Though this year may have brought us hits such as "Panda" and "Hands to Myself", 2016 is undeniably the year of Gerald. With the release of his sophomore album "When It's Dark Out" in the most recent of pasts, and his single "Me, Myself & I" dominating the airwaves of a radio station near you, you now know his name-- but probably not his story. He's been serenading me through my headphones for nearly four years, but have you experienced him in full heat? You haven't? Phew, good thing I'm here to fill you in.

Flashback to the late 2000's, where you'd find a young Gerald Gillum in his dorm room at the Loyola University of New Orleans. Between studying production, marketing, and business, you'd find him mixing beats and producing music. He soon became part of a local hip hop group, the Bay Boyz collective, where Eazy soon began to release mixtapes such as (The Tipping Point (2008), Sikkis On The Planet (2009), The Epidemic (2010), The Outsider LP (2011)) and was gaining fans left and right. Soon after, he found himself on Warped Tour in 2012, which opened up a window for him to be able to be opening/performing with Hoodie Allen, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, 2 Chainz, Rockie Fresh, KYLE, Tory Lanez, and currently, Logic, YG, and Yo Gotti.

I'm gonna go out on a limb here, and if you don't agree with me its ok-- to each their own. But I would go so far as to say that G-Eazy is the Eminem of our generation. He's a tad bit crazy but speaks a whole lot of truth. He even compares the two in his song "Calm Down", stating "I'm the coldest white rapper in the game, since the one with the bleached hair”. He speaks from the heart in every verse, whether it be from real life experience or recounting stories from his past. Not only is his 50's aesthetic intriguing, but paired with his cunning lyrical genius of a mind, he is both enticing and enchants all of those who listen to his music. He's not your typical rapper whose songs contain nothing but sex, drugs, and women. Ok, ok, who am I kidding? There's a little of that. But he speaks on important issues such as achievement, depression, self reliance, success, dealing with life and death, etc. For example, in his hit "Me, Myself & I", the rapper talks about being alone in the world of fame with no one to rely on but himself.

.

And in his song "Everything Will Be Ok" he speaks of an experience he had growing up as a child when finding his mother's partner dead from an overdose caused by her manic depression disorder.

Eazy has certainly found his own voice throughout the years. He has gone from selling mixtapes person to person to selling out stadiums wherever he goes. He has become one of the hottest artists of the moment, and he's here to prove he isn't just a one hit wonder. His lyrical flow will leave a non-hip-hop lover a wondering what they've missed out on their whole lives. So that leaves me to ask... why aren't you listening to him yet?