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The World Is Yours

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Written by Shakeya Mahone

Coming from the Illmatic borough of Queens,with notable music greats Run DMC, The Ramones, L.L Cool J, Nas and Roxanne Shant’e, Gist followed his life long dream of rapping and creating superb music. Call it cliché, but rapping is his life, and he is doing it, and doing it, and doing well.

While attending Gist’s album release/listening party at a trendy New York spot, the atmosphere was sensual and laid back, feeling a sheer yet comfortable vibe, making me feel like I could’ve been home in my pajamas while “A Dream Deferred’ played in the background. He spoke candidly about following his dream of rapping, and how “A Dream Deferred” came into existence. So, 5pointmagazine caught up with the Gist man himself to discuss Hip Hop, “A Dream Deferred”, and Beef.

5ptMAG So you have a new album out heroically titled “A Dream Deferred”, what does it mean to you and why did you pick that title?

Heroically? (laughs).Haven’t heard that before but I’ll take it! Basically I chose that title for two reasons: one because the album is based around one night sleeps and each song represents a dream and two because it’s about the dream of making music that I put off to the side for a minute. So the album is based on the idea of Langston Hughes Poem…what happens to that dream you defer…and here this dream of making music. I can’t escape it, not even in my dreams of regular life, so much so that my dreams are now musical and it “explodes”.

5ptMAG Are you a fan of Langston Hughes?

Yes definitely, I am a fan of all sorts of great writers. To me, writing is one of the most amazing talents; to be able to control people’s emotions and feelings through words are a rush for me and that’s why I love writing.

5ptMAG Tell me your story, how did you get into the rap game?

(Laughs) I guess I’m kinda in now right? But basically I got a similar story to most rappers I guess. I’ve been rapping all my life. I’m talking since a real young age but I officially have been pushing a career since 2004. And I got my first taste of this “Game” (because that’s what it really is) in 2007 when I released my album entitled “Young, Gifted, and Black”. Youtube.com took a liking to the video for that song and posted it on their front page. That’s how it reached a new level where I began to get some label attention and things of that nature.

5ptMAG What will your fans get out of “A Dream Deferred”?

Me, I mean the album is not on some superhero stuff that most people can’t relate to. I think people will be able to relate to most, if not all of the album. Its real life situations that most people experienced. Love, lust, success, heartbreak, feelings of failure; just things that most people have been through; just given to you with a music bed. I’m touching nerves with this album!

5ptMAG Many artists music is featured online where you can purchase and even download albums. Now that music consumers aren’t buying CD’s as much, how would that change the local music industry and international music industry?

I think it would cause great changes where the local music industry and the international music industry integrate. It’s kind of ill because you can now become a star not just locally, but all across the world without a label. If your music is dope, more than just dudes on your block or your close friends will be able to hear it and be fans. It’s crazy; I can say I have been in contact with some “fans” of my music in Germany and the Netherlands. That’s crazy, it’s a blessing and I’m just happy that the internet is available to help starving artists such as myself, to look past the old view of getting our music out.

5ptMAG What direction do you think Hip Hop is going in?

That’s a good one. I think there is no direction, I kinda look at it like a tree and it’s branching out. There are so many things that hip hop has accomplished that if you asked the Sugar Hill Gang or any of the Early Pioneers they might not have been able to see. I think Hip Hop will continue to expand and we all just need not put any limits on our capabilities.

5ptMAG Why isn’t rap a respected genre?

Ahhh, I get to quote Nas “People fear what they don’t understand, hate what they can’t conquer”. For years rap wasn’t seen as “real” music because of the lack of instrumentation, blah blah blah…its all excuses; rap is a genre that isn’t understood by many who aren’t apart of the Hip Hop Culture, so they cast judgment on it. But who cares, respect us; that’s what the big homie Jay, who was rapping in the middle of Yankee Stadium during the World Series of Americas favorite Pastime, baseball, said. So shut it up folk (Laughs).

5ptMAG How do you feel about Hip Hop Beef?

It is what it is; it’s a part of the culture. Sometimes it’s interesting. I mean without it, what would we be talking about at the barbershop? Oh yeah, women, (Laughs). But there is a lot of money out there that I’m trying to get, so no time for all that.

5ptMAG On that note, who is your absolute favorite rapper of all time?

That’s a crazy question, it’s a dead tie, I can’t just give one….NAS and JAY-Z (I hear all the shots that will be fired (Laughs).

5ptMAG Do you think Hip Hop is dead? If it is, how can you revive it?

Nah, Hip Hop ain’t dead. If anything is dead about Hip Hop it should be the old way that we used to look at it. Hip Hop is no longer just a NY, Cali or ATL thing. It’s different now, it has evolved into something crazy, so I can’t revive it; I just wanna do what I do to enhance the culture; make the world get the Gist.

5ptMAG How will your rap legacy affect the youth?

It can show that you can do anything you want to regardless of the path. There is no one route into this. I’m a proud college grad of Rutgers University and I still gets it in lyrically with the best of em’, belee dat (Laughs), so if anything I just want to be inspirational and motivational to youths.

5ptMAG I attended you’re album listening/release party and I must say that I enjoyed every track on that album. It is definitely classic rap music with a modern twist that I haven’t heard in a long time. So honestly, what is your favorite track on the album?

Thank you for coming out, it was great to see you as most of the dudes there said. But that’s neither here nor there. It switches daily, right now, today; my favorite song is R.E.M. The beat is insane and I think it just takes me somewhere. It speaks about how I’m not ready to give up but it’s a battle because pursuing this dream scares my mom and a lot of other people. ”But if I don’t take this chance, then this God given talent was a waste in my hands”, (quoting myself was so vain; I probably think this song is about me).

5ptMAG Where do you see yourself in Hip Hop in the next five years?

Oh, I’m gonna be a relevant artist, trust that, not that I’m not relevant now because I definitely know that I am, but I mean on a grander scale. I just want to bring some of these dreams into fruition.

5ptMAG What is your absolute dream?

To live, I want to be a good provider for myself and my family, raise me some little Gist’s and just make sure they see life the way they should, make sure my team is straight because they aren’t just my DJ, manager and producers; those are really my brothers and I wanna just take this thing to the top. Not really a dream anymore, this is the beginning of my reality.

What’s next for Gist?

>Well first, make sure you download “A Dream Deferred” at GIST MUSIC I promise it’s a download to remember and I got a big show at Webster Hall on January 14th, 2010 at 9pm and that is gonna be a night for the books. I puts it down on the stage