Minnesota Artist Nur-D Calls on Community to Help Save Fair Play Entertainment Recording Studio
- Rebecca Gilbuena
- 18 hours ago
- 3 min read
Minnesota hip-hop artist Nur-D, one of the Twin Cities’ most recognizable independent artists, is asking his community to help save the recording studio he co-founded with longtime collaborator DJ Hayes. The space, Fair Play Entertainment (FPE), has become a haven for local musicians and first-time creators, but now faces possible closure unless $8,000 can be raised by January 2026.
Nur-D, who won City Pages’ “Pick to Click” in 2019 and has since built a national following with his eccentric, heartfelt hip-hop, says the studio was born from a desire to lower barriers for aspiring artists.
“Almost two years ago, me and DJ Hayes got together and decided to do something kind of crazy—open our own music studio,” he shared in a fundraising appeal. “We wanted to create an environment where the producer and the artist can both feel respected, valued, and encouraged to make music without a financial bar to entry.”
With the help of DJ Hayes’ father, the two literally built the space themselves. Since opening, FPE has hosted everyone from rappers and singers to voice actors and commercial clients. The studio also became the birthplace of Nur-D’s latest album, Chunkadelic. But despite that success, the costs of keeping the doors open have grown unsustainable.
“While 2025 has been amazing for us, as anyone in this business will tell you, amazingness does not always translate into one’s bank account,” Nur-D explained. “Either I can keep paying my rent, or we can close our doors.”
A Studio for the People
Part of what makes Fair Play unique is its affordability. Studio time runs just $20 an hour without an engineer, and $40 with an engineer—a fraction of typical industry rates. For many artists, that has been life-changing.
“We just had an artist named Kalina come in and record her very first song, all in Hmong,” DJ Hayes told Independent Journalist Georgia Fort in a recent interview on Power 104.7. “It was amazing to see somebody experience making music for the first time.”
Other Minnesota acts, including Lt. Sunny and MPLS Drew, have cut records at the studio. For Nur-D, that accessibility is the point:
“Music should be a right and not a privilege,” they said. “Especially now, when we’re seeing suppression of speech at a federal level, one of the best things that can happen is a flood of artists speaking their truth.”
The $8,000 Goal
To keep the studio open, FPE is asking supporters to help raise $8,000 by January 2026. Much of Nur-D’s own performance income has already been reinvested into the studio, but he says it’s time to lean on the same community the space was built for.
If just half of his 27,000 Instagram followers gave $2 each, the studio would be funded for the long term. “Sometimes big numbers look impossible to climb,” Nur-D said. “But when you reach out to your community, so often the community reaches back.”
Supporters can contribute in multiple ways:
Book studio time: “The best way is to come see the dream for yourself,” Nur-D said. Sessions can be booked at fairplayentertainment.org.
Join the Patreon: Starting at $2/month, members gain access to exclusive music, vote on Nur-D’s future singles, and watch The Interracial Friends Talk Show with Nur-D and DJ Hayes.
Shop Nur-D merch: A new online store features exclusive items and community-voted designs.
Donate directly: Contributions are accepted via PayPal, Venmo, and CashApp (links on Fair Play’s socials).
For Nur-D, keeping FPE alive is about more than his own music career. It’s about building an infrastructure that puts people before profit.
“We don’t want to gatekeep the steps to success,” they said. “I’d rather hear a thousand songs from people who could only afford $20 than one song from someone who paid $500 an hour. Because then you’re hearing the lives of real people.”
Minnesota is home to the Minneapolis Sound—Prince, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and generations of innovators. Nur-D believes Fair Play is part of carrying that legacy forward.
“This is a studio, but it’s a studio for the community,” they said. “We want it to be open for you to make the kind of music you can in a safe, fun, and professional environment. And with your help, we can keep it that way.”
