The World According To Music - Ghani Gautama - theworldaccordingtomusic.weebly.com

You may not have heard of him yet, but you probably will soon.  Ghani Guatama is not the typical hip hop artist nor the typical thinker. Get him started talking about the music industry and you are bound to learn a lot from him. Ghani Guatama is full of opinions, information, and insight; and before we picked his brain fully of musical politics, the World According to Music wanted to hear a little bit more about him as an artist.   


   Where did the name Ghani Guatama come from?

The origin of my Ghani Gautama moniker is actually rather unspectacular.  I really just chose it because it sounds cool.  Ghani was my tag name during my short career as a graffiti artist.  I came up with it one day when I was smoking a bunch of Afghani and liked the way the letters looked.  I added Gautama to that and started using it as my stage name.  I wanted to have a name that could have been an actual given name instead of “MC so and so” or “Lil' so and so.”  I felt like my government name, Ian James Currie, didn't sound very rapper-ish so I went with Ghani Gautama.  I felt like it created a sense of exotic origins while also paying subliminal homage to my Irish roots.  Ghani is a West African surname and during the dark ages Ireland was the only northern European country that maintained trade relations with west Africa. There's a book called “How the Irish Saved Western Civilization” or something of that nature, that's where I found out about that.  Gautama is an Indian surname, it is attributed to the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama.   Buddhist monks were some of the most well-traveled of antiquity.  It is believed by some anthropologists that they made it as far as Ireland where their teaching gave birth to the religion of the druids.   Plus I think it sounds cool.

      How long have you been doing music? What got you into it?

In a lot of ways I feel like I've been doing it my whole life, but my formal entry into it was in the late 90's.  I took guitar lessons when I was younger and I've always liked to sing and write lyrics.  Eventually I joined band with the intention of being a rhythm guitar player and singer.  As it turns out the other members of the band were much better than me at both things.  I knew my stock was slipping so I needed to find a way to make myself valuable to the band.  One day at practice everyone was jamming and I started rapping.  Everybody in the band said “you should do that.”  I've never looked back since.  I couldn't really pinpoint any one thing that got me into it but I feel like I am the musical sum of my parents.  My mom is an excellent singer, she has the natural gift for it but she's pretty conservative in her taste.  She sang in choirs and stuff.  My dad was more rock 'n' roll, he had more rebellious musical taste and was passionate and charismatic about it but had not a lick of natural ability.  I think I inherited the best of both.

             How would you describe your music?

I try not to honestly, I prefer to let it speak for itself but for the sake of conversation I consider myself a songwriter first.  I don't necessarily dazzle with verbal dexterity, I'm not really interested in writing a “hot sixteen.”  I strive to write complete songs and just happen to use hip hop as my medium (probably because I can't sing or play an instrument.

                What are you working on right now?

I am currently in the process of recording a project called “Strong Medicine” it's the first of three 5-song E.P.s that I'll be releasing this year through my deal with First Team Music/Halogen Records.  It's a bit of a departure for me because it will be the first time I've recorded an album using beats from producers besides my long time creative partner Metrognome.  He's got one song on it but each of the 5 tracks are from a different producer.

               What are your artistic goals?

To be like B.B. King.  The man played 200+ shows a year well into his 80's.  I'd also like to play a show on every continent (except maybe Antarctica) and learn how to say “thank you” in 50 languages.

              Who/what are your influences?

I'm a sponge when it comes to rap so I've easily stolen a trick or two from pretty much any rapper that I've ever heard as far as style and delivery goes.  Lyrics wise I borrow heavily from Issac Brock and Ian McKaye.  I'm also huge into outlaw country, I've been listening to a lot of Waylon Jennings recently.  Plus I read a lot, non-fiction mostly and I'm a big fan of the speculative fiction of Harlan Ellison.

             What are some of your favorite tracks of yours?

