G Herbo Reflects On His Life At '25,' Friendship With Polo G & Fatherhood

G Herbo

Photo: Jaren “Digital Jay” Holden

news

The Chicago rapper opens up about his new album, '25,' fatherhood, mental health and more

Victoria Moorwood

|GRAMMYs/Jul 10, 2021 - 12:25 am

At 25 years old and arguably hitting his stride in his almost-decade-long career, G Herbo looks at his life with gratitude and pride. In the past year, the Chicago native celebrated his silver birthday, became engaged to Taina Williams, welcomed his second son and recently released his fourth studio album, 25.

However, speaking by phone with GRAMMY.com one day before the project's release, Herbo reflected on a time in his life when that wasn't the case.

"I wouldn't say I didn't appreciate life, but I wasn't afraid to die," he said of growing up in Chicago's Terror Town neighborhood. "It's crazy, but when I turned 25… I just appreciated life a lot more."

PTSD, Herbo's third album that dropped last year, was largely impacted by his mental health journey after being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. On 25, Herbo continues his trademark grittiness and visceral storytelling about his past, but with a new sense of fulfillment and hope as he reflects on who he is at 25: a successful artist, fiancé and father of two.

Here, Herbo talks about his collaborators' and family's impact on 25, his long-awaited joint album with Lil Bibby, upcoming mental health initiatives and more. Read the full interview below.

Your album is called 25 and you turned 25 years old last year. What is the significance of that age to you?

It's a special number to me because turning 25, where I come from, is a big milestone. A lot of my closest friends didn't live to see 25 years old; some of them didn't live to see 18 or 21. My younger brother [Lil Greg] died before his 25^th birthday, so nothing in life is promised.

It's crazy, but when I turned 25, I felt more mature instantly. I just appreciated life a lot more. I've been doing music for about 10 years now, I started doing stuff when I was like 16 years old, and all the trials and tribulations that I went through shaped me into the man that I am today. I went through a lot of emotions making this album and I hope my fans appreciate that. I wanna motivate everybody that listens to think about life a little differently and make plans, because I didn't get where I am by coincidence. It was a lot of hard work, a lot of adversity. 25 is kind of like an O.G. in a sense, but I'm still young. I've got so much in front of me to accomplish. So, that's why naming my album [25] was important.

You hit several milestones this past year; you're engaged, you're now a father of two. How did being a fiancé and dad influence this album?

It inspired me a lot, especially being a father. I get up every day and it's not only about me. You can't be selfish when you have kids, they depend on you so much, and I've gotta make sacrifices and take a lot of time away from my family. So, it's about creating balance and understanding. It's not about what I wanna do or what I have to do anymore. I'm inspired and completely motivated [by them] in every aspect of my life.

Your son Yosohn's voice is heard on "Cold World." What made you want to do that?

That song is actually one of my favorites on the album and my son, you know, he's growing up. I just asked him questions and he was able to do it off the top, it wasn't scripted. He's always in the studio with me. We were just chilling, and I wanted people to get that rawness of: I have a son. I have a life that's depending on me. Hearing his voice on there around the stuff that I'm talking about, it gives you that surrealness.

Read: Polo G Talks 'Hall Of Fame,' Fatherhood And His Plan To Be Legendary

You've got a lot of dope features on this album. You and Polo G always have a great chemistry, what's that like being in the booth together or sending verses back and forth?

Mostly we're in the studio together. That's my boy, so it comes out naturally. We're both great lyrically, so I feel like we feed off each other's energy and talent when we're in the studio. Even if we do send records back and forth, we're still giving it our best 'cause we know we're two of those artists that are gonna go hard every time.

We've got a real friendship and I think that's the beauty of our working relationship–we're cool with each other. We get in the studio, chop it up, everything's not always about music with us. When we do rap with each other it's always Chicago-style, too. We're aiming for what we know people at home are gonna like.

How did you and Rowdy Rebel link up?

Me and Rowdy, we've been locked in for a while. He's a good dude. We used to chop it up before he went and did his time and I've always supported his music. I did a "Computers [Freestyle]" back in 2015, and we've got a lot of mutual friends. As soon as I recorded ["Drill"], he was the first person I thought of, like, "I've gotta get Rowdy on this record." So, I reached out and he came to the studio. He was literally fresh out of prison at that time.

