Niontay Explains His Credit Card Statement

Credit History is an interview series where we ask our favorite artists to comb through their credit card statements and tell us about what they bought, from the necessary to the frivolous to the outlandish.

“I’m Mr. HaveMyWay, and you can’t do nothin’ ‘bout it!,” Niontay says in his thick Florida twang near the beginning of his latest album Fada<3of$ (pronounced “For the love of money”). For the Brooklyn-based rapper-producer, that’s as much a statement about his musical range as it is his luck. Since releasing his earliest songs in 2020 with collaborators like fellow Floridian 454 and joining up in 2023 with Mike’s label 10k to release his formal debut, Dontay’s Inferno, Niontay has carved his own engrossing niche. He can call out street dudes who “sing like Mariah” (The Scientist, not Carey) over glitchy Florida-style production as well as he can spit about Black power and the benefits of a sea moss-heavy diet over scuzzy guitars and dubby drums. On the surface, his music might seem out of place next to the meditative, sample-based koans of Mike or Sideshow, but the throughline between them, and every other member of 10k, is a penchant for mixing regional sounds and moods into a whole as elegant and brash as high-end streetwear. On Fada<3of$, Niontay moves wildly between both sides of this binary and drops some of the most fun and intense music of his career so far.

When he answers our video call on the first day of May, he’s still got some shit to talk. He’s just finished a brief stint on Mike’s Artists of the Century tour and is settling back into his life. At a time when he’s as likely to be gracing a stage somewhere in the United States or Europe as he is relaxing in his Brooklyn apartment, he’ll take every chance he can get to just post up. Being busy means he can provide for his family—his mother and sister in Florida, his girlfriend in London—and he’s always quick to mention how much they mean to him. There’s a balance between the practical and the superfluous with Niontay’s recent purchases, one that displays the benefits of holding your people down while not ignoring the positives of a good splurge.

All-black Mason Margielas ($450)

Niontay: I got them somewhere in Scotland. I was on tour with [London rapper and 10k labelmate] Jadasea in the UK. When I first moved into the spot I’m at in New York, niggas stole my Margielas. They broke in the crib, lowkey stole just my Margielas. I don't know if it was some fashion niggas or what, but they stole ‘em. I ain't bothered to buy no marvelous things, but I had four pairs—good ones, too! Rare flavors, bro. These wasn't just regular Margelias. I took my time to source these motherfuckers. I ain’t been bothered to buy them since then. I was like “Fuck it, whatever.” 

We was in Scotland on tour [earlier this year]. We had went to a grail essence type store on some "Fuck it, let’s go in there." Went in there, they had a sale on all them Margiela's, bro, so I decided to cop. Those was like 300 Euros, but they came to about $450. Wore ‘em for the rest of tour, for real. Those was my work shoes. 

Calling Margielas “work shoes” is crazy. You’re not wrong, but that’s still hilarious. 

You feel me? I’m lookin’ at them right now. Them bitches is all-black, bro. I wear them, like, every day. You can’t go wrong with them, bro.

“NNR” face tattoo from Fun City ($200)

My mom been wanting to get matching tats for some time. She was like “Oh, let’s get tattoos—you, me, and your sister.” My name start with an “N,” my momma name start with an “N,” my lil sister name starts with an “R.” She’s been tryna do this shit since COVID, bro. She brought it up recently, so one day I’m like “Fuck it. I’m finna get this shit on my head.” Then I got this shit. And it was a walk-in, too. I been tryna go to Fun City for a minute, but last time I hit them niggas up, they was on some weird shit, so I said “Fuck it, I’ma just go in there.” I went in there, and the homie Jesús, who had done a neck tattoo for Squills [Florida rapper-producer 454], let me know he’d tatted him and a couple of the homies. I got this shit on a whim, bro. What better to do than a matching tattoo with my mom? She not gon’ get her shit right here [points at his left forehead], but somewhere, y’now? I set the tone pretty strong, bro.

Smith & Wesson M&P 9 Shield Plus ($500)

I bought my mom a glock for her safety and protection. I’m tweaking—I don’t know why I bought my momma a glock. She is not a rap nigga [laughs]. She was scared to tote it because they don’t have a button safety—they go by trigger safety, y’feel me? That’s a whole other explanation in itself. Most pistols have a button safety where you can’t pull the trigger if you press it. With a glock, you gotta kinda know what the fuck you doin’. My momma ain’t like that, so she’s like “I ain’t totin’ that shit.” So I found her some old-school shit so she wouldn’t have to worry about setting it off in her purse or some shit. [The M&P 9 Shield Plus] was one of the ones in the market that was the perfect size for her; she don’t gotta worry about the safety. 

