Interview: G-Eazy Talks These Things Happen Tour and Album, Luxurious Homelessness, and Independence

Photo by Dan Folger

A lot can change in a year. G-Eazy went from a recent college grad, headlining his own show, to a 24 year-old living out of a suitcase, performing in front of disinterested crowds as the opening act on Lil Wayne’s America’s Most Wanted tour. The Oakland-native says that experience fueled him to take more creative risks and, ultimately, make better music. It also fueled him to sell off most of his worldly possessions and literally live on his tour bus. The risks appear to have paid off, as G-Eazy is currently in the middle of a two-month tour promoting his upcoming album, These Things Happen, which is slated for an early Summer release. The shows are a microcosm of the rapper’s life. Beginning with a smooth atmosphere, the concert ultimately ends in a party littered with confetti, balloons, and some beverage spraying for good measure.

While he is technically homeless, the man who is often referred to as the James Dean of hip-hop still manages to keep things looking cool. Sitting in the back of his tour bus, the Bay Area ladykiller is as put together as ever. Calmly sipping a cup of coffee as if he has nothing going on in the world, his trademark all-black attire remains intact, as does his slicked-back hair. The noticeable changes appear when he discusses his music. He comes off as far more passionate and confident, as well as excited for fans to hear what he has devoted his livelihood to for so many months.

RESPECT. sat down with G-Eazy to discuss his live show, upcoming album, living situation, and his future as an independent artist. Read on below.

I’ve heard that your old pre-show ritual was to have two shots of cheap whiskey, chug a red bull, and drink a beer. What’s your show ritual now? I assume the whiskey is no longer cheap.
The whiskey has gotten nicer. We’ve moved from Jim Beam to Bulleit Bourbon. I still drink a red bull and at least two or three whiskeys. I’ll have a beer earlier in the day, like an early IPA in the afternoon or something.

The show looks like you finally have your vision fully fleshed-out. You even have the neon sign and everything. What’s changed for you as a performer from the Must Be Nice tour to this one?
I think half of it is experience. This is my fourth forty-date tour. Anytime you’re out performing that much, you figure out what works and what doesn’t–from the daily routine to on stage. You just get it down. Also, there’s budget. I’ve been wanting that neon sign every tour. They always told me, ‘It’s too expensive and it’s too much of a liability because it might break.’ This [tour] was like, We finally have the budget to get stuff done [so] let’s get the steps, let’s get the sign and let’s give the people a show, something worth talking about so they come back.

How did the Lil Wayne [America’s Most Wanted] tour influence your show?
You learn through trial and error, what works in your show and what doesn’t, but you learn a whole lot from studying the OGs in the game and trying to soak up whatever game you can. Watching [Wayne] perform is always a learning experience. He’s somebody who’s toured pretty consistently for the last six, seven years. Ever since Tha Carter 3 he’s been in arenas and amphitheatres. At the arena level he’s a pioneer. You had Jay Z and then Kanye with “Glow in the Dark” and then Wayne with the “I Am Music” tour. They opened the gates for rappers to do arenas.

You recently called yourself a luxurious homeless person. What is that?
A luxurious homeless person lives out of two suitcases and lives on a tour bus and hotels. Technically, I have no residence. You know what? At this age, you really don’t need a whole lot in life. I’m just trying to put everything i have into this music. I don’t need many things. I have a suitcase full of clothes, a MacBook with my music on it and my Pro Tools, my studio that fits into a suitcase, and some headphones.

What was the hardest thing you had to give up?
PS3 was hard [laughs]. Because that’s part of my laziness. When I’m home, I’ll just kick it and play 2K. Oh, and all my sneakers.

You gave away all your sneakers?
Most of them, yup. I stripped down to what can fit in some suitcases, along with some black clothes. I was just like, If I get on, then I can just buy Jordans whenever I want to. But I’m not on right now so I’m working to get there.

All this had to affect the sound of the album, right? Made you a little hungrier?
Absolutely. Going into the Wayne tour and getting rid of all my stuff, that was the moment where I committed. We cut most of the record on the back of the bus for that tour. We would set up the mic stand right here in the back of the bus and have the speakers set up and just work every day.

