Some of the most influential music bloggers, label heads, rappers and even die-hard fans believe that Hip-Hop music is in a state of emergency. On the flip side, competing genres such as R&B and Pop music in the past few years alone have undergone major stylistic changes but for the better. The dominating wave of “mumble rap” and mumble rappers have almost single-handedly created one of the greatest divisions in the music community.
The absence of lyricism, meaningful content, originality and overall respect for the art form has left a nasty taste in the mouths of many. Up-and-coming rappers find themselves conflicted to either follow the money trail of mumble rap or deviate from the path never reaching commercial success. This isn’t the case for Jersey City, New Jersey-based emcee Geo La Locura! A native to Arecibo, Puerto Rico, a town near the Atlantic Ocean shore just off the northern coast of the island, Geo is shifting the culture is a much different direction, one gear towards innovation and inclusion.
After moving to the Garden state at the age of 7, he immediately took to Hip-Hop even with the language barrier, he could “feel [its] essence”. Into his mid-teenage years, felt the void of representation in both cultures he grew to love, Puerto Rico’s reggaeton and the United State’s Hip-Hop. Fast-forward to present day, developing a sound that is authentically all his own marrying the two sounds becoming one of the most promising bilingual rappers in the Tri-state.
I recently had a chance to sit down with the emcee about migrating to the United States from Puerto Rico, his EP Ambición, the music scene in Jersey City and much more. Check out the full interview below!
Your move from Arecibo, Puerto Rico to Jersey City, New Jersey is a journey within itself outside of your journey as an artist. Tell me about the culture of music in Puerto Rico and how that shifted and shaped you and what you do as an artist.
The shift in the music in Puerto Rico is interesting because I was born there. I would say [the shift] was same in the way Hip-Hop is in the States. When I was growing up you had merengue and salsa but you had pioneers that were starting to do reggaeton which was a blend of reggae and a blend Hip-Hop but it had that mash-up of what was happening in the Island, you know the style of the way people were talking. So before I came here [to the US] it was underground but you could tell in a few years that it was really going to pop and become something that people were going to be interested in and investing in. So having that, coming to the States was a culture shock! Hip-Hop was one of the first things that really embraced me! It showed me not just how to be cool but also showed me the reality of the environment of what I was growing up in because at the Jersey City I grew up in was not the Jersey City people are experiencing today.
There have been recording artist before you to incorporate reggaeton and Hip-Hop together in their music but they weren’t received as Hip-Hop often times being labeled as Pop. Your music is grittier. You want it to be received by the masses but you don’t want to strip away the rough-around-the-edges storytelling nature of the music which could make it more commercially appealing, why is that?
That comes out of the 90s. That part of Hip-Hop was gritty but creativity was there too. Artist were creative with their visuals and creative with their lyrics. There was actual meaning behind the music. I wanted to be able to tell a story through the lyrics and visuals of my music. Even when performing I want to be able to give you another aspect of that story I’m trying to tell through a different means of art.
You’ve produced a great deal of your music. Prior to becoming an artist did you have any formal training in music or music production? Do you believe in the old model of going to school to learn music?
Trial and error! I started back in 8th grade. Back in the day, PCs used to come with 60 second recorders, I found a way around that but you would have to do everything in one take. Hook, chorus, features..everything! It was really just trial and error while having that love of making my own music. By being around others that were doing it as well, I started to learn from them. I wish I would have went to school for it! I feel that I would be able to elevate my talent even more if I was properly educated in how to mix and master plus being involved in beats, but I am self-taught. Which is great because you can do that now in this age of YouTube. [But schooling is neccessary] depending on what route you are trying to take. At the end of the day, for the gatekeepers it is all about those credentials.
Your lead single “Cinderella” off of Ambición featuring fellow Jersey City native songwriter-producer Frankie Metalz is a showstopper! How did this track and collaboration come about?
Cinderella was originally suppose to have a different feature artist. The artist was not able to come to the studio at the time I was recording the song, I had a deadline and needed to get the EP out for release in a week. So, I asked Frankie to help me out. But it seems like the beat was a perfect match for Frankie because he came up with the hook in like 10 seconds! As an artist sometimes you have those beats and those moments that are perfect when things flow so well that you come up with these lyrics and this was one of those situations.
So tell me about Ambición! It’s a 7-track EP with songs ranging in sound and message. What was the inspiration behind the project?
Ambición means ambition [in Spanish] and I wanted to push myself and my limitations. So I gave myself a month, I pretty much wrote all the songs, [secured the beats] and features. The way I pick my features is I try to give as much back to people that are in the same scenario I am in (on the come-up pursuing their dreams, talent and reliable). The way I write is I listen to the beat and I let it speak to me. That’s how I came up with my themes. For example, “Let Him Go”, is talking about abuse and domestic violence and it’s a theme I’ve never talked about but as I continue to grow as a writer I will continue to tap into different things while maturing with the way in which I write. It is a song with a great beat and a great message. That’s what I want to do with my music to still be myself but still touch on other topics.
What do you want people to take away from your music?
I take influence from my Spanish roots. What I really want to do with my music is get back to my roots and make sure that in there you see that and in there you know that this is someone that is Spanish and loves music from all across the world. Someone that loves art and it just happens that his main influence is Hip-Hop. I love where I came from! I love who I am!
What’s next for Geo La Locura?
I’m expanding my team so expect more performances and for sure expect more visuals off the project.
Stay connected with Geo La Locura on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or on his website www.lamodemusic.com. Take a listen to his EP Ambición below and let us know what you think in the comments section!
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