Could you see yourself collaborating with Bobby Shmurda?

Oh for sure, it's a given. I mess with Bobby, too, so we're locked in. I think it's more so just about us all getting in the studio at the same time. Both of us are real busy right now. But I definitely wanna do something with both of them on the same track. That'd be crazy.

"I Don't Wanna Die" is such an impactful way to start the album. How were you feeling when you were making that song?

Southside, he kind of challenged me to do stuff like that. He produced it and when he sent it to me he told me, "You gotta go crazy on this." I think the sample and the kids singing, "I don't wanna die" over the beat, it kind of pulled me to talk about the raw grittiness of being in the streets and overcoming that.

There was a time in my life where I put my life on the line time and time again. I wouldn't say I didn't appreciate life, but I wasn't afraid to die. Feeling that way and feeling the way that I do now, I had to collide those two brains together because I'm not the same person that I was when I was 15, 16, 17, 18 years old. So, I just wanted to put all that in one track and let people understand that life is real out here, people are really losing their lives on the day-to-day.

On "Demands," you rap about racism, having to grow up young, trauma. That's another powerful track.

It definitely is. Normally, I don't really rap about stuff that's a trendy subject, I just get in the studio and speak my mind. I think that's why my music is the way it is. I speak from the heart every time. So, I didn't go into the studio thinking that I was gonna make one of those records. It had a lot to do with the production as well, Southside did that one, too. A lot of the production on this album moved me to speak about different things.

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Earlier this year, Lil Bibby hinted that your long-awaited joint project No Limitations is on the way. Can you give us any details on that?

You know, Bibby's real indecisive when it comes to music. He's one of my favorite rappers, always gonna be one of my favorite rappers. That's another person where our friendship is so strong, we didn't really have to establish a working relationship. We grew up together, that's my brother.

We'll be in the studio chopping it up, reminiscing. So we gotta really lock in and say, "Let's record this project." Lock in for 30 days, or however long it's gonna take. That's one of those projects that I have to do, for the fans, for the culture. Bibby's got a lot of stuff going on, he's all the way in CEO-mode. So, I've gotta drag him to the studio.

Right, he's always talking about Juice WRLD's next album, too.

Yeah, he's doing what he needs to do as far as the label. There's definitely a Juice WRLD project coming soon. The next time you hear Bibby on an actual album or project, it'll probably be us two. I think our project will be the first thing he'll put out.

Along with launching your Swervin' Through Stress initiative last year, you also bought your old elementary school to turn into a youth center. How's that going?

Yeah, we bought one of the 50 [Chicago Public] Schools they shut down and we're in the second phase of [transitioning] that now. Once everything's up and running, we're gonna have psychiatrists, therapists–someone these kids can talk to in there every day. After launching Swervin' Through Stress, I wanted to put those resources back into the community where these kids feel comfortable, to have somebody there every day who's actually gonna listen and help come up with solutions to make your situation better. I'm very excited. I can't wait until the facility is done and we can actually have these kids in there.

When you started going to therapy, was that a foreign experience for you?

Absolutely, it was something new. As kids, we didn't really feel like there was someone we could open up to. There were people in the community that cared and lent a helping hand, but it wasn't something that was normalized. It was foreign to me, I didn't grow up that way, and when I started to go to therapy I had to get used to it.

Besides connecting with mental health resources, is music therapeutic for you?

Yeah, that was always my first form of therapy. Honestly, doing music helped me through so many different dark times. When I started doing music, I would write raps for me and the people who understood me and could relate. I didn't really think it was gonna resonate with the world the way that it did. It's been my biggest blessing, because I was able to take care of my family with something that actually helped me. I started going to the studio with stuff I wanted to get off my chest, but couldn't communicate verbally, and it turned into something beautiful.

Chicago hip hop suffered several tragedies last year; the city lost King Von, FBG Duck, Lil Greg. Are losses like that one of the reasons you advocate for mental health?

