Today we’d like to introduce you to Gehrig Kniffen.
Hi Gehrig, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hip-hop has always had a special place in my heart. Growing up, I was constantly immersed in the genre, and as I got older, I started experimenting with rapping. In high school, I’d freestyle with friends, but it wasn’t until I left for college that I really began making music “ironically” on SoundCloud under the name Gehrighashellabars. I’d find random YouTube beats, blast them through my car speakers, and record my verses on my phone’s voice memo app. The quality wasn’t great, but I was having a blast with it.
That said, most of my early adult years were focused on basketball. I played for a couple of years at a junior college, visited a bunch of schools, and even went back to my hometown to coach the varsity team. But when the pandemic hit in 2020, I found myself with a lot of free time and a need for something to ignite my passion. That’s when I reconnected with my childhood best friend, Tommy de Silva, and we dove into making music together.
The first couple of years were all about figuring out how to craft real songs. Honestly, the early stuff, especially from my end, wasn’t up to the standard I wanted. But Tommy and I are both committed to working hard and pushing ourselves, so we kept at it. By April 2022, I had my first live performance at a cypher, and that was a game-changer. From there, everything started picking up. We began releasing more music across all streaming platforms, playing live shows throughout the state, and watching the quality of our work grow with each project.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Like any passionate pursuit, the journey hasn’t been without its challenges. We’ve faced setbacks like having our DJ equipment and hard drive stolen, losing months of recorded music in the process. Financially, we’ve also struggled to fund the movement in the way we’d ideally want to. On top of that, we’ve been balancing our day jobs while working hard to stay present in our community and consistently release music.
While these are definitely struggles we’ve encountered, I don’t really see them as obstacles. In fact, I think they’ve been instrumental in shaping our character and building our resilience. They’ve pushed us to keep going, no matter the circumstances. I genuinely believe that to appreciate success, you need to go through the struggle first—whatever that success looks like to you.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a hip-hop artist from the Central Coast of California, known for crafting witty lyrics over beats that have a distinct 90s vibe. I’ve always taken pride in my pen game, but recently, I feel like I’ve truly found my voice and confidence behind the mic. That’s been a huge source of joy for me, especially because when I first started making music, I felt that the sound of my voice was one of my biggest weaknesses.
What I think sets me apart as an artist is my ability to balance hard work with not taking myself too seriously. We approach music with a sense of fun and authenticity, and that translates into our live shows—our supporters have a great time, and so do we. But we’re also constantly pushing ourselves to improve. We’re not afraid of late nights in the studio, long drives home after shows, or doing 50 takes to get a line just right. It’s all part of the grind, and we’re all in for it.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
As a kid, I was loud, outgoing, and always up to something fun—sports were my biggest obsession. I was the one organizing pickup basketball games, MCing pep rallies in high school, and always cracking jokes with my friends whenever I had free time.
Now, at 28, not much has changed. My passion for sports has evolved into an obsession with music. The MCing? It’s gone from school pep rallies to rap concerts. And the jokes? They’ve never stopped. I’m still the same guy, just channeling that energy into something new and exciting.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://greenroomboys.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gehrigkniffen/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gehrig.kniffen/
- Twitter: https://x.com/GehrigKniffen
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@gehrigkniffen
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/gehrigkniffen
- Other: https://linktr.ee/gehrigkniffen
Image Credits
Xander Bissell
Jessie Marie