Coming straight out of Mississippi’s Delta region is G. McGee and his lyrical brand of hip-hop. With the release of his aptly-titled project “Kollege Prep”, McGee puts himself into the role of rap professor, allowing him to teach through sound. Not only does he use his platform as an artist to drop knowledge, but he does so in a literal sense as an engineering/robotics instructor in his day-to-day life.
While teachers tend to get associated with thoughts of chalk boards and textbooks with some lame topic throughout, it’s a much different case here upon listening to the music. G. McGee provides a history lesson dating back to his childhood and the upbringing that made him who he is today. Born Greg McGee, the artist grew up in a unique position, raised on the campus of Mississippi Valley State University. The interesting experiences come to life throughout the “Kollege Prep” project, which was released December 1st.
To say his music is catching on would be accurate, with the tape pushing close to 3000 streams to date. As G. McGee continues to promote in the form of shows, videos and press we are happy to have had the opportunity to speak with him and learn about the man behind the music. Continue below for our full Q&A session.
Stream and download: G. McGee – Kollege Prep
For anyone getting their introduction to you, tell them about yourself.
I’m 29 years old, born & raised in the MS Delta. I’ve been interested in music for a very long time. I’ve been rapping since I was 8-9 years old. I’m very dedicated in making great & inspirational music. I’m a very down to earth person, and anybody that knows me personally can attest to that. I currently reside in Ridgeland, MS, and I’m an engineering/robotics instructor at an area school.
You have a very interesting background so can you tell us what was your childhood like?
I grew up on the campus of Mississippi Valley State University in Itta Bena, MS where my mother works. She, my sister, and I lived in an apartment on campus. It was pretty cool growing up on an HBCU campus. I was able to witness a lot of things that I think helped shape me to become the person I am today. I also had friends who parents worked at the university, and they lived on campus as well. Some people use to feel as if we were “privileged” because we lived there, and there were times where people would call us names, or even try to fight us; however, after realizing that we were going through life the exact same way as them, tension began to cease. For example, there are/were a lot of people in Itta Bena living in single parent homes- so did I.
Growing up on the campus, I was exposed to a lot of summer enrichment programs that led me to wanting to become a computer engineer. I wanted to make sure I had a backup plan just in case rapping didn’t work out. I’ve always been fascinated with computers and how they operate. Because of this fascination, I obtained a degree in Applied Technology from MVSU.
How do you feel growing up like that reflects in your music?
It reflects my music tremendously. I often express things I may have went through growing up as well as things that I’m going through now. Some things in my life are hard to explain, and I’ve kept them in for a while. I later learned that my music could be an avenue where I could express my feelings in a way that thoughts don’t haunt me as much as they use to.
What was it that ultimately lead you to become a rapper?
I think I’ve always wanted to be a rapper since I made my first song with my homie Swine Ryne back in the day when I was 8, but I think I’m taking it more serious these days after one of my close friends, Ki Lipsey passed in November 2015. Ki was known for his skills on the microphone as well, and he would always tell me how he started rapping because of me and a few others. There were days we’d pull up on each other for the other to critique a verse or a song one had made. He, along with my homies Foolie and SQ Lac were on the brink of taking the state by storm with their songs “Tommy Hilfiger” and “Hamp’d Up”, but Ki ended up having a seizure and having to be hospitalized up until he passed. Something in me told me that I needed to step my craft up a bit, and keep pushing our dream because I know he’d want me to, and if the tables were turned, he’d do the same for me.
From where you started to where you are now what are some of the biggest differences?
I could go on and on about differences (lol). I remember getting the perm tapes from my sister’s “Just For Me” kits and using them for tapes to record on. I’m sure I’d have some of the hardest laughs if I could find one of those tapes now. From lyrics, sound quality, even beats we were using. I can even feel a difference with how I rap on a beat. It’s all been a growing experience for me that I’ve enjoyed so much.
You just dropped your “Kollege Prep” project and it’s dope. What was the concept you went into it wanting to create?
With Kollege Prep, I wanted to show people that I could actually rap. Of course there were some people who already knew that, but there weren’t many. I wanted to display my talents with the craft, and also show that you can make great music without talks about guns & drugs, degrading women, or what type of designer brand you may have on. It’s so much to music besides those things, and in this day and age, a lot of people have lost sight of that.
Overall how do you feel the response has been?