Definitely. Von, that really touched me. All the trauma and generational trauma that we experience in Chicago, it's normalized. It's so normal to lose people and for people to die at such a young age. My music has always been a product of that. When we're kids or teenagers and we get right to the streets, nine times out of 10 it's because that's all we know. We were taught as a child that that was all we had.

Last year, you were indicted on charges regarding an alleged wire fraud scheme. On "No Jail Time" and "Statement," you talk about the case and dealing with social media rumors, would you like to speak more about that?

Of course I'm innocent. I feel like on the internet, when you feed into that stuff and try to prove your point, it just makes the situation worse. And 90 percent of people on the internet don't really understand the situation. So like I said, music is how I express myself, and with social media, I just take the good with the bad.

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Chief Keef

Photo: Casimir Spaulding

interview

More than a decade in the making, Chief Keef unveiled the second installment of 'Almighty So.' The rapper details why the new album is not a sequel to his 2013 mixtape, but rather another symbol of his artistic evolution.

Shawn Setaro

|GRAMMYs/May 14, 2024 - 02:51 pm

Chief Keef fans have been awaiting a sequel to his influential mixtape Almighty So since he released it in 2013. The project came out in the midst of a magnificent and experimental run for Keef, when he was changing his style seemingly at will from Almighty's almost avant-garde soundscapes to woozy, autotuned melodies (Bang Pt. 2) to stoic street tales (Back From the Dead).

Keef, now 28, has been well aware of the anticipation for a follow-up to Almighty So, teasing the project since 2019. Five years later, it's finally here — but it might not quite be what fans were expecting.

In keeping with Keef's mercurial and exploratory artistic nature, Almighty So 2 has very little to do with its predecessor, save that comedian Michael Blackson does skits on both. In fact, Keef tells GRAMMY.com that the title of the project does not mean that he views it as a sequel to Almighty So.

"There's no connection at all," he asserts. Almighty So is his nickname, and one of his many alter egos; it stems from "Sosa," the Scarface-inspired nickname he's been using since the beginning of his career. The title, he says, "is not just a project that I dropped years ago. It's me. I'm still almighty."

Almighty So 2, released May 10, is indeed very different. It boasts a Keef who is nearly free of vocal doublings and ad libs, ready to let his voice clearly be heard on a wide range of subjects, including some introspective and emotional looks at himself, going all the way back to his childhood.

Several days before the project's release, GRAMMY.com caught up with Keef while he was at home in Los Angeles. Below, the Chicago-born rapper breaks down the album's lyrics and music, its most surprising guest appearance, how he views his own legacy, and his return to his hometown for the first time in over a decade.

This conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

You've been talking about this record since 2019, and originally you were saying it's going to have a lot of melody. The album I heard is very different from that. Can you tell me how and why the vision changed?

I just wanted to do something I never did. A couple of songs is stuff that you probably would never hear me do.

What's different about those songs?

Just more rapping about real things instead of flexing or talking about cars and weed. I'm rapping about real stuff in my life — in life, period.

"Believe" is like that.

Oh yeah, "Believe," I forgot about that. You really know these songs. Okay, that's dope.

I heard that song as being about wanting and trying to change. Can you tell me about writing that and deciding to open up a little bit?

When I was making that beat, it gave me that feeling of, let some stuff out. That's all.

There's a line on there that really grabbed me. You're talking about growing up and you say you had to be an "evil kid." The word "evil" really struck me. What do you mean by
"evil"?

Because I was always smart — brilliant, intelligent. My circ*mstances had to be different, though. There wasn't a way for me to really show…I had to do the streets thing. I had to be a gangb*nger. I had to grow up doing all that stuff instead of my potential that I know that I have, that I'm using doing all this stuff like designing. I can do everything. Really, literally. I probably could fly a plane, too.

Before I get into my ideas about it, what's different about your rapping on this album?

I feel like I'm just old. I'm 28, I'm finna be 29 now, man. I'm not the same young boy that grew up in Chicago on 54th and 61st. I guess you can call it growth.

I still got some stuff on there like the regular Sosa — the turn up, the fight-in-the-club or whatever you want to call it. Jump around, mosh pit music. I still got that.

I was thinking more about just the sound of your rapping. There was almost no doubling, almost no ad libs. Your voice is very clear. Can you tell me about that creative decision?

