“I feel like I’m close, like one step further…”
A few weeks ago I came to you hat-in-hand for having overlooked Los Angeles-based emcee Diz Gibran.
Now that I’m up, I won’t ever disrespect him again… never not at all – Andre 3K.
The man has seemingly lived five years for the average person’s one – a globetrotting, gear head with business savvy and crispy swag. You crack open the door of discussion and he’ll kick the shit wide open with a story you never knew you had coming, speaking on varied topics ranging from family, business, or making the dope shit we’re just starting to hear from him and producer Moonshine.
I had the opportunity to catch up with Diz in L.A. at DJ KiiLu’s house — a nice spot with a room converted into a haven for vinyl poppers and pen-and-pad scrawling emcees, a sanctuary for Hip-Hop fiends, an asylum for audio addicts. It was there that we previewed Diz’s forthcoming (and currently untitled) mixtape dropping this September. You can expect a journey from neo-soul silk to crushing basic fours to ethereal consciousness joints that go well beyond hand-to-hand tapes. There’s tracks on there harder than SAT exams or a fist full of knuckles — West Coast ride out shit so tough that it’s difficult.
Diz is a lyricist who understands the toughest struggle often comes from within. I spoke with him about the music he’s about to release with this mixtape, in a time when the West Coast is willing its way back into the spotlight. From family, to college at FAMU, to starting out in a career and life of fashion — where he met a like-minded Moonshine — Diz Gibran has a story to be heard.
TSS: Would you say the streetwear industry is equally as important to you as the music? Or are they kind of separated.
Diz Gibran: They become separated, but they do go hand in hand. You can’t deny that. I got into fashion because of Hip-Hop. Growing up, looking at New York cats I was a big Polo head and all of that. Nautica. So growing up, seeing Hip-Hop dudes from New York, that’s what got me into it, what started my love for it. So like, it goes hand in hand but they’re two separate things. That’s why I don’t really talk about it in my music – like I may talk about being fresh or something like that, but it’s not too in depth talking about fashion and all of that because I’ve been rhyming a long time and that’s not part of my identity, as far as the music goes. But it is my way of supporting myself, so it is a big part of my life.
TSS: People have been talking a lot about a West Coast resurgence, but do you think there’s too much emphasis placed on the fashion? Because everyone kind of talks about them at the same time…
Diz Gibran: Well, the whole streetwear thing and all of that, a big part of that has been West Coast. A lot of that has come from the West Coast, and that’s been a huge movement over the last five, six years that has really been dictating a lot of what goes on in the fashion world, you know? Whether people know it or not. So it’s like, with the music resurfacing on this side, and it’s not what people normally expect from the West Coast – you know, the gangsta stuff and all of that — I can see why people put it together. And you know, a lot of emcees dress similar, you know what I mean? But I think it’s more about the timing of what’s going on with the West Coast, period.
TSS: So you don’t necessarily see it as a good or bad thing…
Diz Gibran: No I don’t think it’s a bad thing. I always look at it different because I’ve been in this forever – both music and the fashion stuff – and I’ve know a lot of these cats when they first started these brands. But I always took a different approach and was never one to exploit that.
I do see a lot of people who are hopping on a bandwagon or a trend, but at the same time it is what it is – it’s a trend. If it’s the cool thing to do, you’re going to do it.
TSS: Tell me more about the West Coast connection, like with Pac D and them… how did y’all meet.
Diz Gibran: What’s dope about my associations, as far as West Coast Hip-Hop, is there’s always been a connection that wasn’t the music. The Pac Division boys I’ve known for years, but they’re my business partner and best friend’s cousins – Mibbs and Like are – so he’s been telling me about them forever. He’s like, “Man, my little cousins out in Palmdale, they’re rhyming and they’re actually pretty dope!” So he would tell me about that and then I met them a couple years ago. And it’s been like that since – we’ve always supported what they do. There used to be like a little monthly thing at Little Temple a few years back that we used to do as a forum for everyone to just get up and rock…
TSS: At “Root Down?”
Diz Gibran: Nah, we called it the “99 Cent Special.” It was good – we lasted for about a year and half or so, which is pretty good as far as L.A. goes.
So yeah, Pac Div, like J*Davey I’ve known forever, not through music. Yeah, Bleu Collar – I grew up with Reese, he was a year behind me in high school. Teron I knew of before I met him. So yeah, a lot of this stuff has been a crazy connection – the circle keeps getting smaller. KiiLu – he’s been integral, he’s been out in the Hip-Hop scene in L.A. for a long time. So you just bump into people and even if you don’t know it, it comes out later like, “Yo, I remember you from somewhere,” or “You know such and such?” It’s that crazy connection that keeps happening.
TSS: The city keeps getting smaller…
Diz Gibran: Exactly. El Prez… there’s just so many of us. Like my boy Kartwright… he’s a designer and we met him through fashion. So it’s just crazy circles. But a lot of it hasn’t had anything to do with music, which is dope. I’ve always been a really organic person – I just like things to happen naturally. So it’s like the way things have been moving is just real cool and it’s great to be a part of it. And you know, it’s like TiRon – I knew TiRon through Pacific Division a little bit, but I never knew he rhymed until a little bit ago. Ayomari – all the same things. And that’s what’s dope – no one’s wearing it like, “I’m a rapper.” Everyone’s just genuine, cool people, and then it just comes out. But I think that shows how much people love it because they kind of hold it close to them rather than just always being a badge of honor or something like “I’m an MC.”
TSS: You mentioned J*Davey and of course Pac D – they’re both on majors. Is that where you want to go? Read the rest of this entry »
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