The song I'm most proud of is a cut off of “Few Against Many,” my last album, called “Maybe” it was an idea about 8 years in the making.  I remember being in the room while Metrognome was making the beat for it and it ended up becoming a perfect storm of a song.  It is always a hit at shows and is a lot of my friends' favorite track.  I'm also really proud of a song from that album called “Another Day At The Office” it was the first track I ever did with guest verses and I feel like that brought the best out of me.  The title track to my 1st solo album “Give 'Em Enough Hope” is another highlight.  Another instance of an idea years in the making that turned out so well.

                What do you want your fans to know about you?
I'm a man of the people.  I have somewhat extreme viewpoints about the world and make rather intense music but at the end of the day I'm just a person like everyone else.  I think that sometimes hip hop music can put too much emphasis on people's differences.  I like to focus on our similarities.  Every day that I wake up and get to make music is a victory to me and I am extremely thankful for all of the people that have made that possible.  I'd also like people to know that if I can make my dream work so can they, and probably better.

              Who are some of your biggest supporters?

I'm fortunate to have incredibly supportive family and friends.  My label mates Quanstar, Evaready RAW, and Metrognome have been invaluable in getting to where I am.  Besides that everyone who's ever supported me is my biggest supporter, I value each and every person who's ever watched me play a set or listened to a song of mine.  I look at music as a lifestyle choice and a life-long commitment so every person that shows support makes it what it is.

              How can your fans access your music?

All my stuff is available through all major digital outlets.  I'm also active on social networks so just Google “Ghani Gautama” and you'll find me.  And don't hesitate to leave comments and send messages, I always answer them and this might sound sad but I live for fan feedback.

              What has been your biggest challenge as an upcoming artist?

Today's industry is basically a struggle for legitimacy.  Technology has made it possible for anyone to create and market music.  This has evened the playing field to a large degree but it has also created a vast amount of over-choice.  My biggest challenge has been getting that third party recognition and credibility.  Things like press coverage are important to growing a career.  With virtually billions of artists out there fighting for the same limited media space.  An artist like me who is entirely independent often gets overlooked in favor of artists with buckets of money to throw at the situation.

             What is your music making process?

I don't really have a set method.  I'm pretty much always making music, even when I'm cooking dinner or at the gym I'm always tossing around ideas in my head.  Sometimes if I have a deadline or something I'll just lock myself in my room put a beat on repeat and won't come out until I have a song.  Editing is very important, I never bring notebooks into the vocal booth so everything I record has been dedicated to memory.  The process of memorizing the song is the best editing method.  By the time I've recited something a couple hundred times I've usually trimmed out the fat and optimized the execution of the verse.  I also like to perform my songs live a lot before I record them.  That helps me work out all of the kinks.  When you’re live on stage, there's an audience, the music is loud, there's no second takes or punch-ins.  Once a song is down cold for a live show it is a piece of cake to knock out in the studio where conditions are optimal.

              Do you have a main theme to your music?

I know it sounds trite but my life is pretty much the theme of my music.  I try to present it in a way that is universally understandable.  Instead of focusing on specific details I emphasize the underlying sentiments.  For instance, if I write a song about a lame ass job that I hate, I don't focus my writing on specific details like what kind of tasks I'm doing or the eccentricities of customers and co-workers.  Instead I focus on the feelings of being undervalued of misunderstood or stuck in a situation because of responsibilities.  Those are things that any working person could understand from the janitor to the hedge fund manager.  It ties into the whole idea of finding commonalities between people as opposed to finding differences.

*Check the Upcoming Shows tab to see when you can see Ghani Guatama next.

Have you ever heard of Ghani Gautama (exclusive interview included) - humanfankind.com

I recently came across the sound of Ghani Gautama and am surprised that it took me so long hear about him!

A short bio:

Ghani Gautama got his start in music as the front man for Pure Irate Souls, a rap/rock outfit active in Myrtle Beach SC in the early 90′s. He relocated to Atlanta, GA in 2000 and shortly emerged on the cities blossoming independent hip hop scene as a founding member of Street Temple Emcees After a brief hiatus from music, Ghani Gautama reunited with former Street Temple Emcees DJ and producer, Metrognome and resurfaced as a solo act. The creative team of Gautama and Metrognome released two albums, “Give ‘Em Enough Hope” in 2008 and “Few Against Many” in 2010. During that time he also linked up with fellow Atlanta indie veterans, Quanstar and Evaready R.A.W. and with Metrognome on DJ duties, began playing nationally under the banner of United Underworld.

