Samurai,producer,part time nerd core artist,Gary Samurai is a name that you might not know but it’s only a matter of time. Hailing from Atlanta, Ga please don’t pre-judge him for being a stereotypical southern artist, because his music will shock you. Not only is it good but for someone so young he pours all his emotions into his music giving it a very pure feeling which hip-hop needs. Gary and I discussed his recently dropped EP “Sleepless In Atlanta”,him producing the entire project,the background around his name and much much much. You can read the entire interview after the jump. Enjoy.
Yoh:First off i want to welcome you to TTD. For our readers unfamiliar with you and your music can we get a small introduction?
GaryS:Thanks, I’m glad I can finally pay homage to the Tape…Deck. Well, I’m Gary Samurai. An 18 year old, lyrical, beat making, otaku/nerd/artist, or whatever else, lol. I’m mainly a nerdcore artist, but I’m deeply rooted in hip hop, electronica, & rock. I’m from Atlanta. Anything else I’m missing? lol.
Yoh:lol i think you gave us a well enough description to make you a profile on http://www.christianmingle.com. Being so young do you remember who introduce you to hip-hop? Or the very first hip-hop CD that you can remember falling in love with?
GaryS:LMAO. I definitely remember who introduced me to Hip Hop, though. Honestly, when I was younger, I wasn’t really into it like that. I was mainly listening to Daft Punk, Gym Class Heroes, Rage Against The Machine, Gorillaz, or any Punk music.Luckily, my oldest cousin introduced me to Hip Hop. The first CD I fell in love with was The College Dropout and THAT’s where it all began.
Yoh:The classic kanye album! Being a fan of both punk,hip-hop,and imma presume other genre’s as well,how did listening to a variety of music effect you as an artist?
GaryS:Listening to a vast variety of music really affected me because it gave me a much more broad amount of things to touch on. I gain a lot of inspiration from all of the things I like, so it really helps me to make my music that much more original. I truly despise the fact that a lot of artists are basically just trying to emulate a “legend”, so to speak.
Yoh:Plenty of imitators but very few trendsetters but that’s a discussion for a different day. So Gary Samurai what do you know about a project that dropped August 13th Entitled “Sleepless In Atlanta”.
Gary Samurai
GaryS:Honestly, I heard it sucked. Supposedly, some guy dropped an EP called “Sleepless In Atlanta” where he produced & wrote the entire thing. It was “extremely personal” or some bullcrap like that. Some people said it was different but it wasn’t that cool to me. Just kidding, lmao. SIA was the first completely original body of work I dropped & my Sophmore release. Personally, I think it’s my best work yet. I touched on subjects that most artists are afraid to speak on, due to fear of humiliation & ridicule. I don’t have anything to lose, so I just wrote everything that plagued me at that time. It was somewhat like a therapeutic release, to say the least.
Yoh:Haha you did touch on many subjects that many can probably relate to ranging from bullying,wanting to fit in,suicide,ect. Did you ever think while writing for this that you were getting to personal?
GaryS:I thought that, A LOT. At first, I was afraid to even release the project. I’m not one to just tell everyone what’s going on in my life. I like to be very private. Unless it’s something positive, but I personally feel that anything negative should be worked on alone. It’s the only way you can grow. There were many times where I was going to just stop writing & working on a “regular” project, but I couldn’t let myself do it. That wouldn’t be me, at all.
