Rapper, G-Eazy, has been non-stop providing his fans with impeccable shows, some pretty tough tracks and everything in between. G-Eazy has become everyone’s favorite rapper and there’s so many reasons for it. His dedication, hard-working persona mixed with his comical attitude, makes it so easy for people to like him. But his music is the biggest reason for his loyal and growing fan base.
Gearing up for his next tour stop at Irving Plaza in NYC tomorrow night, G-Eazy took sometime to talk to The Source about his album, These Things Happen, being on tour with Rockie Fresh & Tory Lanez and what is to come for him.
Check out the interview after the jump and make sure to catch G-Eazy at Irving Plaza tomorrow!
How was it growing up in Oakland?
G-Eazy: It was definitely different than most places. The bay area is a bubble that supports its own. So all you heard was Mac Dre, E-40, Keak da Sneak and local shit. So in my eyes they were just as a big deal as Dr. Dre or 50 cent or anybody else growing up. The culture was different, the slang the fashion. Everything was different. So moving from the bay to New Orleans was a culture shock
What did you like about New Orleans that you didn’t get to experience in Oakland?
G-Eazy: I mean New Orleans was different; it was different in its own way. It was a weird and unique bubble of a place and at the same time it was eye opening. They got house music down there but don’t know a thing about hyphy. They have amazing food which obviously the bay area does too, but New Orleans has their own thing. New Orleans is more of a drinking town, and the craziest thing for me at first was being able to walk out of a bar with a drink in public. That was crazy.
How did you get into music?
G-Eazy: I got into music when I was 14. Me and my best friend Marty who I still work with and on my tour right now just hated class and wrote raps and hung out all the time. Then I started making beats around then and we just saved up our money and bought a mic and every day we would go to my house and work on music. Then we would upload it to Myspace and burn CD’s and call it a mixtape and give it to kids at school.
Did you get a lot of hits on Myspace?
G-Eazy: Yeah, I think. My myspace was kinda poppin’ for a second hahaha….. At least I wanted it to be back in the day.
What inspires you to continue to rap?
G-Eazy: The desire to be on. The desire to be successful. The desire to reach people through this music and make a living off it and never have to do anything else. Being able to do music full time and travel the world and share this music with everybody. That the dream.
Ok, where did you get the concept for your album, All Things Happen?
G-Eazy: It was really a reaction to this crazy lifestyle we are living right now. Being on the road almost all year and every night you sell out a show its kind of a mind fuck in itself. It’s like You work for something for so long so when it finally starts to happen your reaction is kinda crazy. You know, we would have these wild nights on tour then you would wake up the next morning like Fuck, “these things happen”
Who are the producers you worked with on this album?
G-Eazy: I worked with my friend Christoph Andersson on 99% of it, he and I co-produced the whole thing. Other than that Jay Ant did a track on there. I worked with Kane, as in Kane Beats. It was organic, we pretty much kept it in-house.
How’s the tour life treating you?
G-Eazy: It’s crazy, we sold out everything for this one. This is crazy, this is what you work for and what you dream about but it’s only the beginning. I see this as like my first tour of my first album in a way. This is finally my introduction to the world and everything I been building and paying dues for the last number of years.
How do you feel your fans are interpreting or taking to your music?
G-Eazy: It’s amazing. The fans go hard every night. The biggest thing for me is the new music. I’m playing a lot of new music that is not released yet on this tour. Seeing the reaction to that is super inspiring. They are going hard for that like that they been hearing for a year straight, which is what you want to see. You have to work those songs harder than the ones they know because you have to win the fans over. Now I cant wait to put new music out.
When are you going to put it out?
G-Eazy: Soon.
Soon as in…
G-Eazy: Soon is all I can say right now but it will be in the next short while. It’s about 99% finished right now. I really wanted to take my time on this album and make something special and something that will last. In this day and age with the internet, you see so many things come and go so quickly and it’s like when you’re making a project you have the luxury of being able to fine tune it and polish everything about it. Because once it’s out, it’s out and lives in that state for ever. So with that being said, we just wanted to take the time to make sure this was done right. But I’m coming correct with this one, its going to be crazy.
Well, we’re looking forward to it. Have you had the chance to perform in your hometown yet?
G-Eazy: Well, I didn’t get to play in Oakland. We played in San Francisco on this tour at the Fillmore. It was sold out about a month and for me it was just a crazy experience. Like as a kid going to shows there, I remember seeing Kanye on his College Dropout Tour at the Fillmore and always being inspired and wanting to perform on that stage. So when we booked it I was nervous, like it was a huge venue I don’t know if we can sell that out. But to see it do so well, is very exciting. I woke up that morning, when the bus pulled into San Francisco and saw a missed call from E-40 and I hit him back he was like “you got mail” and he sent me this verse he did for my album which is crazy. So it was a wild day for me, for me to be in the bay that day to have everything happen was dope.
Did you have all your friends and families come out?
G-Eazy: Yeah, which is always sort of stressful you know? Just trying to get everybody and making sure there’re good. But it is also dope for all of them to see where this has taken us. All of them have seen me play shows in front of tiny little crowds to where we have taken it now.
What are your plans after your tour?
G-Eazy: Put this album out and take on the world! That’s the plan
Do you plan on going on tour again also for that album?
G-Eazy: We will probably go back out in the fall.
Are there any cities that you haven’t hit that your looking forward to hitting next time?
G-Eazy: Uh, we haven’t hit New York yet on this tour. We hit New York in two weeks. It’s always crazy performing in Manhattan.
Where are you performing at in New York?
G-Eazy: Irving Plaza!
Besides E-40 is there future collabs you have set up with or want to set up with?
G-Eazy: I’m just keep everything under wraps for now, but it’s going to be dope.
Who in the game inspires you?
G-Eazy: Obviously, Kanye West. I’m like a Kanye West stan.
Even with all his rants and craziness?
G-Eazy: Yeah but throughout Kanye’s career he has always been an inspiration. I mean obviously, Kendrick, ASAP Rocky and Dom Kennedy.
What does your album mean to you?
G-Eazy: It means everything. I mean, I’m a kid that grew up listening albums and appreciating the content of an album. I would ride the bus from school and stop halfway at the record store and to buy Cd’s every week and listen to it top to bottom. My whole life I’ve aspired to put an album together I can be proud of top to bottom without any filler in it and this is that project. That’s why it feels like a debut album to me because this is the story that I always wanted to tell and creatively its evolved and I have matured as a person, I’m just really excited about this project.
Now that your coming to New York in two weeks, tell our readers why they should come to you show. What makes your show different from others?
G-Eazy: Because this isn’t like no other show. The amount of energy we but into this show is not like any other show. That is not a diss to anybody else but this is a different type of experience. Whenever I perform I try to connect with the crowd and give off that energy so when they walk away from the show its remarkable and its something they talk about it, like damn I cant wait to come back to a G show.
Tell me something the fans don’t know about your music that you would like them to know?
G-Eazy: I would say how involved I am with every step of the process. Whether it is the production or the mixing or the visuals and music videos I’m involved every step of the way as far as the creative, directing and merchandise . Just making sure everything that falls in line with my brand is portrayed a certain type of way. It all about quality control and attention to detail, and making sure anything you put your name on is on point.
And you feel you’re on point?
G-Eazy: Yeah, absolutely.