I haven't been doubling like that. I don't know why I stopped it. You're right, I wanted to be more clear.

Once I do a song, if I didn't do the ad libs, it must have not needed ad libs. When I do ad libs, it's like, I gotta do these ad libs. And if a song doesn't have ad libs on it, probably I can't really say the stuff that I want to say on the ad libs, or I didn't know how to put it. So I just said, scratch the ad libs and it's good like that. It's perfect. You don't need it, or the doubles.

You have two songs on this record, "Runner" and "1,2,3," where you do that Dipset thing of talking back to the vocal sample. Why'd you do that?

I grew up on Juelz [Santana] and Cam'ron and Jim Jones. On 61st, we was a clique called Dipset, which comes from them. That's where I come from, so that's what I know. I guess I'm still living that right there.

Tell me about making beats for this album. There was some sampling in there, which is something you haven't done too much of.

I started sampling in probably 2019, 2020, or something like that. A lot of my producer friends, even my rapper friends, be like, "I love the way you sample. Damn, how do you sample like that?" Even though sometimes, I'll just let a sample play — it won't even be a chopped-up sample.

If you get a beat from someone else, do you go in and add stuff to it?

Yeah. I can't take a beat and not put my stuff on it. Because it might be a dope beat, but if I feel like it need a couple more snares or a snare roll or some extra high hats or a bridge, I'll add my stuff in.

The album has some introspective lyrics, but it's also very funny.

I want to have some fun with it. A lot of people just drop projects and be regular degular. I wanted to do different.

Like one song on the album, it takes four minutes to come on. It's just a beat and there's a skit playing of a dude in heaven talking. It's for car rides or trips. I don't know, I just wanted to do something different than what's regularly done all the time.

What's the connection between this album and the first Almighty So? Why call it Almighty So 2?

There's no connection at all. It's just, Almighty So, that's me. It's not just a project that I dropped years ago — it's me. I'm still Almighty So. I might not call myself that all the time, but it's forever me because when I did come out, it's something that I made and I stuck with it.

It's just a name that everybody know. It's going to go down in the books. Forever, I'm Almighty So. I just had to do a number two, as in growth. It's the growth version of me.

I'm trying to display that I'm not the same 16, 17, 18-year-old that was running around Chicago with a gun on his hip. I'm far away in Los Angeles, California in a big, stupid-ass house with nine bathrooms and eight bedrooms. I got 12 cars outside my house, and they all mine. I don't have to have that gun on my hip. I ain't gotta watch my back all the time.

I'm not the same. I'm a different guy. I feel like I'm better now than I ever was. I'm a better individual: the way I think, the way I talk. I'm more talkative now. At first, I wasn't even f—ing talking, bro. At first, you couldn't get me to say s— but a couple words.

When was the last time you listened to the first Almighty So?

I don't listen to that thing. Everybody else around me do. From friends to fans, everybody still listen to it, but I don't listen to it, barely ever. Every blue moon, I might end up playing it somehow. Because don't forget, I was listening to that s— nonstop when I made it. And I had to perform a lot of it too. So I know it by heart. I don't need to listen to it.

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You have your first performance in Chicago in many years coming up at the Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash in June. How are you feeling about it?

It's been a while, man. I ain't gonna lie, it's gonna be like I'm a tourist when I go there.

It's been a long, long time. It's been like 11, 12 years since I touched the pavement in Chicago, or Illinois, period. I'm ready. I know it's going to be a big thing. A lot of new people probably think I'm a ghost. There probably be teachers like, "Yeah, he went to this school," [and the students will be like,] "No, no, he ain't real."

So a lot of people are going to be excited, just knowing I'm from there and I ain't been there in so long. People that's not in even Chicago — all them surrounding cities gonna show up [too], because Sosa has not been home. And they know it's gonna be big.

Given what happened back in 2015, when the cops shut down your hologram's concert, are you worried that the authorities will be looking for an excuse to shut it down?

Hopefully they won't shut it down. I ain't been there in 11 years. I ain't done nothing to no-motherf—ing-body, man. I ain't in no cases, no RICOs, no murders, none of that s—. Leave me the f— alone, man.

