Growing up as Gerald Gillum better known as G-Eazy

California Native Gerald Gillum, better known as G-Eazy, has been making major waves in the music industry since signing with RCA in 2014. With two chart-topping full-lengths under his belt, the twenty-six-year-old has quickly climbed the ranks, inching closer and closer to rap royalty, while capturing the hearts of millions along the way.

Intro by Andy Gorel

Interview by Mike Greene

Photography by Mike Greene & Lauren Engel

Mike: In your song ‘Say So’ you mention “this pretty ass white boy doesn’t deserve to be here, this shit doesn’t happen by accident” which leads me to the question, do you think people who have seen such great success are born with the gene?

G-Eazy: It’s definitely a balance. I think a lot of the times prodigies don’t become as big as they could be. To a kid who everything comes so easily to it’s like what do you have to work for, you’ve been good at everything you’ve ever tried to do in life. Whereas people that have to work harder, they’re sometimes driven but limited by their actual abilities. It’s a balance and you’ve gotta have both.

Mike: Where do you think you fell on that spectrum of prodigy versus actual drive?

G-Eazy: (laughs) Well, I definitely wasn’t a prodigy. I don’t know man, I’ve always just been hella driven since I was young. I’ve always been creative and always wanted to build something you know, be something in the world something more than regular. I never wanted to work a 9 to 5 and be contempt. I couldn’t be an ordinary person.

Mike: Where do you think that drive came from?

G-Eazy: Hell if I know (laughs)

Mike: Was there anyone in your life that gave you that push?

G-Eazy: Yeah! Both of my parents are visual artists. My aunt and uncle played music and we lived with them when I was a kid. They were in a surf-rock band called “The New Easy Devils” and I really looked up to them a lot – I mean I still do, they’re two of the coolest people on earth. I would watch them rehearse and go to their concerts, and they were rockstars in my eyes, I wanted to grow up and be just like them.

Mike: Did they influence the type of music you produce?

G-Eazy: In a sense, yeah. I’ve got a real eclectic taste, part of my upbringing at home was all about the beatles, bob dylan and contemporary rock music. Outside with my friends, at school, it was Tupac and E-40. Now, I’ve got a million influences from Jadakiss to Mac Dre to Drake and Lil Wayne

“You really only learn by doing and by being out there in the field, really doing shit”

Mike: What was it like growing up with them? What kind of music did they play, how did that inspire you, and how is that reflected in your music today?

G-Eazy: Man, they listened to a ton of stuff – mostly rock, a lot of contemporary rock. It was cool for me, they would get booked to open for bands who were really popular at the time and they’d have the posters hung up and I’d just look up, like “wow”. They played with all these famous bands like CAKE, Sublime, and I was just like “damn, they’re one step away from stardom”, but in my eyes they were already superstars. I thought rock n roll was so cool, in the sense of being a rock star and living that lifestyle. Never growing up, being youthful, and having fun forever – they’d have parties in the house and get drunk and I was just like “wow, i want to grow up and be like this”!

Mike: Based on that I mean, going back to the first question, there wasn’t necessarily a balance because you were thrown into this. You’ve been living this life you’re entire life, it’s in your blood.

G-Eazy: In a sense, yeah.

Mike: How do you think you grew as a musician with your friends – Was there an underground scene, did you have rap battles, cyphers, beat making, etc?

G-Eazy: Hell yeah! That was just what me and my friends were into. We played basketball at times, but at the end of the day we wanted to be rappers. To pass the time in class we’d write raps, and after school everyday we’d take the bus to my house where we’d set up a small studio in my room. My mom would let us record until I had to go to sleep when she would kick everybody out of the house, “Gerald, you’ve got school in the morning” she’d say. That was our thing, we literally wanted to be rap stars and spent all our time writing and making music.

Mike: Do you feel having a college degree helped grow your success?

