My Story
MARK ANTHONY NIEVES (BORN SEPTEMBER 18, 1986), KNOWN PROFESSIONALLY AS REACHINGNOVA, IS AN AMERICAN RAPPER, SONGWRITER, RECORD PRODUCER, AND FOUNDER OF BRONX-BASED RECORD LABEL AND CONSULTING FIRM KINGS LEGACY. HE IS REGARDED AS ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL RISING HIP-HOP ARTISTS
Born and raised in New York City, ReachingNOVA first began his musical career in 2004; he co-founded the record label Kings Legacy in 2010 and released his debut collaborative mixtape The Dark Shade Thru My Lens in 2011 and The New King (2012) with label mate Pusha Preme. The mixtapes were released to widespread critical success, and solidified his standing in the music industry. He went on to release three albums, It’s About Time (2016), It Was What It Was (2017), including the acclaimed album Becoming Timeless (2022). He also released the full-length collaborative album Legends (2020) with Teemonee, respectively
Musical Style
ReachingNOVA says his earliest exposure to music was through his mother’s record collection, which was a variety of artists such as Sade and Madonna. He says "I grew up around music, listening to all types of styles.
I'm most into music that has soul in it, whether it be rap, R&B, pop music, anything. As long as I can feel their soul through the wax, that's what I really enjoy listening to."
Music Career
2021–PRESENT: BECOMING TIMELESS
On the inaugural day of 2021, ReachingNOVA ushered in the year with the release of the melodically captivating single, "C'est La Vie." Merely a month later, on February 22, 2021, the Bronx-based artist collaborated with Brooklyn rapper Debanaire on the track "Used To," marking their much-anticipated reunion since their joint release, "Far from Easy," in 2019. However, March of the same year brought an unexpected twist, as the Bronx emcee faced the challenges of an Achilles tendon rupture during a recreational basketball game.
Undeterred by adversity, ReachingNOVA embarked on an eight-month recovery journey, making a triumphant return on September 29, 2021, with the globally acclaimed hit, "Celebration." The track soared to number 23 on the UK's Top 200 Hip-Hop/Rap songs chart and remains one of his most streamed songs to date. October of that year witnessed the release of two additional singles - "Thirstin," featuring Cilla Ramos, and the "Red Oktober Freestyle," paying homage to label-mate Pusha Preme's 2021 album.
Continuing his musical odyssey, ReachingNOVA collaborated with Romanian artist Diastrid on the single "Finding Peace," unveiled on January 28, 2022. This collaboration secured the emcee's second international charting single, reaching number 54 on the UK's Top 200 Hip-Hop/Rap singles chart. The momentum persisted with the release of "Mind, Body, Soul" on May 20, 2022, earning praise from 24Hip-Hop for its creative and intense flow.
On August 12, 2022, ReachingNOVA paid tribute to childhood friend and label-mate Pusha Preme with the release of the single "Pusha Preme," featuring the artist himself. Hiphopweekly lauded the song, describing it as "a truly amazing example of quality rap with scene values and positive interactions between artists."
Riding the wave of success, ReachingNOVA unveiled his highly anticipated third studio album, "Becoming Timeless," on September 23, 2022. The album garnered widespread acclaim for its emotional and personal content, securing a place in the Top 200 Hip-Hop/Rap album charts in the United States for weeks and ultimately peaking at an impressive number 49.
2019–2020: IN THESE TIMES AND LEGENDS
Continuing his collaborative endeavors well into 2019 and seamlessly transitioning into the new year, ReachingNOVA marked a significant milestone on March 20, 2020. On this date, the Bronx artist joined forces with his rap companion, Teemonee, to unleash their collaborative EP titled "Legends." This project showcased a unique fusion of their individual styles and was exclusively produced by ReachingNOVA and Geo The Architect.
Amidst the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, ReachingNOVA achieved a noteworthy accomplishment. He released one of his most impactful songs to date, "In These Times," with production credits to Manny Manhattan. This track garnered widespread recognition, ultimately securing the coveted title of Video of the Year and earning a prestigious gold Viddy Award on December 1, 2022.
2017–2018: IT WAS WHAT IT WAS
On September 17, 2017, ReachingNOVA held an underground listening party, as well as a live concert at Signature Soundz studios in Jamaica, New York. The emcee’s sophomore album, It Was What It Was, released at 12am that night, just in time for his September 18th birthday. The album features Dave East, and fresh verses from familiar faces Pusha Preme and Teemonee. In interviews ReachingNOVA states, “My second album, It Was What it, was created to add balance to my musical catalogue. It was the bounce I needed, especially for live shows. My first album is a lot of great rap mostly, so I wanted to make people move now, you know, bop your head to harder beats.”
Throughout 2018 ReachingNOVA would go on a collaboration spree with local artists throughout New York City, releasing multiple singles and a hot streak of live shows.
2016: IT’S ABOUT TIME
ReachingNOVA returned with his debut solo studio album on February 7, 2016, titled It’s About Time. ReachingNOVA’s comeback single, “World so Empty” featuring Dave East, received heavy air-play after its release. ReachingNOVA worked with studio engineer Geo The Architect, and together they produced two songs on the album, An Evening In Tampa Bay and Level 2. The album features production from The Martianz, BeatsCraze, and PittDaKid, and also features verses by rap allies, Pusha Preme and Teemonee.
2014-2015: THEME MUSIC, THEN RETIRES FROM MUSIC INDEFINITELY
Following the success of releasing music as a duo, ReachingNOVA and Pusha Preme would mostly release music as solo acts in 2014. In an interview ReachingNOVA said, “Preme and I equate to a three headed monster. There’s him, there’s me, and then there’s us as one.”. ReachingNOVA released the single “Theme Music” on March 4, which gained much attention online and was written about on popular blog sites such as Thisis50, The Source, Itzbizkit, and HipHopSince1987.
After enrolling in the Mastery University of peak performance coach Anthony Robbins in June 2014, ReachingNOVA decided to focus on his spiritual journey and retired from music indefinitely.
2012–2013: THE NEW KING
On the 20th day of May, 2012, ReachingNOVA and Pusha Preme released NWO: The New King and re-released GGM as the lead single, but over different production than the original song. ReachingNOVA relied more on flow and wordplay, and together they continued in their penchant for mining captivating beats from some of the best up and coming producers at the time.
In 2013, ReachingNOVA and Pusha Preme continued the duo’s momentum by releasing numerous freestyle remixes over industry artist songs, along with their follow-up singles “Tiny & Nat”, and “Break It” featuring R100.
2010–2011: THE DARK SHADE THRU MY LENS
While caring for his mother after her near fatal car accident, ReachingNOVA set up a home recording studio and created music from his bedroom, and with Pusha Preme, created Kings Legacy as an independent record label in 2010. After collaboratively completing the recording process, ReachingNOVA and Pusha Preme released their 2010 debut mixtape, The Dark Shade Thru My Lens, which spawned the biggest song of their career at the time, “GGM”, featuring Richie Wess.