I've been chilling, making clothes and making music. Don't shut me down. And even if they did, I don't care. I'm going home. Back to L.A. I go. At least y'all know that I tried.

From the beginning of your career, you've had this association with the word "turbulence." You use Turbo as an alter ego.

[Laughs] How do you know all this? This is some Nardwuar s— right now, man.

When did that start? Do you remember the first time you were like, "Oh, that word, that's me?"

You said, when did it start? It's my alter egos I just make in my damn head. That's all. I'm versatile, so I never make the same sounding s—. Every song you listen to of mine, it's not going to be like, "That sounds like the last one I just played."

I just got my alter egos, and I just make names. And then Turbulence, Turbo, that just came with one of my alter egos from 2017. Every other year I got a new name and a new ego.

Lately I haven't done it, though. I've been chilling, on some grown man ish. I feel like [making alter egos is] more the young Sosa. Like I said, this was in 2017 when I made that name. I haven't really been doing it lately. No new aliases.

You talked earlier about designing clothes and doing other creative stuff. When you're making art or graphics, or designing clothes, what feels the same as making music to you, and what feels different?

It's the exact same thing. S—, just like I make a beat, making a shirt takes the same creativity. It's just in a different form. Instead of melodies, you're using pictures and s—. You're drawing stuff. Instead of drawing that melody in FL Studio, you're drawing an angel for a shirt.

It's the exact same thing. Even the colors. The colors are like the EQ on the beat or on the song — it brings out the light in the stuff.

So yeah, it's actually the same thing to me. And I've been doing this same s—. All the clothing, the beats, I've been doing the exact same thing that I'm doing now since 2008. How many years is that? That's a long time.

Like the Glory Boys logo: I made that logo in late 2009. I was what, 13, 14? I was doing this s— since I was 10, 11. It started when my momma bought me a computer. She bought me a computer when I was like 6. And then I was doing unbelievable things, unimaginable things.

When I was doing that, I knew that this is my calling. Like, you real good with computers, if you're not good with nothing else. Anything with a screen, I could do it my sleep. If I show you the s— I can do, you'd be like, what in the f—? I'm talking coding — I can code some s— up. Your mind would be blown.

One of the things that does connect this album to the first Almighty So is you have Michael Blackson come back. Why?

Because he was on the first one. I'm just like, I got a skit or two for him. I got a couple of different skits from a couple different people. I got Fabo from D4L on there. He's on "Almighty" the song, talking. I got Donterio from my city, a funny dude I mess with. He be like, "On baby, on baby" — he famous for saying that.

I got Michael Blackson. I wanted to make it fun and funny, so it ain't just like you're riding around listening to regular music. I wanted to make it a type of movie, but just in the music form.

One of the guest appearances that really got my attention was Tierra Whack. I thought she was great.

Yeah, me and Tierra, we're real friends and we talk. And I love the way she do everything, so I had to put her on my s—, man. Just on some random s— — like, they won't expect no damn Tierra Whack, you know? So I had to do that. And I got my little weird ways, I'll tell you that.

I wouldn't have guessed she would be on this album.

Yeah, I know you wouldn't. Nobody would. Chief Keef and Tierra Whack? How and where and when? I wanted her to do something different than what she do. I was like, "I got this song I want you to do, but it ain't nothing like you always do. It's different." And she's like, "Hell yeah, come on, let's do it." That's my dog, for real for real.

A lot of critics talk about how influential you are. Are you aware of people saying that stuff about you?

Everywhere! If I had 500 M's every time [I heard that], I'd be Jeff Bezos. The f—? I think I'd probably be bigger. I would be more rich!

I be hearing that a lot, though, man. I be tired of hearing that s—. I be like, we know. Me, you, and God know that. It's okay. Let people do what they do, man. I was a big fan of Gucci [Mane] and Lil Wayne. Still am. So if I got people who love me like that, s—, man.

I used to get mad about it, but I don't give a f—. I'm a big fan of those two boys I just said. Even to this day, we still ride around listening to the old Gucci. If you get in our car and we on tour, all you going to hear is Gucci Mane from 2006, 7, 8, and 9, 2010, 2011. And we still even sometimes take our raps [from that]. The old Lil Wayne, I still even rap like that. If you listen to "Jesus," I got his flow — some Lil Wayne, the old Wayne, inspiration. So I guess I inspire, the way they inspire me.

