Photos by Virgil Solis
The third week of March is kind of like January 1st for the music industry. The cobwebs from the winter have fully cleared off, and there’s this little thing that happens each year in Texas where artists, journalists, and industry people come together to drink free liquor, exchange business cards, and watch show after show after show. Some artists play something like 10 shows in 3 days or some other crazy ratio with plans to impress the hell out of all those in attendance and get praised as The One to watch moving forward. A strong 3rd week of March can setup a lot of opportunities down the road, so it’s not a surprise that artists force themselves to go extra-extra hard. But performing is not the only way to have a big impact, and I saw first hand how GLC became one of the most talked about artists this year in Austin without ever really leaving the house. Below is how he did it, and a few reasons why I believe GLC is poised to blow in 2010.
*Throughout the week in Texas GLC setup shop at the Closed Sessions house. He served as an ambassador to us, and as the week went on, artists started coming to the house to see and meet GLC. That’s definitely church on the move, as it’s hard to become a buzz of Austin without ever hitting the streets.
*J. Cole knew the words to “I Ain’t Even On Yet” and rapped the first verse while we were driving him from his hotel to the Closed Sessions house… Again, church on the move.
*Lil’ Wayne once said “feed me rappers or feed me beats.” GLC might as well have walked around with a sign reading the same. Each and everyday some of the most buzz-worthy artists and producers came to the house, and one after another GL stood toe to toe with them.
*He is original as hell. I mean, it’s like the dude has created his own language, and he continually finds new ways to describe his life and making it accessible to people across ethnic groups. For example, on one new song GL raps, “when you see me macking, please do not distract me or disturb me, that is dirty macking in the midst of macking glory/magnificent, he is just pimpin’ with a purpose/eating shrimp, getting rich what could be more perfect?” As a Jew that tries to keep Kosher as much as possible, I don’t even f**k with shrimp and I understand exactly what he is talking about. And yes, nothing seems more perfect.
*He made a song called “Pimp Hand Goliath”… True story.
*Work ethic. Work ethic. Work ethic.
*His iPod game is on 10. The dude listens to Yanni every morning to relax and get ready for the day, and his iTunes has music from the Grateful Dead to 8Ball and MJG…
*He shot a music video with no budget. With Bun B. In a mansion in Texas.
* Karma goes a long way.
*GLC is a professional in the studio, and makes other artists act accordingly and bring their best.
It will be interesting to see what GLC is doing in Austin next year.
