Hometown Heroes : GMK(Golden Mic King)

This year is a year of change, by far. That said, drop-bomb wants you to know what's right under your nose. Artists from all over that may not be on your radar, myspace, or download list. Artist who do it for the love of the culture, and the people. Hometown Heroes

So I clicked on the page of J.Pinder. Enters GMK. His music spoke for itself. Hip-Hop in the purest form. Non-Stereotypical. So I hit him up and here's what he had to say



Drop-Bomb: So where you from man?

GMK: Seattle,WA Born and raised and sometimes Saturn(kidding)

DB: SEA/TAC getting it in! 08' is defiantly off to a good start for Fresh Coast. Okay, off top, hip-hop has gotten very ready-made, wwf-esque, how are you unique?

GMK:I believe, in my mind, we all think alike at times,but my thoughts are still mine. I also believe its my ability to stay inside the box while thinking outside of it. It gives the music a unique feel.

DB: That's word. Well time is defiantly on your side right now, being young, what direction would you like to steer your genre?

GMK: I mean as far as my age I'm younger than most, but I believe that the words I speak are very mature. But, towards what your saying, I want to push for more innovation and creativity and transcending. Just being an M.C. and having the best bars, but in turn, being an artist so you don't have the opportunity to always refer to my previous work. Say, artist like Prince or Andre 3000, they continue to push forward. Every new piece of work is different or less comparable. its just music, but still someone like 3000 is still an amazing rapper.

DB: Who are some of the other people that have inspired you? Who's molded your style, musical tastes, etc..

GMK: I've been told its Jay-z. Big L at some point in my life, Phife Dawg. LOL. Now Lupe Fiasco,Talib, etc. I've had the important people. I dug , like i said, Jay-z. Wu-Tang, The Roots, Blackstar. They molded a lot of what I like. But so did Stevie Wonder,Curtis Mayfield, Al Green, and Prince. Right now I'm listening to a group out of like Switzerland or England, Little Dragon

DB: Yeah, they're from Sweden...THE SEX! lol Usually bands like that have trash singers, but Yukimi has vocals!!

GMK:... its got my production game in a whole new mind frame! Erykah Badu's new project. Some early A Tribe Called Quest. I listen to The Roots a lot Black Thought is an MC No questions.

DB: BLACK THOUGHT IS TOP 3. DEAD OR ALIVE lol. Who else..

GMK: J.Dilla actually changed my life. I can't validate that more.

DB: Amen. So who in the game do you think you're better than?

GMK: I'm not even going to comment on who I'm better than. I'm confident in my own right, however, rappers are dope out in the game on tv and not in there own way. I hear a line, 1 per 16 bars, and be like "dope". But I don't anymore think, " why didn't I think of that" or "I gotta step my bars up". That makes me unfocused. I just observe. I might be doper then souljha boi perhaps, but his hustle, it's nuts, so I'm not dissin. I always say, " what one person likes the next person doesn't".

DB: Well said. Who are some rappers you'd like to work with? Locally, and on a Major level

GMK:I have high standards. I don't just like working with anybody because its still my work they're on. So it still affects me. It hurts when an artist sort of misrepresents the picture I painted musically. As an MC I, at one point, already had an idea that probably was incredible but have to let you get the work in just the same. Locally I'm working with a few people Macklemore,Choklate, J.Pinder. Globally I'd really love to work with like Erykah Badu, Stevie Wonder,Bilal or anyone willing to try something different. I didn't mention any rappers because as of late I don't have an artist who I'd be dieing to make a "banger" for. I mean Jay-z , but, even him, I don't know if I'm going to wait 5 years... he's on a boat not rapping..... this time for real.

DB: I feel it. So how long have you been doing the whole emcee/producer? What goes into making a beat for yourself, versus for someone else?

GMK: I would say I've been rapping longer than producing. I started rapping around 8 and producing around 11 12 years old. When making a beat for myself I genuinely have to be inspired I told myself that you know I can rhyme like this to a Pete Rock type beat but is that me and am I forcing myself to rap a certain way. The specific feeling I like to get recycled or brand new is magical. There's no real starting point when it comes to me. I've ran in the studio and had like and idea an just executed it or I'm fiddling around with some knob on the keyboard and go ah ha. There it is start singing out a hook or almost completing the beat even though I've only selected one sound. I'm big on melody so majority of my beats start with that. I like to follow what that melody says accent it because it drives the flow, peoples sense of rhythm and so forth.

DB: What's Your ultimate goal? What inspires you overall?

GMK: My ultimate goal is to fulfill my life purpose, and I discovered it. Music. So the goal is to achieve the maximum amount of success and for me that's to touch, not just my block and my small radius of people, but the world. Its way more gratifying. To me is is mad to be heard not limited. If a kid hears my music in Ethiopia and digs it. That thought is amazing.

People think I may be on some other tip, but people are my inspiration I feel a lot an so it helps my music I've been called the observer. I reflect my observations through music. I actually pull sources from clouds,the shape, the forms, to night-time sky I'll look up and words come into my head. If I have a conversation I log it in and somehow its in a song. I don't mean to put anyone on blast I just have to notate it and make it real and permanent if it moved me.

DB:WORD. CLICK HERE TO Download GMK's Perfect 10 Mixtape

You heard it here first. Be on the look out for more HOMETOWN HEROES
for more on GMK hit up the MYSPACE
For booking info hit up info@onlygp.com
bloggers head to gmkbrilliantreality.blogspot.com

Jay Smart
{A.T.A.M}

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