Are you still determined to change your style frequently? That used to be a thing about you: every year you'd have a whole new approach to music.

You hip, bro. You smart as hell, I ain't gonna lie. That's why I'm talking to you like I am. But anyway, you're right, I don't necessarily.

How I am, though, I never do the same s—, like I told you. You'll never say, "This sounds exactly the same as the other one." I probably got, like, two songs [that sound alike], and that's just if I'm messing with the same producer.

So I can't say that every year I take that approach. But I guess every day I take that approach, or any time I pick up the damn microphone. I'm just trying to think, I want to do something different, or at least try.

Do you think of yourself primarily as a rapper? A producer? A person who's good with computers?

What I say is I got angles like Kurt. You know Kurt Angle? Jack of all trades.

Call me Jack, don't call me Sosa. I guess I got a new alias today — we made one.

Gunna Remembers What His Haters Said

One of Wun features many references to people who hated on or didn't believe in Gunna. Rarely is this explicitly tied to blowback from the YSL case, but it doesn't need to be: "I swear I don't want no apology," he says on "whatsapp (wassam)." But it's not that he doesn't feel he deserves one.

Throughout the album, Gunna makes it very clear that he is aware of all the criticism. "Heard all about how they want me to lose, but I'm W, here for a win," he spits on the title track; the first verse of "on one tonight" echoes that sentiment, "They hope I fall off, ain't no way." Gunna knows, as he says on the nautically themed "neck on a yacht," that his haters want him to sink like the Titanic, but he'll never give them the satisfaction.

The most explicit reference to the YSL situation is on "prada dem," where he disposes of any controversy with a simple pun: "I'm not a rat — still getting cheddar."

He Loves Women A Lot, But Not Deeply

It's not all just clapbacks on One of Wun; there is a lot of rapping about women and sex, too. The aforementioned "neck on a yacht," for example, is about exactly what the title might lead you to think it to be. So is "treesh," named after New York slang for a person with lots of partners. Even "clear my rain," musically one of the most adventurous tracks on the project with its Afrobeats-esque feel, is lyrically in this vein as well.

However, it's clear this album wasn't inspired by romance. Gunna never gets personal, and "Body right, she a ten in the face/ F— her all night and all through the day" is about as specific as he ever gets. This is not out of line in Gunna's catalog, and this consistency provides proof that his lyrics about standing his ground are accurate both inside the recording booth as well as the world outside.

Emotion And Vulnerability Ultimately Make The Album Memorable

Gunna may not be in his feelings about women, but he certainly is in other ways. The times where he moves past his triumphing-over-the-haters stance and lets his guard down are the most effective moments of the whole album.

Exceptional in this regard is the track "conscience," in which he admits that the people who betray him are making him "feel low." "I'm fed up with this nonsense," he says. "Lotta s—, and it's weighing on my conscience."

That bit of vulnerability adds a tremendous amount of context to his talk of his determination — and the spiritual and material victories that come because of it — throughout the rest of the record. The very album title tells you of Gunna's uniqueness, and the record's glimpse at his vulnerabilities make the case for that even more than his boasts.

There are musically exceptional moments as well — a kind of aural equivalent to his lyrical openness. Much of the album is mid-tempo and trap-inflected, but it ends with an ambitious six-and-a-half minute, two-part epic called "time reveals, be careful what you wish for." It would be wonderful to see more songs with this scope in the future.

He's Back To Collaborating

a Gift & a Curse had no guest appearances at all, marking the first time Gunna had ever gone completely solo on any of his five albums. Whatever the reason for Gunna's decision for no features on his previous project — whether it was an artistic choice, the swirling talk around his guilty plea, or something else — he's back to collaborating on One of Wun. The rap star recruits Normani ("$$$") and Leon Bridges ("clear my rain"), as well as two fellow rappers, Offset ("prada dem") and Roddy Ricch ('let it breathe").

That said, Gunna has never been one for a ton of guest features, particularly in comparison to most big-name rap releases. And with regular standbys Lil Baby and Young Thug off the table (the latter was in jail), the return of Gunna's "Cooler Than a Bitch" collaborator Roddy Ricch seems to indicate that at least some of his rap pals are willing to work with him again.