Ghani just released his latest album “Strong Medicine” in November titled “Strong Medicine” which is receiving positive feedback.

After listening to the music on his Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/ghanigautama) I quickly fell in love with his sound. “What am I waiting for” is extremely catchy (listen below), so make sure that you have time on your hands and room on your ipod before you listen to it once. The rest of the songs continue his catchy rhythm and toe tapping beats. Give it a listen, you wont regret it!

A brief interview with Ghani:

What inspires you to wake up and record?

“It’s more like what doesn’t inspire me.  I try to let the world be my muse and find inspiration everywhere but at those moments when I really start to doubt the merits of this path I always think about the people who have supported me for all these years.  Folks who watched me awkwardly attempt to perform 15 years ago who still root for me today, I feel a sense of personal responsibility to them to keep making music and hopefully get better at it.”

What do you consider success?

“Not riding the bus to a day job that I hate.  I strive for the day when I record when inspiration strikes, I tour when I feel like traveling and I subsist off of more than Ramen noodles and peanut butter sandwiches all off of the merits of my music.”

 What are your thoughts on HumanFankind and fans giving back for piracy / funding artists dreams?

“I don’t necessarily believe that fans are obligated to “give back for piracy.”  Sure I’d love to get paid for every time someone acquires my music but I feel like when you’re doing it the right way it doesn’t matter how people get a hold of your recordings.  If you are making music that’s worthwhile the people who enjoy it will compensate you in some way at some point.  I do, however, believe that it’s important to develop systems other than retail sales and tour proceeds to compensate artists.  I don’t hold it against someone for not being able to pay 5 or 10 dollars for an album, but if they’ve got a dollar to spare I think it’s imperative for there to be a mechanism in place for that person to deliver that dollar to the artist.  So I think HumanFankind is doing important work towards shifting the paradigm and empowering fans and artists to work together to ensure that the music can go on as long as both parties see fit to have it do so.”

You can also find Ghani at http://ghanigautmama.bandcamp.com . He allows you to download some of his music for free, so if you do enjoy it, please give some back through HumanFankind.

ALBUM REVIEW: Ghani Gautama & Shadow – Live At The Radio Room: WPBR - We Are The Upstate.com

I’m always a little wary about live albums in general. Almost every artist worth their salt (and not worth it) has at least one grandiose live offering, which generally follows a breakout hit album, but that doesn’t mean they should. EPs are more understandable because they serve as fun treats in between recordings or give a snapshot of that period in time for the artist. Underground rappers Ghani Gautama and Shadow from Charlotte execute this perfectly as they just put out a collaborative EP recorded this past February at…The Radio Room?

Yeah, you read that right. A live recording from Greenville’s beloved music dive. Admittedly, I was skeptical coming into this release. I mean, how good could a live recording at the Radio Room be? Don’t get me wrong, We Are The Upstate practically lives at the place. I love it. The shows always look and sound great. And while I know very little about making live recordings, it didn’t seem like the most ideal environment to lay down a live record for release.

Boy, was I wrong. Live At The Radio Room: WBPR sounds fantastic. Sure, it’s not Bullet in a Bible or Live at Leeds level production quality, but everything’s pretty clear, and both artists and their interaction with the crowd can be distinctly heard.

Ghanni Gautama and Shadow both prove their abilities as live emcees, flowing effortlessly over the surprisingly audible beats. I say ‘surprisingly’ because I can’t get over how solid the recording sounds. You can tell the rappers felt completely in their element and were simply just having a great time performing, and because that comes through within these seven tracks, the EP succeeds.

If you enjoy some fun, well executed underground hip hop, use Live at The Radio Room: WBPR as a great sampler for these two rappers’ catalogue. Fans of either shouldn’t miss out on this record as it shows a real sense of community within the small, local hip hop scene that I hope continues to grow.