Talking honesty, success and f*ck ups with G-Eazy
Beautiful, not damned.
[I]t’s a different view from the top. And right now G-Eazy is about as high as you can get. He’s rattling through a sold out European tour. His songs are racking up streams in the hundreds-of-millions (almost billions). He’s the subject of fashion editorials, hip-hop magazines and gossip columns. In short, he’s a global superstar.
He also has a clarity of perspective on his position and a thoughtful approach to his past – a rare thing in a music industry dominated by cash, clothes and individuals, substances and philosophies that can corrupt the mind.
His Beautiful and the Damned tour is named after his 2017 album of the same name, which is named after the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald was the infamous documenter of the dangers of excess and the folly of materialism. Accordingly, G-Eazy’s album is a deeply personal exploration of the same themes. It’s a supremely honest album in the context of a music scene that thrives on bullshit and bravado.
There have undoubtedly been some f*ck ups along the way, but in the long run, the only way is up. After all, you’ve just gotta “do the best you can.”
G-Eazy plays the O2 Academy Brixton tonight.
The Beautiful and The Damned is about the dangers of excess. How did your own experiences inform the album?
Well the dangers of excess is something I’ve experienced first hand in the lifestyle I’m in, in the industry I’m in and the town that I live in. Being an artist and having all your dreams come true is a beautiful thing because it’s so rare. So many dream about it but not everybody gets to make it that far. When you get there you realize how crazy the lifestyle is, it’s just important to be careful. That’s what the album is about I guess.
How do you approach handling that?
It is difficult and I didn’t have all the answers. I’m still figuring it out myself. I’m trying to be the best I can. I have to be careful or I could lose everything really.
The first track seems to open with a list of the risks, then the next track suggest you turned to faith or to God to get some guidance. Is that true?
I’m not necessarily a religious person. I didn’t grow up going to church or anything but searching for guidance and searching for help is something that I’ve been prepared to do when I’ve needed to.
It feels like a long journey to find those methods of handling success. Way back when you were selling your mixtapes on the corner or trying to get money to get into the studio, were these the feelings you expected to feel or has it been something totally different?
I don’t think anything’s what I imagined it to be. I don’t think it’s possible to prepare yourself for what this life is like, no matter how people paint a picture for you or tell you about it or what to look out for. There’s nothing that prepares you to be in the driving seat and be going this fast. You just have to try and the best that can.
It’s important to think about the positive sides of success as well. I’ve read about you being able to support your Mum and have an influence in the world and reach people who need some guidance or something inspirational...
I try to learn from my mistakes, try to share what I’ve realized in my music by being completely and brutally honest in my lyrics and in the stories that I choose to tell. I think that’s important – reminding people that we all fuck up. But it’s about being the best you can and finding a balance.
I think when you talk about authenticity and the truth, a lot of conversations within hip-hop even between artists about who is speaking the truth and who is turning on to topics for reputation. Is that something you recognize?
I think we live in a day and age where honesty and transparency and authenticity are more important that ever but also more recognizable than ever. You can see through everything. If someone’s not being themselves you can tell. Hip-hop is so autobiographical for the most part. I can’t tell a story that isn’t mine.
That autobiographical side of your work has made a true connection with your fans. What’s interesting about this record is that you’ve carried on telling your own story even though your life has changed so much. Were you thinking "I’m writing songs about a different lifestyle, is this going to connect in the same way"?
I don’t think it’s ever heathy to be dishonest. I don’t think you can make good music from being dishonest because the purity won’t be there so ultimately you’ve got to be comfortable in your own skin.
When you find success there becomes this narrative about you out there in the world driven by the media and as well as what you know your truth is. Is that a hard thing to experience?
Yeah, it is difficult to reconcile but it is what it is. You inherit that once you put yourself on display for the world to talk about and discuss and dissect and to scrutinize. It’s like the narrative is gonna be what they make it to be and you can’t control every aspect of that. It’s frustrating as hell. I don’t think anybody likes to be misunderstood, especially creatives. You’re not talking about being misunderstood on a scale – by a lot of people. This isn’t being misunderstood one person and you’ve got a chance to explain it to them, it’s like whatever the story becomes and what people talk about that’s what it becomes, that’s what it is. You can’t control that so you have to be able to live with it.
Did you have idols back in the beginning? Anyone who you saw as laying down a blueprint for your career?
Yeah that’s the beauty of having the shoulders to stand on, and the icons to learn from people like Jay-Z, people Nas, people like Eminem, and Dre, Kanye and Drake.
We’ve talked about what it means to be a successful and notorious celebrity do you ever think about how different could’ve been if you weren’t about to put in the hard work that you did?
It’s weird. I never imagined a plan B. I always had faith that this would work out. I really can’t imagine it being any other way.
Follow G-Eazy here.