“A masterclass in storytelling that fuses raw emotion with intricate lyricism, making it an instant classic in modern hip-hop.”Fresh Hip-Hop & R&B, Diamond in the Rough, Feb 28, 2025
- NovA
- Press
Press
Coverage of Dark Was The Night, the interview, and a press kit with everything a writer or programmer needs.
Coverage
“NovA is a cut above with new hip-hop concept album.”York Calling, Discovery, Feb 28, 2025
“Philly lyricist NovA sees black on cinematic new album ‘Dark Was the Night’.”Living Life Fearless, March 2025
“The Test Drive: early album previews.”Jammerzine, Dark Was The Night preview
“NovA unveils new single ‘Hell On Earth’ featuring Styles P.”
Interview: the vision for the album, why “Hell On Earth” represents where he is now, how the beat comes first, and the goal of making the first great underground hip-hop classic of the 2020s.
Word Is Bond, Interview, October 2024Press kit
Approved assets and copy. Credit photos to NovA Music.
Album cover
Press photo
Social banner
Short bio (≈60 words)
NovA is a rapper, songwriter and producer from Philadelphia. Writing since age 14 and raised on 2Pac, JAY-Z and Lauryn Hill, he makes dense, technical, story-driven hip-hop. His 2025 album Dark Was The Night is a cinematic 25-track concept record (one boy’s life from his father’s death to his own) featuring Styles P, Freeway and Dev Hoc.
Long bio
NovA is a rapper, songwriter and producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He started writing at 14 (his first stage was his school band’s, trumpet in hand) and came up on 2Pac, JAY-Z and Lauryn Hill, artists who taught him that a verse can be technically sharp and still mean something. His earlier album The New Black leaned into experimentation; its release party remains one of his career highlights.
Released February 28, 2025, Dark Was The Night is the perfection of that approach: a cinematic concept album that follows a young man from the murder of his father, through a hard Philadelphia upbringing and a love that looks like a way out, to the betrayal that ends him. The sound shifts from hardcore, super-lyrical rap to lush R&B-inspired tracks as the story demands. NovA spent two years on the record, obsessing over lyrics, pacing, features and ad-libs, and enlisted Styles P of The LOX (“Hell On Earth”), Philadelphia’s Freeway (“Marvel”) and Dev Hoc (“Sweet”). Every one of its 25 tracks is on his YouTube channel. Critics have called it “a masterclass in storytelling … an instant classic in modern hip-hop.” His stated goal: for the album to mark the moment “the first great underground hip-hop classic of the 2020s was created.”
Facts
- Artist: NovA (Philadelphia, PA) · handles @novaishiphop (X, YouTube), @novaofphilly (Instagram, Facebook, Bandcamp)
- Album: Dark Was The Night · released Feb 28, 2025 · 25 tracks · 1:11:05 · © NovA Music
- Features: Styles P (“Hell On Earth”), Freeway (“Marvel”), Dev Hoc (“Sweet”)
- Singles: Pocket Rocket, Package, Yeah Yeah Yeah (2022); Hell On Earth (2024); If You Let Me, Marvel (2025)
- Links: Spotify · Apple Music · YouTube · Bandcamp
Contact
Press, booking and features: nova@novamusiconline.com