Photography credit: Evelyn Eichler ’15
G-Eazy has been active in the hip-hop/rap community for seven years. His new album, These Things Happen, has everyone talking. In the album G-Eazy makes an attempt to accomplish interesting sounds and deliberate lyrics. While These Things Happen was not perfect, it proved that G-Eazy has the potential to create songs that will lead to a large and long lasting fan base.
G-Eazy, born Gerald Earl Gilum, grew up in Oakland and attended Berkeley High. Many of the songs on the album reference Bay Area culture, and are reflective of his upbringing in the community. In his song “Far Alone”, the music video depicts a 17-year-old version of G-Eazy and his friends at many of the quintessential spots in Oakland and Berkeley such as Gordo’s, Top Dog, Rockridge and MacArthur BART stations.
Even though G-Eazy has unique roots in the Bay Area, his songs are still very mainstream and do not show his full potential. The songs “I Mean It” and “Lotta that” reflect the mainstream view of what hip-hop and rap culture are like. Both songs talk about some of the more redundant themes in popular music: women, drinking, partying, etc. And while many of the songs on the album deal with such content, they present better writing, whereas “I Mean It” and “Lotta That” feature mainstream sounds and poor lyrical execution.
Despite this, the majority of the songs on the album are good tracks, with passable lyrics. “Almost Famous” features a slower beat, with catchy lyrics, and a melodic chorus which contributes to an ironic play on his current situation: being on the verge of up-and-coming.In the track “Remember You,” he differs from his usual lines about women and partying, and shows a softer, more lyrical side of his writing, with many lines which have Drake-like qualities. This is among my favorite tracks on the album because it combines a softer chorus and unique melody, which give G-Eazy a new and distinct sound.
While he revisits many similar and mainstream themes throughout virtually every song on the album without any deviation and simplistic lyrics, he manages to create catchy songs. This album demonstrates a positive direction that will most likely create a lasting fan base for the Bay Area native.
Rating: 7