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by: Bryson Alford
We know Washington D.C as the capital of the United States, where opulence is widespread and political deals are an everyday thing. Upcoming hip hop artist Gerreddi knows the capital just a little differently. He is more familiar with the other side of D.C., where poverty is widespread and crack deals are an everyday thing.
When you listen to my debut album you are going to get to know the “real” D.C, Gerreddi said in a phone interview. “When you think of D.C. now, you think of Obama. They just try to show you the political side.” But when you listen to my album you are going to get to know “what’s really going on, the side they don’t show you,” Gerreddi said.
Like many aspiring rap stars, Gerreddi honed his lyrical skills battling others when he entered the Roc the Mic Tour battle competition for a chance to win a record deal with Rocafella Records. He battled over a hundred contenders from around the country to win the competition, but the record deal didn’t fall through. He was awarded an all-expense paid vacation in South Beach though.
Like the fashion industry, the hip hop industry is conducive to trends, and too often beholden to such trends. The hip hop industry pretty much functions through geographical reigns. As of now, the south in general dominates the industry. Before it was New York/east coast area, and California had its time to shine as well. Whatever area is popping at the time is where most new artists are going to originate from because music executives have to follow trends if they want to sell records. “Back in 2000 when I was selling my mix tapes, D.C really had no rappers.” Gerreddi said. Everything was go-go back then, so if you were rapping everybody looked at you like you were a “bamma” or lame, according to Gerreddi.
This trend makes it difficult for others to break the barriers and start new trends. “Now in 2010, everybody is rapping in D.C, Maryland and Virginia now; it’s like Atlanta and it is a lot of talent out here,” Gerreddi said. Such trends perpetuate a uniform sound and style, while preventing diversity in the rap game. “The rap game is lacking creativity. Artists need to be more creative with their craft,” Gerreddi said.
With the exceptions of a few, such as Drake, Eminem, Nelly and Kanye West, if you’re not from areas known for breeding rap stars like New York, California, Georgia, Louisiana or Florida, you might get overlooked, even if you are more skillful than some of the well-known artists. On the flip side, a less skillful rapper can sell a lot records because of the city they represent. “It’s a lot of lollipop rappers out there,” Gerreddi said. “We need to bring real hip hop back.” If you’re not from such areas around the country you may need an extra dose of determination in your system and maybe a little luck in order to blow, or else you might find yourself getting older and still rapping in bathrooms and beating on tables like in high school.
One of the things that make Gerreddi standout from the rest is that he’s got more hustle in his veins, and he sees the big picture. “We coming man, we coming.” Gerreddi said. “East coast got they look, west coast got they look, down south got they look, so now I guess it’s our time.”
Even after a couple of disappointing mishaps with record labels he stayed focus, and he did what any hustler would do. He became an entrepreneur and started his own record label, Don Cap Records.
Gerreddi is determined to break the trend, and join that exclusive club of a few rappers that have already done it. With his popularity swelling in the DMV (D.C, Maryland, Virginia) area after he dropped his single “Whats Happinin,” for his upcoming album Ready or Not, some are already crowning him the next Biggie. “I take that as a compliment,” Gerreddi said. Much like Biggie did, Gerreddi wants to stay consistent. On my album, “you don’t have to skip nothing. You can just listen to the whole thing and just ride with it.”
Ready or Not is scheduled for release in the fall of 2010, which features Scarface, Devin the Dude and Bonecrusher. Be sure to check out www.gerreddi.com and www.doncaprecords.com, where you can watch videos and download all six of Gerredi’s mix tapes for free. Also, check him out on Twitter and Facebook.
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