult classic.

To see if the rest of WhiteOut’s Kush & Kung Fu mixtape delivers this much creativity, head over to DatPiff and check it out in full.



Read more: http://smokingsection.uproxx.com/TSS/2012/09/whiteout-tef-poe-feel-like-i-do-video#ixzz2hGZhLSvk - SmokingSection.net

Shot in Fairview Heights, Illinois, Nick Menn’s “Line ‘Em Up” video is anything but family-friendly. And that’s perfectly ok.

1. No one will ever confuse me for Siskel or Ebert, but the cinematic element of the visual makes “Line” more than simply three guys rapping in front of a camera for the sake of “shooting a video.” It’s almost like an unofficial early trailer for Saw 12 (or whatever one they’re on these days) or a future episode of Criminal Minds.

2. That hook is already stuck in my head.

3. Rockwell and Tef Poe toe tag their verses, which is appropriate given the nature of the video.

4. Expect to find “Line ‘Em Up” on Menn’s Goon Road set to drop mid-October – a project Nick describes as “the perfect American, drug-induced horror story.”

5. Also, be on the lockout for our very own DJ Trackstar crafting a sampler-type project for Menn this fall.



Read more: http://smokingsection.uproxx.com/TSS/2013/09/nick-menn-line-em-up-video#ixzz2hGZwIGnn - SmokingSection.net

When we went to Little 5 Points to go check out the Mass Appeal show at the Star Bar for the A3C HipHop Festival we saw this act performing in the parking lot behind the spot. They had this blacked out RV that was setup with a loud ass system and a window for the DJ and a booth with their merch setup next to their van and I was like” this is dope”! The name of the group is named Doorway and not only was I impressed by their presentation and setup I was equally impressed with their music and performance. Their music style wasn’t the Boom Bap HipHop that I love but it was still very good. If there’s one thing besides Ghostface show that I’ll always remember about A3C, it will be Doorway! - http://www.sugarcayne.com/

Hailing from East St. Louis, Illinois, rappers WhiteOut and RT-FaQ introduce their retro yet versatile “‘90s hip-hop” style on their new single, On & On finds DJ JB flipping a lightly jazzy sample as the up-and-coming twosome celebrate the power of music to provide solace and support through all of life’s hard choices. Appreciate this twosome’s smooth, contemplative style? If so, be sure to tune in for The RT & WO Show when their new street album hits the ‘net later this spring. - DJBooth.net

I watched The Big Lebowski several times back in college—always, of course, accompanied by free-flowing White Russians. Thanks to all that vodka and Kahlua, I don’t remember much beyond the first 15 minutes of the film but, from what I do recall, it was pretty dope. If you Feel Like I Do about the flick, then you’ll undoubtedly dig the tribute to The Dude that is WhiteOut and Tef Poe‘s new video single and collaborative Booth debut. (The former previously hooked up with RT-FaQ to bring us On & On). Though the rhymes the underground emcees deliver over iKlevah‘s woozy sample work are on the heavy side, touching upon such topics as racism, debt, poverty and general dissatisfaction with the game, Rotting Peach Pictures’ Coen Bros.-inspired video provides ample comic relief to complement their hard-hitting bars. Fans can find Feel Like I Do and much more on Tef and WhiteOut’s Kush & Kung Fu LP, available now online. - DJBooth.net

The Doorway collective (voted Best Hip-Hop Group in this year's RFT Music Awards) contains no shortage of talent in its ranks, but Nick "Whiteout" Menn stands out among the standouts. Maybe that's the result of his energetic delivery, dense rhymes or effortless flow — when performing as a group, Menn's rapidly delivered verses turn heads, and his onstage charisma makes clear that he enjoys what he does. The members of Doorway are known for imbuing everything they do as a group with positivity, and Menn in particular uses his platform as a hip-hop artist to address serious social issues, specifically heroin use and addiction. A Fairview Heights, Illinois, native, the rapper has seen many in his hometown fall victim to heroin, resulting in the release of the song "HeroInside" on his 2012 mixtape Kush & Kung Fu. The song's title has since become the name of an organization founded by the members of Doorway to raise awareness about the evils of the drug. Visit HeroInside.org for more information. - Riverfront Times

With the Made in America episodes of Seattle, Denver, and Minneapolis/St. Paul in the bag, we headed over to St. Louis, Missouri, to find out what was up in the city most famous for spawning Nelly. Turns out hip-hop is still the city's most popular export. We hung out on a stoop with underground rappers Tef Poe and Nick Menn (of the Doorway Collective), hit up the city's best record store, and ate some hot-sauce slathered chicken with Shad and Tab of JGE Retro (teenage girls have been known to faint in their presence). And obviously we talked to Nelly, who among other topics, gave Noisey an education in women and how to correctly pronounce the word "everything." He continues to rep his hometown hard. - Vice/Noisey