We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Pinpoint of GAWDS a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Pinpoint of GAWDS, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I think for most of us in the group, we knew at a fairly early age. I knew in middle school that I wanted to be an emcee and make music. The LOX was my final push, when I heard their music in the late nineties I went home from school and write 3 raps verses. 2 of them were for my best friends who never expressed interest in becoming a rapper, and they also had no idea I was preparing that song for all of us. Those friends were not interested at all when I told them. We all have been working on and following our passion since no later than our highschool years. I chose my personal rap name in 9th grade and it’s never changed. We each could tell you several origin stories, it might take a while lol
Pinpoint of GAWDS, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
GAWDS is a musical collective consisting of 2 emcees, a DJ, and a vocalist. Most of us have been creating original material for close to 20 years, working to perfect our individual crafts and learn as much as possible about the independent music industry and how to make sure our art can be received and appreciated by the public. We whole-heartedly care about our music that we share with the world. We put a level of effort into the music that can’t be fully explained, but we hope it translates to those who listen. We have at times been categorized as “boom bap” Hip Hop, but we are not afraid to step outside of any box we are placed in, to show freedom of our creativity. Anyone who enjoys stand-out lyrical ability, strong soulful voice tones and melodies would be happy to take a moment to check out some of our music. It’s like if all the best parts of the late nineties and parts of the 2000’s were carefully curated into a brand new experience. We each hail from Baltimore Maryland, but we work with producers and other artists around the country and across the globe
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Personally, I have always had something to say. Parents and teachers from childhood would all agree without hesitation. What I love about being an emcee, is being able to take my messages and get them to all types of people. It’s difficult to describe feeling like you have a strong skill set you want to use, to share your thoughts , ideas and experiences with others. Being able to reach a person on a level of understanding similar to yours, knowing people out there must think the same as you, and eating them to find your art and connect with it, well that’s a really powerful feeling. Receiving praise for having skills, and or being relatable is a vibe. We love every single piece of feedback we receive. Music is so much fun, and it has the power to connect us all. There is a common human experience to life that we all share, and music threads so many needles to connect our patchwork together
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
There is no harsh thing to say to society in this regard. Honestly people are super busy with life, and it is up to every creative to work and think on finding a way to connect with and create a fan base. That having been said, all anyone could ask of society is to continue to have an open mind as it relates to uncovering “new” artists or music. It’s easy to fear change, think new is automatically bad, or avoid listening to an artist who doesn’t have a major company backing them or supporting them. We hope people can always remember that every artist has to start somewhere, and likely could never have made it far enough for you to discover them, and appreciate them, had they not been given a chance by some of their first supporters and or listeners. There are tons of artists out here in the world that are amazing, and truly mind-blowing. We hope people won’t be afraid to let a song from an unfamiliar artist stream on their iphone, on Whatever streaming service you use, just to give that new artists a shot to win you over. Buy a cd at a local performance and take that risk on something new. Variety is the spice of life. Music helps us all move through life with some added joy and connection to our peers. Let’s continue to support those who want to give you art, in a world that is dark and dangerous and unforgiving.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.GawdsMusic.com
- Instagram: @Gawds_410
- Facebook: Facebook.com/GawdEmcees
- Twitter: @GawdsM
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCk7Q4-uEcFOLnBtat0kG–Q
- Other: Gawds Linktree https://linktr.ee/Gawds