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An Interview With Gabino Grhymes

Thank you for chatting with me today. Please tell the readers a bit about yourself and the work you do.

Gabino Grhymes: Thank you for the opportunity. I am grateful. Yeah, I go by Gabino Grhymes behind the mic and Gabino Chacon at home. I have been progressively honing my rap skills since 2005. From making music, participating in rap battles – i.e. KOTD, and co-hosting a weekly radio show here in SLC, UT, I have entrenched myself in the local scene here in the Salt Lake Valley.

Being a “rapper” again wasn’t a road I thought I would go back down being that my last “official” project was in 2011. I had a mixtape I threw together – still sounds great – in 2017 but there was not really a rhyme or reason to it. With my latest DEBUT studio album, “Darvey Hent” I really went for the gusto to show my experience and what I can do sonically.

I thought your new album, Darvey Hent, was fantastic. How was the process of making this album?

Gabino Grhymes: Thank you! In one phrase? Easier than expected. I found that just making the time to make the music was the only thing that needed to happen. As I mentioned I have been writing raps since 2005 and made well over 100 songs. So, it was just a matter of getting what I have long wanted to get out actually on paper and on a beat.

I should note that Matty Aston engineering this project REALLY brought it to life. I hooked up with him this past year, 2020, in February and it was a wrap after that. We vibed, and his new style of mixing with my authentic Hip-Hop sound blended well for the first song we did together, “D.K.M.” and the rest is history as they say.

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Making music takes a lot of time and energy. What do you do to stay productive?

Gabino Grhymes: Yell that louder, ha! I stay looking for new beats and write every idea that I have down as to not let them be fleeting. My process is generally writing the hook first, which dictates the message I am going to write about and go from there. So writing hooks I would say is what keeps me most productive. Getting the idea of the song down and going from there!

How do you foster your creativity? Do you work at it, wait for inspiration, or have a different strategy?

Gabino Grhymes: Great question, since April of this year I am back to the place I was creatively when I first started in that I just will make a song from just about anything. It is what set me apart as I was coming up and what will be the same endearing factor going forward. Making good music. It does take work though, thank goodness that work only involves pressing play on new instrumentals. I certainly don’t force things though, if a beat has to wait it will have to wait. I can’t get behind projects that feel forced. Not to mention I wouldn’t say that I am picky per se I would just say that I pick beats well. So that is why it can take some time because I can compartmentalize beats in my head while listening to them, i.e. this is for studying, NEXT, oh damn run that back, it’s good but…no, etc…I have had regular feedback that I choose beats well and my flow seems to fit them in synchronicity.

Burnout happens to the best of us. What strategies do you use to stay motivated?

Gabino Grhymes: It sure does, it happened to me for over 9 years, with music at least. My biggest motivator is that I know I have a slightly smaller window of opportunity than I did in the past. But the biggest kick in the ass came after releasing this album, “Darvey Hent”. I realized that authentic Hip-Hop is still something people seek out. I know that I am “people” as well so I feel like I have something I can contribute to the culture I love so much. Lastly, I just feel…at home…when writing, listening to beats, performing, trying to make my own beats…Hip-Hop is what keeps me motivated.

Outside of making music, what do you do for fun?

Gabino Grhymes: Read. I also do a podcast called, “Short Story Bingo” in which I am a glorified narrator to stories that you are have heard and some you have not, it’s like Libro.FM…sorta. I also am a big Nightmare on elm street fan, so I actively collect little mementos and I am now getting into vinyl collecting so a few different hobbies to keep be busy.

RELATED: Xwisit Talks Making Hip Hop>>

Between COVID and technology, what do you see happening with the music industry over the next few years?

Gabino Grhymes: A whole damn lot. I see the trend of major deals happening with artists continue to go down. The independent road is becoming a larger highway by the minute which means that there will be some bottlenecking. I can see more teams – videographers, dancers, rappers, singers, etc… – coming together to start pushing artists out of their respective cities as we become MORE acclimated to the digital climate of music and making a living in the industry. You see it already now. How many times have you gone to a video and been like, how the hell does this only have 100 views???! I see the net question but being prepared to blow up is what I would say to anyone. Make your product stand out when the spotlight shifts to it!

What advice can you give to those who want to start making their own music?

Gabino Grhymes: To NIKE and just do it. You won’t know how far something can proverbially swim if you do not actually let it in the water. That doesn’t mean to haphazardly release material. It means to stop making excuses as to why you are not doing it, “I want everything to be right” – it’s not going to be – “I don’t have the right beats.” – find new ones – “What are they going to think of me?” – who cares?! – “I don’t have the equipment.” – sometimes you don’t need it but if you want it, YouTube university it.

Point is, just do it. I will not ever look down on someone for testing the waters. I know people do and those people don’t matter anyway. If your heart is in the right place and your mind is made up about WANTING to progress and LEARN more about making good music, more power to you!

Do you have any upcoming events, gigs, or releases you want to talk about?

Gabino Grhymes: Given the current state of affairs, live performances are far and few between. BUT I am going to be hitting the road with the Album we are looking in the spring of 2021. My next studio album is being written right now and I hope to have a release date sooner than later. My goal is to have at least 10,000 monthly listeners by the end of 2021. AUTHENTICALLY. I am not purchasing any sort of bots or whatever people are doing these days.

Thanks again for chatting with me! Where can the readers find you and your work?

Gabino Grhymes: Thank you for having me Aaron, it has been my pleasure. IG – @gabino_grhymes Twitter – @gabinogrhymes I am on all DSP’s simply by searching my name, most notedly though I get direct support when people buy my album or new merch as it comes from my Bandcamp.

Check Out Gabino Grhymes

A huge thank you to Gabino for taking the time to chat with me this week. Make sure to check out their work at the following locations:

Gabino Grhymes On Instagram

Gabino Grhymes On Twitter

Gabino Ghyrmes On Bandcamp

Gabino Grhymes On Spotify

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