“Vancouver rap weirdo and mysterious internet figure, Gorgeous Geordie doesn’t seem to care about popularity or popular belief based off the diversified imagery and music he’s provided video to video. Beginning with The Blue Waffle EP, released back in 2012, a 6 track EP with 4 completely different low/no budget videos. 2 years later with only a couple singles released in between Gorgeous has left us with CoffinLife, a dark background of his life and vision, giving us more insight with his first full length release. A series of provocative videos accompanies this project as well. The rap game changed….and you should probably stay off the internet.”
Q: Tell us about CoffinLife, what does it mean to you?
A: CoffinLife to me means people who are living life inside that box and are never really living. I grew up surrounded by that. People who are just stuck, whether it be with drug using, drug dealing or out of fear of living purely independent. I use to be this person. Living in fear, stuck so I battled against that old life, beat it and told that tale. It’s called CoffinLife.
Q: What has been your history with hiphop?
A: In the early 2000’s I ran around with my crew of misfits, we called ourselves Foot Clan and put out several free CD-R mixtapes, some over other peoples beats when that was a thing but mostly over our original beats. We were always unique and misunderstood, largely for good reason. Going back and listening to that I feel like we were ahead of our time on the druggie adolescent weirdo shit though. I took a hiatus from hip hop for awhile and took a government loan I still haven’t paid back to attend university, that made me miserable trying to be someone I wasn’t. I quit, hit rock bottom and then returned to music to save my life from the CoffinLife.
Q: What Vancouver acts made the biggest impression on your development as an artist?
A: I really thought the Rascals were cool back in the day when I would stay up and watch RapCity. I remember feeling like being from Canada is whack when the producer of “Movie Star” sold the beat to Keith Murray. No disrespect to anyone involved in that, I understand why that was a good business move for that producer. I respect Mad Child’s hustle and what he’s done with his personal life. I also really like Grimes more than any Vancouver artist, even though she’s not making rap or hip hop and sort of got big living in Montreal.
Q: What was the inspiration behind your style and how does that affect the tone of your music?
A: I think conveying emotion is the inspiration behind my style and my want for doing that. I am really attracted to darkness, which certainly affects the vibe of my music. At the end of the day though I’m a creative thinker and writer, I’m inspired by everything my brain absorbs, positive or negative, like or dislike, me and everyone like me is inspired by what we absorb. On a side note, I like football and I’m really excited for fall.
Q: Yeah? Who is your team?
A: My NFL team is the Colts and my college team is Oklahoma. I have a parent from Oklahoma so I’m Sooner bred.
Q: Who are your some of your favourite current hiphop artists in the city?
A: All of my friends in this city rap really well. So anybody you see me rolling with I fuck with. Without shouting out to everyone and giving you the long list or missing anyone but in the immediate future or current, look for Mr. Archive, Punkerslut, Sauce, Shai and so on. If you fuck with me you’ll be hearing them or hearing them soon. I also really fuck with Tom Macdonald. I also really liked the freestyle Prevail from Swollen Members dropped on Hot 97 and I told him that when I ran into him at Vancouver Canadians baseball game recently.
Q: What do you want people to take away from your music, what is at the heart of your philosophy?
A: I want people to find what I’m going through to be relatable, cause everything I’m going through is in the music. I want to influence people to be independent thinkers, not necessarily influence them to be just like me, but to influence them to do them. I want to provoke thought and provoke people to strive to better themselves. To figure out ways to progress as humans as well as artists. To respect people for their individuality and encourage their peers not to be sheep. I want people to do the knowledge and become well rounded individuals who can be intellectually stimulating. I want to inspire people to be beautiful.
Q: What’s next for Gorgeous Geordie? Where can people find you this summer?
A: People can’t find me this summer, I am in the shadows. I am grinding away, plotting and scheming on the future. Underground. The next thing you’re getting from me is coming soon though. I will be dropping an album with producer Guilty Priest called “Guilty Goth”. it’s the best music from either of us to date, I hope you love it or hate it. Should be out in October.