NAKIA

Yes, She Got Vinyl!! Nakia is an avid Record Collector from Chicago, Illinois currently residing in Aurora, Colorado. She literally has every record thats in your Discogs wantlist. If you haven’t checked out her vinyl posts on Instagram, I could see why you would think I’m exaggerating. Nakia is a very organized record collector. All 800 plus records Nakia owns is cataloged on her Discogs under the name, She Got Vinyl. Not only are her records cataloged, Nakia even separates all her Prince records from the rest. Seriously, we should all take notes if your record collection is a mess like mines.

Outside from record collecting, Nakia works in Technical Support. You can for sure count on her when you’re looking for suggestions on new music. She believes that women are the driving force when it comes to music taste and she gives vital honest advice for women looking to start collecting records which you can read more below in our Q&A.

Social Media:

Instagram:  @shegotvinyl and She Got Vinyl on discogs

 Top 5 Favorite Records:

1.     Prince’s – Parade,

2.     Glady’s Knight & The Pips

3.     Betty Davis’s – They Say I’m Different,

4.     A Tribe Called Quest – The Low End Theory

5.     Marvin Gaye – I Want You

Top 5 Songs:

1.     “Simply Beautiful” Al Green

2.     “Day Dreaming” Aretha Franklin

3.     “When the Lights Go Down” Prince

4.     “I’m Gonna Love You Just A Little More” Barry White

5.     “Nothing Even Matters” Lauryn Hill & D’Angelo

Favorite Genres:

Soul, Hip Hop, House, Jazz

Favorite Record Shop(s):

Hyde Park Records (Chicago, IL)

Amoeba (San Francisco, CA)

Twist & Shout (Denver, CO)

What made you start collecting records?  

 My mom loves music, so I grew up in a house where records were always present, and I started collecting my own when I was 8.  When I left home, my records got absorbed into my mom’s collection, but about 11 years ago I took them out of storage, along with my mom’s collection and just started adding on.

What is the first record you’ve bought?

My first record was Michael Jackson’s Thriller, but I didn’t buy it.  My mom bought me a copy, so I would leave hers alone.  The first record I purchased with my own money was Heroes by the Commodores. It was gift for my mom.

What are the most recent records you’ve added to your record collection?

Prince’s Musicology, 3121, Planet Earth, Eric B. & Rakim’s Paid in Full and J Dilla’s Donuts (Donut Cover).

What records are you looking to add next? 

I passed on a chance to cop Mary J. Blige’s My Life album a couple of years ago and that’s been a regret, so I’m looking for that.  I’m always looking for anything by Donny Hathaway, I have a few in my collection, but those are incredibly hard to find.  And anything by Prince, I have A LOT of Prince, but I’m always looking for joints that I don’t have.  Most times I just got out to “look” and come home with a haul of records I didn’t even know I wanted.

How many records do you think you have in total without counting? 

I log all of my records in Discogs, so I know it’s 885.

How do you organize your record collection? 

 I have two sections.  The vast majority is alphabetical.  I can’t fathom doing it in other way.  And the other is Prince.  I separated all of my Prince and related artists on a shelf of their own and those are organized alphabetically and then by release date.  I’m serious about my organization…lol.

What is a day of crate digging like?

Dusty…lol.  And fulfilling.  I can spend all day sifting through stacks, crates and bins looking for records that I want and for records I may want.  I usually try to dress really casually when I go record shopping, just in case I have to get down on the floor to flip through a crate.  And every time I visit a new city, I make sure to check out the local stores.  It’s an incredible experience.  I love it.

How does music make you feel?

Alive.  I get in a zone when I’m listening to one of my jam, jams.  And I got a lot of jam, jams…lol.

How important is music and having records apart of your life?

Extremely important.  I like having something that I care about and am invested in.  I love the feeling that I get when I pick up something dope.  I love talking about my collection and vibing with other collectors.  And I’m also glad that the art of record collecting has come back with such a vengeance, but it sure makes the pickings slim in these record collecting streets…lol.

Why do you believe women’s music taste vital?

Because I believe that women are society’s taste makers.  We’re the driving force.

What advice do you have for other women who want to start collecting records? 

Don’t be afraid to enter spaces where there are not a lot of people who like us.  Don’t be afraid to stand out.  I go to a lot of record shows and shops, where I am the only Black woman digging, but I don’t allow it to discourage me or make me feel out of place.  And that’s because I love the music.  I love the act of searching for those hidden gems.  And sometimes it works in my favor because I find records that appeal to me that are being skipped over by other patrons.  For instance, I copped Guy’s Future album last year for 50 cents, because nobody wanted it but me!  And that happens to me quite a bit in these spaces.  I find records that I would’ve paid way more for crazy cheap because other collector’s don’t value it the way I do.