By Carlos Cureno
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
Daily, there is someone, somewhere, working hard to leave their mark in something. Many people come and go, each having varying successes, but it is the ones who stick with it who win, in the long run. The long run is what Gil Thompson is in it for.
Gil Thompson is an independent artist who has been around for the past few years. His hopes are this year being different from previous years and he makes a bigger impact. Understand, even overnight processes take years to make happen.
Recently, Gil Thompson sat down with Hip Hop Vibe for On The Rise, to give us insight on his next move. Literally putting years into this, GT is preparing to release God of War, his long-awaited album named after the video game series. During their conversation, he discussed his recording process and his goals.
Read the entire interview below:
What is it about the God of War video game that inspired your new album? Everything about it is captivating! But, honestly it happened organically. Back in 2010, when God of War 3 game out on PlayStation I ordered the special edition which actually came in a replica of Pandora’s box!
So, after I took the game out I noticed a secret compartment in the box that had a card for some special downloadable material. I go on the website and it tells me since I bought the special edition I get to download the original score for the first three God of War games.
The crazy thing is not only was this games original score critically acclaimed but it was all done by a live orchestra and each game had at least around twenty tracks of JUST music. My heart dropped into my stomach because as an emcee, the first thing I thought of was getting a producer to loop these up so I can go hard on these with bars!
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do the project for a few years because the first few people I brought the idea to weren’t that great at sampling. But finally in 2014 when I brought the idea to Gallo he was up for the challenge and killed these beats. We created an epic masterpiece!
At a time when so many artists are emerging, what is it about your music that stands out? Well, nobody in hiphop has done a concept album off of this game before and its an EXTREMELY popular game! So that alone is going to make it stand out because I even went as far as taking audio clips from cutscenes that intertwine with my song concepts. Its a VERY cohesive album. And finally, the original score of this game has such a unique feel to it that its automatically going to sound different than anything out.
Do you see yourself as one of those rappers who floods the market with music, or are you one who would rather space your projects out? I like spacing my albums out because I’m a really lyrical rapper who prides myself on everything I write down. There’s so many multiple meanings in my music that it takes a lot of time to craft. Fans of my music are going to find out new jewels every time they listen to it.
Can you tell us more about your single, “I Thought You Knew Better?” Picking a single was massively hard, because I love all the songs on the album. But I figured “I Thought You Knew Better” would be a great introduction because its an anthem and a “you an’t stop me from succeeding” type of song. Everyone can relate to that. Plus, it was chosen because it’s one of the songs that has the most cutscenes in it at once. I wanted people to really see how I used the cutscenes creativity around my songs. I think it came out brilliant.
How, exactly, do you intend to take hip hop to the “next level?” One day at a time. I have books and books of creative ideas like this album. I think that’s what certain MCs lack. I look at a song like Nas’s “Rewind” and admire the creativity in it. So, I’ll think to myself “let me make a song that is unique like that.” Imagine creating an entire album with ideas like that? That’s the type of shit I’m on!
What are some of your musical interests outside of hip hop? When I was young there were always parties at my grandparents with us doing “Soul Train” lines, so I grew up on Marvin Gaye, Isley Brothers, Al Green, and many more. Too many classic artists to name. But, I’m pretty open minded these days when it comes to music even though the main genres I listen to are hip hop and R&B.
Where can people find you on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat? Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/GilThompsonGT/; Instagram, Gilthompsongt; Twitter, GTthclassic; YouTube, Mrgt1983; Snapchat, ZeusMc.
Follow Carlos Cureno on Twitter @DjayyCharliee.
