In Conversation with Gee! By E.J

Intrigue caught up with talented lyricist Gee from North London based camp ROOTS ENT. Check out what he had to say.

Tell us when you first started rapping, and what made you decide to persue your musical career ??


I first started rapping in early 2006, when me and my friends would buy blank tapes and record ourselves rhyming over instrumentals. I realised I had the ability to write poignant lyrics and and put it to music. I enjoyed the process of constructing a verse, a hook and bringing it to life in the booth.

How would you describe your music?


My music is essentially Hip Hop, although I draw inspiration from various genres, I would say my music is mainly conscious and influential, I talk about life and reality

Who would you say are your musical influences?

My musical influences range from Tupac to Michael Jackson and Bob Marley.

What would be your dream collaboration?

A dream collaboration would probably be with someone like John legend.

How would you compare yourself to other UK Hip Hop artists?

I don’t really like to compare myself to others, I am original in the sense that no one else has lived my life so I am inspired by my own experiences, therefore I am just me. People might listen to my music and make comparisons but I cant compare myself to any particular artist. I am confident in my abilities as an artist and a lyricist so lets just leave it up to the public to decide.




People say that the UK Hip Hop scene will never live up to the US Hip Hop scene, what do you think of this? And how do you think you compare to US Hip Hop artists?


There is some truth in that as UK Hip Hop is not so polished in terms of production, Hip Hop was born in the States so it is not surprising. As UK artists we need to start working with each other more and supporting home grown talent much more than we do. As I said I wouldnt like to compare myself to any particular artist but I am confident in my lyrical ability and I can hold my own when it comes to my music.


There is so much gun and knife violence going on in the UK at the moment which is being linked to the lyrical content of Hip Hop and Grime music. What do you think of this ? And would you be looking to try and change this view with your music?


There are a lot of artists that promote violence in their rhymes, the youths look up to them and feel influenced by what they are saying. What a lot of artists are not doing is taking something negative and creating something positive. I hope I can be part of a generation of change. As I see my music as being a vehicle by which I can express my views and try to make a difference in a negative society. Having said this though we cannot just use a particular genre of music as a scapegoat, we have to start looking at the root cause.




Your mixtape is out soon what is it called and what can we expect from it?

Yeah my mixtape is out soon and it’s called “Positive State of Mind” expect solid well written tracks, the first snapshot of myself, a portrait of Gee. I hope people listen to it and enjoy it.

Have you written all the songs on your mixtape yourself? What do you write about ?


Yeah I have written everything on there, a couple of other artists from Roots are on there as well spitting their own bars, but I wrote everything I spit. I don’t wanna give too much away but I write about real life things like I said. I am inspired by reality so you will get that from my lyrics.


What are your hopes and dreams for your music?

I hope to reach the masses with my music, to inspire others with my lyrics and build a name for myself as a respected artist. I’m not trying to save the world I just hope I can do my bit as an individual, I want people to feel me and understand me through my music.

What other projects are you working on at the moment ?

Well I will be working on my next mixtape, I don’t want to give too much away but I am working on various things for the future in terms of my music. Watch this space.




Where can we see Gee performing and where can we get more info about you and your camp Roots Ent?

Well I am gonna be performing all around London over the next few months, my next performance will be at the Prince's Trust Live Mic event in Marie Lloyds Bar in Hackney Empire on 29th March...you can get more info about me and Roots by going to our myspace pages

www.myspace.com/rootsentg
www.myspace.com/rootsent

Pics by Ione @ Mind Studio