93.9 WKYS is embracing local talent, and every Monday, we will prominently feature a local artist on the WKYS website.
If you would like to be featured on 93.9 WKYS New Music Monday please submit your song in an MP3 format, your photo, your bio and contact information to our DMV’s OWN page and every Monday we will feature a deserving local artist.
This week’s featured artist is Gods’illa.
What inspired you to get into music?
Just being a fan of hip-hop music since as early as we can remember. Since the days of the Jukebox, waiting for our favorite videos to come on so we could recite lyrics. It was just a natural progression for us to start writing lyrics of our own and eventually creating original music. Our parents are from NYC so we made alot of trips back and forth there growing up, that played a part. Powerful was raised in Brooklyn, NYC as well.
How has the group evolved from “Make Da Face” to the “CPR BlendTape?”
Although we all had been writing independent of each other prior to, when the Make Da Face mixtape was released we’d recently decided to actually band together as “Gods’Illa”. Shoutout to Substantial who not only came up with the group name but he also placed the song “Power Cypha” on Make Da Face. Moving on to the CPR BlendTape, now we’ve been creating music as a group for many years and not only have we developed our sound but we’ve networked with alot of good people and gained a decent fanbase along the way. Also, we met our super producer Joe D (Dirty Water) who has been very instrumental in helping us to create our sound and also has been a part of some of our more popular records to date.
How did you get Erykah Badu to DJ your mixtape? How does it feel to get such high profile cosigns?
A couple years back, following the release of our Glaciers/Glaciers II video, we signed a management deal with The Core DJs (biggest DJ organization in the US). We were the 1st artists to be managed by them. A couple weeks later, Erykah Badu announced that she would begin actually gigging as a DJ using the moniker DJ Lo Down Loretta Brown and she would be joining Core Djs. We had already begun recording for CPR so our manager Rip reached out to Erykah to see if she would host the CPR BlendTape and she agreed. That was only the start tho, next we had to coordinate for her to actually get her vocals recorded for the tape. So we reached out to her via twitter, she asked for contact information and eventually that led to a meeting at Mad Studioz (Atlanta) where we recorded and the rest is history. It feels good to get the cosigns because we grew up as fans of the artists that we’ve come into contact with thus far. Just great to know that they appreciate our music as well. Cosigns are not mandatory to be successful but its definitely a good feeling to know that people can relate to what we’re bringing to the table.
Where would you like to see your music career in the next 1 to 3 years?
In the next few years we’d like to be able to support our families creating music. That entails, touring, merchandising and continuing to strengthen the UAU Music/Gods’Illa brand. Our goal is to constantly elevate and since we’ve seriously started pursuing a music career we’ve done just that. Anything that isn’t growing is basically dead, so we want to make sure that as time progresses that we’re constantly growing.
What has been your biggest challenge thus far?
Our biggest challenge thus far has been getting the world to understand who we are and that we’re serious about this music. In today’s climate there are so many rappers and so much commercialism, it’s harder for groups like us to be recognized but that just gives us a reason to work that much harder and continue to create unique music to set us apart from the rest.
What would you say makes your music stand out from the rest?
Our sound is reminiscent of the glory days of hip hop music but with a more up to date viewpoint. There is an abundance of “rich” rap these days and while some of it is good music, alot of the people we build with cant identify. We make life music that everyday people can relate to rather than tales of the elite. Our music is moreso in line with the people but we still make sure that we have fun and try to cover a range of the emotions that our people experience.
Your music has an organic sound, talk about creative process behind the music?
Since we’re actual brothers, alot of what we write, even if we dont write together, kind of automatically falls in line with each other. Thats where the organic sound comes from, we’re actual family. Other times we put a beat on, we all start writing and just bring everything together that way. Some of our biggest songs to date are songs that we all just kind of “had a verse” for. Hear the beat, first person lays there verse and the other two just record verses that relate to that 1st verse. We utilize a few methods but most importantly, we’re honest with each other. If either of us aren’t feeling a verse, we have no issue with saying it’s weak, then it’s back to the drawing board.
Who are some of the artists that inspire you the most?
As for artists…Wu Tang, Brand Nubian, LOX, Rakim, BDK, Poor Righteous Teachers, Nas, KRS One, Jay Z, Redman etc. Also, there are artists in our area that inspire us such as Diamond District, Lyriciss, K Beta, Dirty Water, Low Budget and so on.
You can get at Gods’illa at @Godsilla