I would get off stage and I would feel like, Man, that sucked. My little ten minute set that no one was there to watch and no one reacted to. Alright, go back in the studio and make some music that will put you on so you don’t have to do this anymore.

When I interviewed you last year, I asked you about leaving the Drake tour to finish school and why you did that. You said it was because nothing in music is certain so you wanted a degree. Now you’ve given up all your worldly possessions to chase it. What changed in your mentality?
Possessions, you can always get back. I can go to Walmart and buy another TV. I can get more Playstations. You’re only in school for this amount of time. I grew up in my grandma’s house when my parents split, with my mom and my grandparents, so I have this really strong connection to my grandma and she provided for me in a lot of ways. So, knowing that it was important for her that I finish [school], that she put away and saved and worked so hard so that I could be there, it was like, she provided for me when I was a kid, so this is my way to give back to her. She cared about that. I was like, I only have this chance now, and I’m gonna be on. You can’t tell me “no” with this music shit. I will be back here. And we were. I was just with Drake at the Grammy’s hanging out, talking shit.

Well now I have to ask. What did you think of that Macklemore text?
[Laughs.] Personally, I’m against any text messages being screenshot and shared publicly in any situation. I don’t know if the apology was the appropriate reaction. Like, you worked hard for that. You went from the internet to the Grammy’s, bro. But [Macklemore’s] a really good dude, and his story is extremely inspiring, especially as somebody going from the internet to the road to who-knows-where. Respect to everything he’s accomplished. I just think it was kind of a whirlwind with the amount of backlash that must have come with everything that was happening.

Your sound changed a lot from Endless Summer to Must Be Nice. What’s the sound of These Things Happen?
Aw, man. They’re not ready. It’s definitely a left turn. I feel like it’s necessary to take creative risks and push yourself and try new things and evolve. No one wants to hear the same album 10 times.

They don’t want “Runaround Sue” part 2.
Right? I don’t want to be pigeonholed as this guy who flips ‘60’s music forever.

Speaking of that, Must Be Nice had no samples on it. Are there any this time?
There’s one but it’s not used in the same way that I used to use them. I moved away from samples because I didn’t like using them as a crutch. If you take four bars of music from “Runaround Sue,” a song that was #1 in the ‘60’s, you’ve already kind of got a hit on your hands. You didn’t really build that from scratch.

You feel like it’s cheating.
Yeah, it’s kind of cheating. It’s a shortcut. But when you write something from scratch and then you use a sample to sit on top of what you made, it’s different.

Do you have a favorite record from the album? One you feel really shows your evolution?
There’s this track called “Downtown Love.” It’s probably the deepest, darkest song on the record and it’s probably my biggest creative achievement. I’m most proud of that record out of all of them. It’s loosely inspired by this kind of Edie Sedgwick character. This socialite, model girl in New York City. This kind of attention whore, party girl who I fall for and then her destruction spirals down into complete darkness. It goes from this big high to this really, really deep low.

There’s also this record called “Just Believe.” It’s the most introspective, personal record on there. Or the song I have with A$AP Ferg, which is just a banger.

So, basically the whole album.
Yeah, I’m hyped! There’s no hiding it. What we did with this album is, every time we thought it was done – like, okay, here’s 12 songs, send it in, it’d be like, Eh, you got six strong ones, but you got six fillers. This isn’t great yet. It was disheartening, but even if it stung momentarily, it was worth it to go back and when you thought it was done, spend another whole month creating. Then we’d end up with 16 songs and try and trim it down to 12. Then we’d say, Ah, these still aren’t there and these still need work. Then go back and spend another month working. That’s why it’s taken so long. This album is a fucking filet mignon. There’s not fat on it. There’s no filler. Every song can stand on its own.

Last time we talked I asked you about being independent and how long you wanted to do that. You told me you wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible, but that eventually you’d outgrow that platform. Do you feel like you’re nearing that point?
I’m beginning to, for sure. When the business outgrows itself, you move out of that small office in the corner of your house to an office building. Then, when you outgrow the small office in the building, you take over the whole floor. Then, when you outgrow the whole floor, you buy the building. Businesses grow and you have to have the resources and the platforms to continue that growth and not put a roof over yourself. I think it starts with distribution and from there you move to a major when the right situation and the right terms present themselves.