[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OiTNbcxSKc[/youtube]
Let’s make a deal, you play ^that^ while you read, and I promise to keep this under 4 minutes long.
Now that I’ve been bumping G-Eazy for a few more hours I can really get into who he is. You see, rap is all about relating. When people rap, they tell their story, express who they are, get their point across, and they do it by appealing to the “everyman”. Now I like to think that I am in no way the “everyman”, but only because I look too good to fall into that category. BUT I also like to believe I can relate to the everyman. And as strange as it sounds, I really believe that G-Eazy can relate to the everyman as well. Why?
Eazy has the innate ability to put things into perspective. Now I know you’re sitting there thinking “what??” But let me explain. Eazy doesn’t just rap about sex money and drugs all day (although he does spend a lot of time rapping about it). Instead, he spends his time letting people know what exactly is going on in his head. I first realized how surreal his sound is while listening to Must Be Nice. This is his most recent album to date, and as such, when he recorded this album he was more famous than ever before. But like I said in my first article, he has yet to reach the level of fame Kanye or Drake has. But even still, he realizes he’s more successful than many of his peers. And he attributes it to his hard work, or as he put it: “What’s the difference between me & you?/ About five beats a day for three summers on two CPUs!” Even the way the album evolves from track to track is a window into his mind. In the first song Hello, Eazy admits “I’m sorta happy I aint blow up any faster/ Now I wish it all would slow up let me capture/ Experiences as I blow up as a bachelor.” But by the end of the album, Eazy’s back with his eyes to the sky, dreaming about climbing even higher: “Wishing I could say goodbye to being broke and hello to the bread/ But I’m broke and my grass looks yellow & dead.” “Wishing I was born rich with a fat estate.” It’s transitions like this that keep you intrigued, because you know he’s not lying, he’s got the same insecurities, the same hedonistic, unsatisfied tendencies you do. And that’s comforting. Because if he could succeed in capturing his dream than so can you.
Eazy sets a mood like none other. In my last article I spent a large portion of it talking about his samples. But that’s only one part of who he is. I briefly mentioned his instrumentals, and his verses on them, but they deserve a deeper look. First, let me say that Eazy is so comfortable with himself it’s almost intimidating. When you listen to his flow, there’s no doubt in your mind he laid that down one time and did it just the way he wanted to on the first try. You can hear the elation in his songs. Just one play of Waspy or Lady Killers and you’ll be nodding your head to his words whether you like it or not. Both songs mentioned have an up-beat, happy tune. They make you smile, and just want to get lost in the moment. Honestly I feel like either of those songs would fit perfectly in a retro arcade, playing in the background while kids pop quarters into machines and struggle for high scores on Pac-Man. Then you hear songs like Netflix, A Thing For Me or Marilyn, and as he puts it “I’m part Johnny Cash, part Lennon & part Drake/ I’ll sing a love song & leave you in heart break.” and that’s exactly what he does. In fact the top comment on his Marilyn video on YouTube is a girl talking about going through the exact same thing he’s talking about in the song.
He’s like a gateway drug, you start by listening to him and end up listening to all the artists he features. Across all the songs of his that I’ve got, I don’t think there’s one feature that I’ve heard of before. But just like with Eazy, I can’t figure out why. None of these artists have been bad. They at least deserve to have one of their songs get some radio play, much like Eazy himself. But I turn on my radio, and no matter what day or time, the only things that get play are Jay-Z’s album and Club hits. I mean get serious, nobodies in the club at 2PM on a Monday! But here we have a great artist, featuring both great singers and rappers, and none of them are getting the recognition they deserve. It’s deplorable honestly. Fortunately, you’ve got me, and I’m here to let you know what the biz is. And every video I’ve linked is a song where he features an artist, just because I’m all about giving credit where credit is due.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2s6JiVYpwM[/youtube]
Just one last thing before I leave the rest to you: I haven’t heard an artist make this many pop culture references since Wale, and that’s saying something!
Part one: http://www.theskinnyc.com/2013/why-you-should-be-listening-to-g-eazy/