G-Eazy: I met my manager in college at Loyola University, both of them actually and they’ve been instrumental every step of the way. We’ve built this together so meeting them and learning by doing, getting my hands together and getting in the game. I don’t believe you accomplish anything by waiting to be discovered or waiting for something to happen. You really only learn by doing and by being out there in the field, really doing shit. We were all hard workers and pushed each other. We definitely weren’t coach sitters, we were straight up studio rats.

Mike: You have an almost cult like following, what’s the biggest insight you’ve gained from having this much power?

G-Eazy: “With great power comes great responsibility” (laughs) It just pushes me to make the best music I can make, and not let anyone down. I feel blessed that people care about what I make because i remember when there wasn’t an audience and no one really cared about what i was making and releasing. In my head I thought it mattered, but in all honesty I hadn’t made anything. I’m just appreciative of the fans and I go hard for them. They believe in me. This shit can get taken away in a second.

“The world’s got enough noise and we don’t need anymore, especially in today’s world it’s so cluttered”

Mike: What’s something you’ve learned from collaborating and working with so many different individuals? A lesson or technique learnt from touring with Lil Wayne and Future, working with ASAP Ferg, E-40, etc. The list goes on.

G-Eazy: I’m a student of the game and I think you can learn the most by working with as many people as possible. Watching people perform – it shocks me when artists get asked to play festivals and they leave as fast as they arrive. When you play a festival, you get a free ticket to go and I’m such a fan of music that I just wanna go and watch other bands, other rappers, DJs, and take it all in.

Mike: It’s funny you say that because most headlining artists are the ones that typically come and go, granted they aren’t necessarily able to walk around during the festival as a normal person.

G-Eazy: It’s like even for me it’s almost frustrating sometimes because I loves festivals so much. The other day for example, we were playing Austin City Limits and I went to go get food – I waited in line and went to get food – and I didn’t think it was a big deal until all of a sudden kids are running up and taking pictures of me and even the people serving my food were trying to take pictures while giving it to me. It’s sometimes like, “can i just blend in and chill and be normal”?

Mike: I think one thing I’ve taken from interacting with so many artists is that they’re regular people and literally want to be treated that way. I was listening to a skit done by Aziz Ansari where he talks about walking on the street. Aziz goes, “Dudes come up to me all the time asking for a picture, why can’t they just come up and ask me about my day?”

G-Eazy: Totally! People just don’t think about it like that. I was talking to Kehlani earlier and she mentioned she was having a hard day in London. She’s been on her Euro tour for a week or two and it’s been non-stop – like, I just flew back from Europe and you’re there and would love to make the most of your time but you have millions of interviews, on top of the shows – and she had a meet and greet and the fans were being disrespectful and inconsiderate – and she’s sick on top of that – and it gets crazy. We have a lot on our plates but we never want to let people down. At the end of the day, I am so appreciative of the fans and these opportunities but we’re normal human beings too. It gets hard to find time to sleep.

Mike: Based on that, do you ever second guess this life?

G-Eazy: Hell no! Shit I’d rather be doing this than back working what I was doing before!

Mike: And where was that?

G-Eazy: It was a restaurant in the bay area called Top Dog. It has nothing to do with Kendrick Lamar.

Mike: What gave you the boost in confidence to leave the restaurant and pursue music full time?

G-Eazy: Well I was rapping while i was working at the restaurant but around the time I started making music, I told myself “strive to be great”. If you don’t want to be a top tier, A-list artist then what’s the point? I’m not a hobby kind of person, I’m very driven. It was more of wanting to be like my Aunt and Uncle, an icon like Eminem or Dr. Dre. I mean, it sounds foolish because at the time, my beats were trash and I wasn’t rapping about anything so the music was pretty bad. It was just the way I approached it.

Mike: I see where you were coming from. At the end of the day if you don’t have that drive or that passion then a) what’s the point and b) there’s something wrong and you might want to reevaluate your life.

G-Eazy: Exactly, the world’s got enough noise and we don’t need anymore, especially in today’s world it’s so cluttered.

www.facebook.com/G.Eazy