Nova Rockafeller
Canadian rapper (born 1988)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nova Leigh Paholek (born 22 July 1988), known professionally as Nova Rockafeller, is a Canadian independent rapper, singer, songwriter, and music video director.
22 July 1988
- Rapper
- singer
- songwriter
- music video director
Nova Rockafeller | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Elle Dirty D,[1] epdMC[1] |
| Born | Nova Leigh Paholek 22 July 1988 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | |
Partner | Tom MacDonald (2017-present) |
| Website | novarockafeller |
Early life
Rockafeller was born in Edmonton,[4] and raised in Jamaica;[2] living there from the ages of 9 to 14[5] after her family started a water sports business.[1] She also briefly lived in Toronto and New York City.[6][7] As a teen, she dropped out of high school and began rapping during a difficult period of her life split between sleeping at the Edmonton Youth Emergency Shelter and living in a series of group homes.[4] She was inspired to start rapping after exploring the online battle rap forums by her then boyfriend.[6]
Career
Rockafeller grew up surrounded by music as her father and her brother, Terry Paholek, were heavily involved with the Edmonton music scene and had their own home studio.[4] She began rapping at the age of 15 when she was living in a group home.[8][4] The moniker 'Nova Rockafeller' was given to her one night during a party with other rappers, who decided she needed a new name.[6]
In 2011, Rockafeller released her debut album Insufficient Funds, which chronicled six months of her life.[6] In 2012, Rockafeller had her song 'call me (BAT MAN) 347-574-7192' posted on the front of The Pirate Bay during its period as 'The Promo Bay'; the song was available as a free download.[9]
Mercury Records took notice of her, so Rockafeller moved to New York and signed with them.[10] The label would later become Island Records, and, in turn Def Jam.[4] Her relationship with Def Jam ended when the company dropped her without warning after three and a half years. She found out when her landlord said that the company would no longer pay her rent.[8] Prior to the label dropping her, Rockafeller had been working on an album named Accidentally Gangster,[7] which was cancelled.[citation needed]
In 2015, during her time with Def Jam, Rockafeller began to break out into the mainstream with her single "Made in Gold", which reached the Top 20 on Sirius Top Hits.[3] The single was featured in teen comedy film The Duff.[4][11] Her music has also been featured on Siesta Keys, Dancing with the Stars, and Bad Girls Club.[3] That year, she toured with Set it Off and All Time Low,[3][12] as well as performed at SXSW,[13] Riot Fest,[14][15] and the Gathering of the Juggalos.[16] Since her appearance at the Gathering, Rockafeller has been associated with the Insane Clown Posse and the Juggalo movement.[17] She also performed at Violent J's first solo charity tour with Lil Eazy-E.[18]
In 2021, Rockafeller released "Hey You", her first solo single in over 2 years to tease her newest album Scared of Heights.[8] The video received over 250,000 views within a single day.[19][self-published source?]
Side projects
In 2012, Rockafeller launched her line of jewellery 'Toys on Chains'.[20][7]
Personal life
Relationships
In 2017, Rockafeller began dating Canadian rapper Tom MacDonald. Together, they started the band GFBF and began writing music.[21] When MacDonald wrote 'Dear Rappers' and gained prominence, Rockafeller poured herself into supporting him. She shot and directed all of his music videos after 2017,[citation needed] created his website and was featured on most of his albums, and helped him navigate the music industry away from the pitfalls she experienced.[8]
Influences
Rockafeller has cited some of her influences as Good Charlotte, Blink-182,[12] Fugees, A Tribe Called Quest, Damian Marley, Weezer, Busta Rhymes, Outkast, Bright Eyes, Nirvana, Die Antwoord, and Meg Myers.[1]
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Insufficient Funds |
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| Insufficient Funds + |
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| Scared of Heights |
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| As Far as the Stars (with Tom MacDonald and Brandon Hart) |
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| Yesterday (with Tom MacDonald) |
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| Wild Ones (with Tom MacDonald) |
|
EPs
Singles
- "1990s" (2014)
- "Made in Gold" (2015)
- "MI YARD" (2016)
- "Wishing Well" (2018)
- "Jesus on My Neck" (2018)
- "Genghis Khan" (2018)
- "Hey You" (2021)
- "Gang Gang (feat. Tom MacDonald)" (2021)
- "Did Your Best" (2021)
- "Lost Girls" (2023)
With Tom MacDonald
- "Sober" (2020), with Madchild, ft. Nova Rockafeller
- "Bad News" (2020), with Madchild, ft. Nova Rockafeller
- "Gang Gang" (2021)
- "No Good Bastards" (2021), with Nova Rockafeller & Brandon Hart
- "Church" (2021), with Brandon Hart ft. Nova Rockafeller
- "Heart Emojis" (2021), with Brandon Hart ft. Nova Rockafeller
- "In God We Trust" (2022), with Adam Calhoun, Struggle Jennings, & Nova Rockafeller
- "Chrome" (2023), with Adam Calhoun & Nova Rockafeller
- ”Goodbye Joe” (2024), Tom McDonald ft. Nova Rockafeller
With Violent J
- "Sick Kidz" (2016), with Violent J, ft. Young Wicked, Nova Rockafeller & Lil Eazy-E
With The Wikid One
- "Find Me" (2017), ft. Nova Rockafeller
With Rp Jesus
- "Pillz" (2017), ft. GFBF, Nova Rockafeller & Tom MacDonald
With Thrashole
- "You Want Her" (2018), ft. Blimes, The Buttress & Nova Rockafeller
With D-LinQuint
- "Superstar" (2019), ft. Nova Rockafeller, Y.I.C & Jay P
With Rachel Geek
- "Come Talk to Me" (2020), ft. Nova Rockafeller
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