It has been great. I’ve received many calls and texts about how great of a project I have, and people have been encouraging me to stay focused because I could be the next big thing out of the state. I’m very humbled by the reactions of people, and I’m doing the best I can so that people can continue to have those beliefs in what I’m trying to accomplish.
You’ve done nearly 3,000 streams in about 2 weeks. Did you think this many people were interested in hearing your story?
I really didn’t. I was confident that the project would be a great project and people would receive it well, but I thought it was going to take a little longer for people to gravitate to the movement. I’m really appreciative of those numbers, and it’s my prayer/hope that they continue to flourish.
A song that sticks out to me is “The Day KRIT Sign Me”. It was a dope homage to pay to one of the state’s heavy hitters. What would it mean to you if he actually signed you?
It would really mean a lot. As stated in the song, I was introduced to his music by my fraternity brother, LaDavey Merriweather, back in this Hip Hop Expressions class we were taking during an internship in the summer of 2010. After hearing “Hometown Hero”, I began to listen to more of his music, and I found myself becoming a huge fan. I consider him a great inspiration, and I would love to meet him one day.
Outside of him who would you consider to be some of your bigger influences?
Locally, I consider my cousin Trea Brown a huge influence. He’s the one who placed me in front of my first microphone back in the day. He’s always encouraged me to never lose sight on making it mainly because he didn’t continue to push for it like he should have. I also was a great fan of chopped and screwed music. Mainstream, I would have to say Jay-Z, Dipset, 8Ball & MJG, and 3 6 Mafia.
Another record that caught me is GTA 3. Now I understand the concept is about the past but do you still play a lot of video games? If so which ones?
I still play video games here and there. I play a little 2K, but I’m really into Madden. My homies will tell you that I’m really nothing nice on Madden, especially with the Green Bay Packers. Anybody that wanna play me online, look up “JOEKOLLEGE87” (lol).
Do you plan to shoot any videos now that the tape has been received by your fan base?
Most definitely. Sunday, I’ll be shooting the video to “Don’t Blow It” with one of my mentors, Alan Harrison, of The Middle Men Films. We are also in the planning stage for the video “Slow Dance”. I’ve been thinking of concepts for “Young Black Desperado”, “Texas Rangers”, and “The Day KRIT Sign Me” as well.
You also have a performance coming this upcoming Saturday. What can fans expect from you on stage?
They can expect to see and feel great energy as well as an individual with a story to tell. My movements will be limited due to a constant battle I’m fighting, but that won’t stop the show. They’ll be glad they were in the place to be.
What else can people look out for from you in the near future?
I got some EP projects I’m doing with a few people that will be out hopefully in 2017. We are in the process of picking beats as we speak. Also, summer 2017, I plan to host a Hip Hop Institute in my hometown called the “Do It 4 Stackz” Hip Hop Summer Institute, in honor of my homie Ki. It will be a 2-3 day event to show the 4 elements of hip hop to kids 14-18. I want to show people different avenues to hip hop than what they’re accustomed to.
Do you have any new years resolutions as we approach 2017?
I’ve never really done resolutions. I just strive to be better with each day. I hope to continue moving forward with this dream, perfecting my delivery, and continue to “bring the lyrics back”.
What do you think is the thing people understand the least about you?
I would have to say people may not understand why I’m so passionate about being a rapper. There is a line in “Don’t Blow It” where I say “teachers use to tell me I could be whatever I wanted, but never mentioned rap as a career choice”. Not to boast, but I was a great student in high school as well as college, and I’m sure a lot of people saw me being something other than a rapper. Yeah, I was fortunate to obtain a degree in Applied Technology and get a good job with it, but in the back of my mind, music is something I’ve always wanted to do. Of course, you have the people that are going to say “What if you don’t make it? What would be your fall back plan?”, but why can’t I make it with my first plan? I feel like GOD gave me another chance at life for a reason, and right now, I feel like that purpose was to touch individual’s lives in an inspiring way through my music. I think once a person hears me, they tend to say things like “I never knew that about him” or “Man, I can really relate to this one.”
Kollege Prep is out now on spinrilla. Please go check it out, and tell a friend/family member/co-worker/etc. I can easily be reached via social media: SnapChat @gdotlastname254, IG and Twitter @gdotlastname. I’m opening up time in the near future for any collaboration. If you would like to do work, hit me up at gdotlastname@gmail.com. Again, thanks to all the supporters that are here now and the ones that will come in the near future. Also, I want to take the time to thank you for this opportunity.
1stDayFresh.com 