Ladies and gents... Gemstones is BACK! We are privileged to bring you the first of an exclusive three part series that brings us up to date with Gemstones - a never before seen reflection on his times with 1st & 15th, the transformation from Gemini to Gemstones, and what lies ahead.
In part one, GY312 starts the sit-down with a discussion on Gem's times with 1st & 15th. He asks what everyone wants to know. Why did 1st & 15th end? Do Lupe and him still talk? Will Lupe and Gem ever work together again? Gemstones gives it to us straight, and drops a lot of in-depth thoughts along the way. Read a sample below and get the answers to all those questions and more in the video above. Plus, stay tuned through the end to see how he deeply analyzes his time with FNF and how those words transition into Part Two: The Rebirth - coming soon! Enjoy!
Any possibilities on 1st & 15th getting back together:
"It's done. 1st & 15th is still a company, but what 1st & 15th was when we first started out? Naw, that's done."
On working with Lupe again:
"I hope we can work together. I pray man. I hope man, because me and Lupe man, our energy was insane together. If you listen to any record we did... 'We On'... had 'We On' came out? That record was so big. That back and forth what 'Ye & Jay is doin' now, listen man.... stop."
This has been quite the eventful month for the New York music scene with prestige ceremonies such as the 16th annual SESAC Pop Awards. Gowhere NY was in attendance alongside with our homie from EntertainmentLinx to talk with some of the artist winning awards that night. The building was decorated with A-list stars and some of the industries biggest songwriters. Above is a brief breakdown of the night and an unexpected interview with producer Nikhil Seetharam, also known as Kromatik. The 22 year old Toronto native has had a streak of hits over the last two years which he credits to producer T-Minus, which he met by a chance encounter might I add. Hits such as Nicki Minaj's "Moment 4 Life" to "I'm On One" with Drake, Wayne, and Rick Ross. It was truly a night to honor the hard working talent in the industry, so check out the vid above to get a glimpse of the ceremony and to hear what Nikhil has to say about the experience himself.
Last week I took a trip to Los Angeles where I got to sit down with Interscope artist, Kayla Brianna.
While we were in the studio, we discussed her inspirations to the path of music (Beyonce, Lady Gaga, and Adele) and what she is looking forward to most on her upcoming tour with Mindless Behavior.
Kayla has previously mentioned that her music is made to inspire girls through the transitions of life. She feels that the biggest challenge girls face is being a teenager, in which she wants her music to spread the message of, "it's okay to be you."
Kayla's life outside of music includes school and her relationship with her family. For those who do not know, the 18-year-old sensation is the daughter of NBA Legend, Kenny Smith. What is something about her dad that we have not seen on the court or now on 'Inside The NBA?' Find out in this exclusive interview!
Got a fresh interview for you all, I recently linked up with Rot10 Musik's OTiS CLaPP at his Pick Ya Pants Up EP release party to discuss the release, inspirations, future projects, and so on. Be sure to check out this project if you have yet to! And pick ya pants up man!
Last night we caught up with iconic model, actress, and activist Jenny McCarthy at the 5th Annual 'Rescue Our Angels' silent auction at Rockit Bar & Grill in Chicago. Jenny is a strong promoter of autism awareness, as president of GenerationRescue.org, where you can contribute to help families with children with autism spectrum disorders. She has some nice words to say about how she got involved and how you can get involved by donating at GenerationRescue.org.
Our interview takes a more light-hearted turn as B96's Julian On Da Radio asks about her dating life, which she says has been "hilarious" and "horrendous" this past year. Now it looks like it's taking a turn towards awesome as McCarthy confirmed she is dating Bears All-Pro Linebacker, Brian Urlacher. Looks like we'll be seeing the Chicago native more often around the hometown, at least when her busy schedule allows her to be here when she's not filming new TV shows like Love In The Wild and Surprise with Jenny McCarthy on NBC, and, that's not all - her own Jenny McCarthy Show debuting on VH1 later this year. Julian also gets the quick low-down on the shows, amidst more of their fun back and forth, stemming from McCarthy immediately realizing she talked with Julian on the radio just a couple days prior, hah!
So without further adieu, check out our fun new interview with Jenny McCarthy above. Plus, be sure to get more information and donate if you can to children with autism that need our support - it all can be done at GenerationRescue.org.
Last week, Khaled M. returned to Chicago and paid a visit to Gowhere Hip Hop Headquarters to catch up with us, preview some new projects, and of course, share what he's been up to for our newest interview for you all to see above! He sits down with Jen DeLeon and shares with us some chilling experiences while he was overseas in Libya, where his father was born, and amongst the many who have been fighting for freedom while even facing certain death. Khaled's story will be amongst the many shared in a dope new, MTV Diary-esque series called 'Sing Freedom' and you can catch him in a powerful preview below.
Loading the player...
