His tall athletic build resides next to the determined expression he wears, but many do not know what the story behind Senior Nicholas Lane is. To many, he is known as Nick, talented in art and a dedicated four-year wrestler.

But, Lane has earned a new title; he is recognized as a Hip-Hop artist after releasing his song, “Milky Way”, on Oct.13, going by his artist name Dirty Vanilla.

His song has a clear and simple message: “It’s just a laid-back song about having a good time,” Lane said.

Lane’s inspiration to compose his song was derived from music idols like MWA, and Biggie Smalls, but there was one that stood out from the rest.

“A big one was Eminem, one of the last hip-hop artists that talk about stuff that comes from the heart. Just his personality, he says what comes from his mind, and doesn’t care what people think, because if you don’t like him then oh well,” Lane said.

Lane confirms there is more to come with his musical endeavors.

“I plan on making a new album with 10 more songs, then I want to send a demo to a big record store in Houston, Epic Records Studio. The songs will have a more serious tone, they won’t all be about partying, they will be nice to listen to, and more relatable material,” Lane said. “I also plan on getting some vocals for my upcoming music so that will be new.”

After producing his song, Lane left many asking themselves “How did he do it?” and “What made it possible?”

Junior Mark Blevins is a friend of Lane’s. “He has very urging to go attitude when he wants something done, he gets it done. He’s always moving. You know doing something, whether it’s writing his songs or wrestling. He is very passionate about what he does,” Blevins said.

In Lane’s opinion, it takes nothing more than determination to be successful.

“I find myself to be somebody who doesn’t care about people’s opinion about my songs or the way I am. I have the kind of mindset that is if I want to I do it,” Lane said.

Senior Ashley Espinosa has witness Lane’s creative process.

“It was interesting and curious you know like, why write during art class? It was fascinating from when he told me he was writing lyrics, to making a video for it and then to hear ‘hey it’s released’. He managed to balance his song, wrestling, and art projects. It’s pretty amazing if you ask me like he could produce his song and balance all three out,” Espinosa said.

But, in Lane’s eyes, the end is what left him in awe.

“To hear the beat, to hear the sound you put together with the words you wrote. The combination simply gives you chills,” Lane said.

Lane still has goals he wants to accomplish before the year comes to an end.

“I want my music to get picked up, get more music recorded, and I want to get more features with friends. Aside from that, I want to focus on my wrestling career and finish up the season then I want to focus on art and get to state,” Lane said.

But music remains in his plans, even after high school as he approaches college.

“I want to go to college and see if that works out for me, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll focus on music and if it doesn’t work out as an individual artist, or at all then I want to do album designs for other artists, as far as pursuing a career in music,” Lane said.

Lane continues to record in the studio as he is currently working on his first album. He is to be presenting at Warehouse Live on March 7 at 8 pm. The admittance for the event is available for all ages and will cost $20 a ticket. This will be Lane’s first big public appearance after the release of his song, “Milky Way.”

“To anybody who has listened to my music or know me personally, I want to say thank you, thank you for listening and relating to it. There is more to come,” Lane said.

Dirty Vanilla Goes Live