He's Placing Emphasis On Being A Musical Rapper

With 20 songs on the track list, One of Wun gives Gunna plenty of time to experiment — to try different vocal approaches, melodies and rhythms. While there is plenty of rap's tried-and-true triplet rhythm across the album, he goes far beyond it as well.

He adjusts his rapping approach not only to fit the music of the song, but also the subject matter. He's straightforward, repetitive and aggressive when the subject matter calls for it, like on the defiant "whatsapp (wassam)"; elsewhere, he tries different musical ideas on songs like the more introspective "conscience." This makes the album feel like a true body of work, one where his defiance comes to life not only in his words, but in sound as well.

Gunna released One of Wun into a climate with a lot of questions. The record succeeds in not only talking about his recent worries and conflicts, but dramatizing them in lyrics and music. He's using the raw material of his life — and the media narratives around it — to sculpt a coherent narrative, where every aspect of the album has a part to play in telling his story. He delves deep into his defiance, and his worries, and converts them into a real artistic statement.

"Independence weighing on my conscience hard," he raps on "conscience." Gunna makes sure not only that he says that theme in words, but expresses it in every aspect of this record. That vision and ability makes him truly one of one.

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Lady Gaga

Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images

video

Lady Gaga accepts the Best Pop/Duo Group Performance award for "Shallow" from 'A Star Is Born' at the 2019 GRAMMYs while encouraging the audience "to take care of each other."

D. Mariah

|GRAMMYs/May 3, 2024 - 04:00 pm

Between two award seasons, A Star Is Born received seven nominations — including Record Of The Year and two nods for Song Of The Year — and four wins for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, Best Song Written for Visual Media twice, and Best Pop/Duo Group Performance.

In this episode of GRAMMY Rewind, travel to 2019 to watch Lady Gaga accept one of the album's first GRAMMY wins for Best Pop/Duo Group Performance for "Shallow."

After thanking God and her family for their unwavering support, Lady Gaga expressed gratitude for her co-star, Bradley Cooper. "I wish Bradley was here with me right now," Gaga praised. "I know he wants to be here. Bradley, I loved singing this song with you."

Gaga went on to express how proud she was to be a part of a movie that addresses mental health. "A lot of artists deal with that. We've got to take care of each other. So, if you see somebody that's hurting, don't look away. And if you're hurting, even though it might be hard, try to find that bravery within yourself to dive deep, tell somebody, and take them up in your head with you."

Press play on the video above to hear Lady Gaga's complete acceptance speech for A Star Is Born's "Shallow" at the 2019 GRAMMY Awards, and check back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of GRAMMY Rewind.

Creepy Nuts

Photo: Courtesy of Creepy Nuts

video

Japanese hip-hop duo Creepy Nuts perform their viral single "Bling-Bang-Ban-Born," which also appears as the opening track from the anime "Mashle: Magic and Muscles."

D. Mariah

|GRAMMYs/May 1, 2024 - 03:39 am

On their new Jersey club-inspired single "Bling-Bang-Bang-Born," Japanese hip-hop duo Creepy Nuts narrate the inner monologue of a confident man, unbothered by others’ negativity and the everyday pressures of life.

In this episode of Global Spin, watch Creepy Nuts deliver an electrifying performance of the track, made more lively with its bright flashing lights and changing LED backdrop.

"Before I show them my true ability/ My enemies run away without capability," they declare in Japanese on the second verse. "Raising the bar makes me very happy/ ‘Cause I’m outstanding, absolutely at No.1."

"Bling-Bang-Bang-Born" was released on January 7 via Sony Music and also serves as the season two opening track for the anime "Mashle: Magic and Muscles." The song previously went viral across social media for its accompanying "BBBB Dance."

"Basically, the song is about it’s best to be yourself, like flexing naturally. Of course, even though we put effort into writing its lyrics and music, it’s still a song that can be enjoyed without worrying about such things," they said in a press statement.

Press play on the video above to watch Creepy Nuts’ energetic performance of "Bling-Bang-Bang-Born," and don’t forget to check back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of Global Spin.

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