Also in the interview, Khaled fills us in on what to expect on his upcoming EP, which includes collaborations with a new singer on our radar Tarik Adams, whom he was recording with in Chicago and we met at the HQ as well. He's got some dope tunes in his own right so no doubt, these two are going to come up with something fresh. Finally, Khaled also has some good words on waking up and simply appreciating life and his blessings. We also have some fun in this one as you can see from Khaled and Jen's discussion and some of the b-roll of all of us in the office. As we expected, Khaled has a lot of big looks coming on top of being featured on the likes of CNN and RollingStone. We got the early preview and we'll be the first to keep you in the loop when Khaled releases some new music, but for now, get to know his story even more in our new interview above!
A dope artist to get on your radar if it's not a blip on there already is Blaqstarr. He's someone we built with in this new interview as GY312 asked him about the Baltimore dance scene (his hometown), his upcoming album, Here We Are due out in August, and working on the score of the movie starring Common, Danny Glover, Dennis Haysbert, and more - LUV. Also get a glimpse of Blaqstarr beyond his personality in the interview with some performance footage as well. Shouts to everyone below as well as BMF for setting this up at the Hard Rock Hotel. Watch above!
We at Gowhere Hip Hop are about growing together as one. A chief goal of our company is to promote talented up and coming artists to our wide, national and international audience. And as that is inclusive of artists and talent from anywhere, we see that just in our hometown of Chicago, there are countless amounts of people of different styles, cultures, and perspectives that deserve to be heard. As we continue to grow with GWHH, and as a Chicago music scene overall, we wanted to also take a step back and reflect about how the scene has changed immensely in just the past few years - and communicate that to you all, whether you can experience this first hand in the Chi or looking from the outside in. With this in mind, we linked up earlier this month with Briahna Gatlin & Swank PR at Gowhere Hip Hop Headquarters for a client/media junket. Swank PR represents a variety of artists, VIPs, industry professionals, and tastemakers in Chicago, and just in their clientele alone, they are a big presence in the city. While not everyone in the scene is directly speaking above, the people that were in the office that day and featured in the video above provide a vast perspective and sound representation of much of the city. So in addition to growing our own relationships with one another and connecting people for the first time, we also decided to spread some awareness, reflection, and knowledge on the Chicago music scene with this video.
Watch and hear from Chicago artists, industry professionals, tastemakers, and our own members of #TeamGowhere about how the Chicago music scene has changed, the unity that has developed, and how the momentum is only going to keep building as we all continue to unite and grow. In just the last few years, a Chicago music scene that has long been segregated and known for its 'hater' reputation has made great strides in shedding that stigma and becoming more unified. There is a powerful movement bubbling here and we're in the midst of an exciting journey of Chicago's evolving music scene becoming the next powerhouse city of the music industry!
"Chicago is one city. We shall work as one people for our common good and our common goals."
- Harold Washington
#Motivation. There is more to be done. Let's go, Chicago!
Fresh off a co-sign and shoutout from Kanye West on the "I Don't Like RMX" comes King Louie from the Gowhere Hip Hop Headquarters as he recently sat down with B96's Julian On Da Radio for our latest interview! King Louie is one in a series of young, fast-rising Chicago emcees alongside frequent collaborators like Chief Keef and YP who especially speak to the streets - not only here locally, but to listeners everywhere who can relate. He talks with Julian about how his buzz has grown in Chicago and beyond the city (and it's just the music and the grind), what to expect on future projects like Dope & Shrimp (I like that too, Julian), and even how he got kicked out of high school. Get King Louie on your radar and get to know him above in this well-rounded new interview we shot at the office! More to come from King Louie sooner than later.
There are few producers in hip hop that one may utter is better than DJ Premier. Like seriously. One half of legendary group Gangstarr, Premo has gracefully managed to stay relevant and create fresh grooves in a young man's game for decades. Last month, before DJ Premier's show at The Shrine, I had the pleasure (yes, I bum-rushed his set lol) to interview arguably hip hop's greatest producer of all-time. Of course the show was packed and there were fans from all eras paying homage to the scratching legend.
DJ Premier speaks on his new project with Bumpy Knuckles 'Kolexxion', why Kanye West is a boss, and the dualities in hip hop between "new school," and true school.
Here's an excerpt of my conversation with Premo about 'Ye:
"Kanye's has taken things to a whole "nother level. And he's a challenger. That's what I am. I took challenges and risks of being different. Kanye has decided to be different and some people hate on him, some people call him weird. I'm weird. When you're weird, that means you're not like everybody else. That's why Ye has grown from a nobody to every model chick wants to get with him...everything because he has made his path of showing that he can be a leader in the game. Not everybody is built to be a boss. I wasn't built to be one either, but I am a boss now. And I carry myself as one. Bosses deal with bosses on a whole different level and Ye is a boss."
- DJ Premier
Sidenote: I didn't really bum-rush, Preem. I mean, I guess I kinda did. There was slight haste involved lol. I just hate doing interviews after shows. Entertainers are usually drunk and high at that point or occupied with said groupies. Who would want to interrupt that? The fact that some drunken interviews are sometimes cool is an entirely different post. Much propers to DJ Premier for kicking knowledge. Go cop his new LP with Bumpy!