Even for a while, she still wasn’t toting it, but some shit happened recently where she called me and was like “Oh my God, I see why you be on my ass about having it.” Like yeah, nigga, keep that shit in your purse. We live in the wild wild west. One of my homies back home is a certified arms dealer. He has a certificate for this shit, so I usually go through him buying little shit. Any lady in my life, if the laws permit it where you live, I’m gon’ get you a weapon, y’know what I’m sayin’? That shit important to me because niggas is…it’s a crazy world, y’feel me? 

Yeah, especially down in Florida, so I get it. It’s complicated. I think people should know how to defend themselves. Go to a range, if you’re able. Know how to use a pistol, at the very least. 

That’s my whole thing, bro, because it’s for defensive purposes. It’s not like you’re tryna go outside and kill somebody. I know how to pick this shit up and defend my life if need be. 

It’s dangerous out here. But at the same time, you could be like [former New York Giants wide receiver] Plaxico Burress and shoot yourself in the foot if you’re not careful. 

Exactly. And that’s why you gotta have the proper education. You don’t wanna Plaxico Burress yourself, bro.

Zeolite herbal supplements ($210)

These are for parasites that find a home in your gut. My bitch is a holistic hottie, she be on this type of shit. She live in London and I was with her for about two weeks, and she was seeing my cravings. She was like “Yo, you crave sugar too much. You got parasites.” I was like “I ain’t got no parasites, fuck is you talkin’ ‘bout? All I know is tapeworms and I definitely don’t got no tapeworm.” After she told me this, I go back home, and I’m on Instagram. It’s on a mind a lil bit, but I’m not like “I gotta get rid of these parasites.” I’m scrolling on IG, and the [herbal supplement] ads got me, Dylan. You know how these niggas be listening sometimes, so I get an ad for “deworming herbal supplement,” and I’m like “Ain’t no way these niggas is hitting me with these shits a week after I talked to my lady.” I hit the link to the website, and it’s just a bunch of different people vouching like “Yo, this is what my stool looks like.” Niggas is showing photos with worms in their stool and I’m like “Yo, this shit real! Niggas really havin’ worms in they shit.” 

I’ve been a pescetarian for damn near 10 years, but I started eating chicken on some bullshit, breh. Because of [10k label head] Mike ass, it’s Mike ass, for real. I start eating chicken and shit, so I figured it was time for me to start detoxing my gut. I grabbed that shit and saw it came out to $210. I didn’t expect it to be that much, but I was like “Fuck it, we here.” I’m not gon’ lie, bro? No TMI? Bruh. They was comin’ out, bruh. I had mad shit in my gut. That shit is real, bruh. That, black seed oil, and sea moss is good for your shit. 

Dinner at the Commissary at Metrograph ($60)

Goddamn, we been runnin’ that shit up. The last time I went, it was me, Mike, and (singer-producer) Anysia [Kym]. Mike had just gotten back from the European leg of the Artists of the Century tour. I grabbed the halibut, the fish cake, and bruh, the ube tres leches. It’s just regular tres leches, but the cake part is ube-flavored. I never had no dessert like this in my life. I’m a big fan of ube, so I’m already a sucker for it. That shit, bro? I could go to Metrograph and have it just be ube tres leches, on god. And they got this tiramisu that’s…bro. Ten outta 10. All they desserts is 10 outta 10. They food a lil pricey, though. It’s $40 for the halibut. Granted, it’s good, but I coulda made this shit at the crib, bro. It’s not enough fish for $40. They on they Parisian shit, for real.

More important question: How much is the ube tres leches? 

That shit like $10-$12. Solid. If I’m high, I’m smashing two of them bitches, boy. On god.

Nike Tech ($270)

They got me, bro. I’ve been converted to the Nike Tech. The reason I bought it is because the first few days on [the American tour] was in Philly and D.C., which is relatively close to the weather in New York. You know how our shit be in April-May—it’ll be 60 one day and 20 the next. I was like “Bro, lemme just buy this Tech, and for the first few days of tour, I’m thuggin’ this shit out. I’m not wearing nothing else.” I feel like when you’re about to go on a run, when you’re busy, head down, not spending no money, get you a Nike Tech, bruh. 

Since we’re talking about Nike Techs and fashion, I gotta ask about this Corteiz photoshoot you and the rest of the 10k crew did recently. Walk me through that shoot and what it meant to the squad. 

I been locked in with Clint [419, founder of Corteiz] for a minute. I did two shoots for Corteiz in the past, so they was always just family. Clint tapped in, bro. Everybody you see in those photos, he fuck with for real. He just hit up [my manager] Naavin and tried to get some Cortiez and 10k shit. Within three days, we was out there shooting that shit. Clint’s a real nigga, bruh. He’s hands-on on every shoot. That’s a solid down-to-earth nigga right here. Shout out my bro. 

I feel like people have a certain perspective on what 10k is and what it represents as a branch of thoughtful experimental hip-hop, so to see y’all dripped out and stanced up in the black and yellow looking like the X-Men was a fire display of range. 

And niggas been havin’ a lot to say about 10k online, man. I hope everybody seen that shit.