Yoh:I agree,and what I like most about SIA every song felt like thoughts that would come to someone that’s awake at the wee hours of the night. Did a majority of the recording happen when you couldn’t sleep or did the title just sound good? lol
Gary Samurai & Levi
GaryS:I’ve been waiting to get this question, lol. I created SIA in it’s entirety, between the hours of 3 AM & 7 AM. From lyrics, to beats, to titles, to ANYTHING. As most know, I suffer from insomnia. That doesn’t mean that I NEVER sleep, which is a common misconception, it just means that I don’t sleep as often as a person should. I mainly suffer from not getting enough sleep. On an average night, I get around 3 to 4 hours of sleep. One night, I was sitting & started making a beat (which ended up being the title track “Sleepless In Atlanta”) & fell asleep. The title kept blasting throughout my dream & woke me up, abruptly. It stuck in my head the rest of the night & even caused me to rite the song, that same night. So no, Sleepless In Atlanta isn’t just some COOL name, lol. It actually serves meaning since I am an insomniac, living in Atlanta. Also, each song is a key reason to why I feel I lose so much sleep. Just thought I’d add that in there, lol.
Yoh:Now that is dope. Any particular song that you would consider a favorite, or means alot to you?
GaryS:”Can’t Forget Me”, definitely. It basically sums up my entire life. It starts from when I was in elementary all the way to present day Gary. Most don’t realize, but it’s also a song about suicide. It’s more of a suicide letter, as well as “Goodbye, For Now…”. It’s basically just me getting out everything that I’ve wanted to say, that I can’t or haven’t been able to. I bet people are going to start thinking I’m some suicidal, Japanese culture-obsessed, friendless nerd, huh?
Yoh:Or people will think your a pretty honest artist that wears his lyrics on his sleeve haha. Let’s talk about you being Japanese obsession. Where did your love for Japanese culture come from?
GaryS:That’s true, lol. My obsession began when I was in 1st grade. We went to the library, and got to pick any book we wanted. I loved reading, so I always wanted to learn new information. I was looking around & saw a book that resembled some cartoon I had watched. It was a book on Japan. I read the book & immediately fell in love with Japan & Japanese culture. It became more of an obsession when I hit 2nd grade. I was given my first book report. Of course, it was on Japan. My teacher could tell how infatuated I was with it’s culture & everything. Ahh, the good ol’ days, lol.
Yoh:Gotta get this kid to japan asap lol. Now out of all the artist I had the pleasure of interviewing,you are the only one I had a chance to see perform live. Great energy,far from a dull performance. Who would you say inspired you as far as performing?
GaryS:Heck yeah, as soon as anyone can, lol! That’s most appreciated as well, my good sir! Glad you even enjoyed it. Well, as far as performing goes, I get most of my inspiration for Zack De La Rocha. He’s better known as the lead for Rage Against The Machine. His energy is unreachable to me, so I try to give my all out of pure respect. There are other artists who peak my interest as far as performing goes, but I was born with the talent of performing. I’ve been on the stage my whole life, so entertaining the crowd is fun to me.
Yoh:Word! With two projects behind you(WOTS & SIA) what’s next for Gary Samurai?
GaryS:Quite honestly, the sky’s the limit. I have a few big things that I’m working on, but I’d rather keep those private until the time is right. Everyone will be happy that those things are a surprise, though. You can trust me on that, lol.
Yoh:Gary for president? You know you have the votes lol. I wanna back track real quick on SIA you produced all 10 tracks. How was it stepping into the producer lane,and can you explain the SIA cover art?
GaryS:I wish, lol. It was relatively easy for me to step into that lane. I started making beats for fun, around 2009-2010. Nothing too crazy, just chopping up stuff. When I finished my first mixtape, I already said to myself that I would make all my own beats, from now on. That was all thanks to my big bro, Curbside Jones (http://cbtvondemand.bandcamp.com/ Pick up The Cherry Blossom Effect, if you haven’t!) he was the person who dropped that insight of basically being a DIY artist & showed how much more fun it was. Doing everything yourself really shows how much talent you actually have. There is already a copious amount of artists who JUST rap & I surely know that I was never meant to be apart of them. I’m way too creative for that. It was a lot harder to make sure I kept the beats at least with the same vibe. That’s not something I’m used to doing. Sorry if my answer is all over the place & I will NOT apologize for the shameless Curbside plug, lmao. Well, the album cover didn’t have a concept. A close friend of mine named Kathie Trinh (who co-runs ’93 Until Clothing) was making a logo for me & decided to make a cover, out of nowhere. I liked it so much, that I decided to use it.
Gary Samurai
Yoh: Lmao curbside will forever get love on the Tape and I dig your response. The first single break up that sampled Adele is probably my favorite off the album. Why did you decide to push that as the only single for the album?
GaryS:Awesome, lol. I felt like dropping that as the single was the perfect idea. Between everything I talked about, dropping any other song would have spoiled the album. I chose Break Up because it was a relaxed topic, compared to everything else. I had to show everyone that I progressed as well, so what better song than that? Plus, most people can relate to a break up & even if they can’t, they’ll at least empathize. Not everyone shares the same views & opinions on things like suicide and whatnot.
Yoh:I agree and it was smart marketing. I just got a few more questions for you sir.
1. Do you see a career in hip-hop or is it just a way for you to creatively express yourself
2. Which anime character does Gary relate to most and why?
3. Name one artist you would love to collab with and one that you would love to producer for?
4. TapeDeck or DuckTape?
5. What does success mean to Gary Samurai
6. Why the name Gary samurai? Lol
GaryS:Thanks, my good sir.
1. I really hope for a career in hip-hop. Making music is something that I’ve always loved doing & will always love to do. Money isn’t a factor, when it comes to music. Just being able to only work on music & not be frowned upon, is fine with me.
2. I would say Shinji Ikari from the Neon Genesis Evangelion series. I read a passage before that basically stated that even though Shinji claims to pilot an EVA for selfless reasons, it’s all truly a plot to gain his father’s approval. I do wish to change lives & ultimately make the world a better place. Deep down, I still know that I’m seeking the approval of my mother & father. I want to be able to make them both proud, even though my father’s not around me. A lot of people told Shinji that he was made for piloting an EVA. That it was exactly what he was meant to do. That’s how music is for me. Music is my EVA, so to speak.
3. MF DOOM. As far as Hip Hop goes, he is my main inspiration. I’ve only dreamed of collaborating with him. I hope it happens, one day. I really want to get some beats to MC Chris. I doubt that’ll ever happen, but I’ve always wanted to work with him.
4. My living in Atlanta won’t permit me to answer that question, at this time. I apologize.
5. I don’t really have a certain point of success. Any goal I complete is considered successful. I’ll always have goals to complete, as long as I’m alive & making music.
6. I love this question, lol. I chose Gary Samurai, becuase my name is Garrott. I prefer for people to call me Gary. That’s where the first part comes from. The second half is a little more in-depth. Samurai live by Bushido, or their way of life. Since a child, I’ve been mainly obsessed with samurai & their code of honor. They believe in being trustworthy & honest, fighting fair, & never being afraid of death. To die in battle, would bring honor to your family name & your Lord. I took all of that & the rest of my knowledge on samurai & put a modernized spin on it. I took the last name Samurai to show respect to the entire samurai culture. It also is there to show my obsession with Japanese culture. I think that’s the longest answer I’ve given for that question, lol.
Yoh:Love the responses. All I need now sir is your social network info,where readers can peep your music,and any shout outs you may have. Good look with all goals and aspirations in the future. You are always welcome here @TTD.
GaryS:I’m glad you do & I loved the questions, lol and that’s no problem!
https://twitter.com/#!/GarySamurai
http://garysamurai.tumblr.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gary-Samurai/229328330413203
Here is where is the ONLY place you can go for my music: http://garysamurai.bandcamp.com/
I’d hate to sit here & give shout outs ALL night and day. Everyone who I support & honestly supports me, knows who they are and that will ALWAYS be known. Sorry to anyone who feels a certain way about it. Thanks for wishing me luck, though. It’s most appreciated & I thank TTD for taking the time out to interview me! Much love to the Tape…Deck DOT NET, lmao.
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