Cape Town rapper, singer-songwriter, and producer, Greek. spoke to us about his childhood, his passion for fashion, and his journey in the world of music from the Mother City.
The interview: What we learnt about GREEK.
The rapper was more than happy to allow us to find out a bit more about himself, his experiences, and what he loves the most about what he’s doing.
Who is GREEK.?
Before getting deep about the rappers’ time as a musician, we wanted to know more about his early days and his upbringing.
“I grew up in a really small hood called Hazeldean, which is located in Philippi and opposite Gugulethu,” started the rapper.
“I spent a lot of time in Gugz, so that’s like my second home and to be honest, Hazeldean wasn’t very inspiring to me,” he continued.
“If it weren’t for my friends in Gugulethu, I probably would have quit rapping back then already,” he added.
With this information, we wanted to dig a bit deeper and find out where his passion for music came from.
“I didn’t necessarily have a musical background or anything, but I grew up in a family that had a huge appreciation for music, specifically my dad, older brother, and uncle,” stated the rapper.
“My dad used to spend most of his spare time listening to old school soul, jazz, and funk, while my older bro, who is a house DJ/Producer, inadvertently inspired me to become a producer as well, then my uncle, who was probably my biggest influence when I was young, put me onto rap as he was a hip-hop head,” he continued.
“I’d say all those influences were soaked into the music I make today,” he concluded.
How would GREEK. describe his sound?
Moving onto his music, we wanted to know how the rapper would describe his style and sound of music that he releases.
“I really hate this question, not because it’s a bad question, but because I never know how to answer it,” he humorously replied.
“My sound is ever-changing because I’m always experimenting, and obviously I’m a hip-hop artist first and foremost, that’s what I’m most known for, but if I were to play much of my music that’s in the vaults, it’s like 50% Rap and the rest is an exploration of different genres like alt R&B, psyche-rock, electronic, etc.” he explained.
“That’s why if you go on my Soundcloud, most of my music is categorized as Pop,” revealed the rapper.
“I prefer the ‘pop’ term because as a genre, pop encompasses anything and everything.” he concluded.
With the knowledge of the rapper categorizing his music as ‘pop’ and his production in different genres of music, we wanted to know what the creative process was behind the production of his music.
“It’s really simple, I get inspired, I write and I get inspired mostly by listening to other music because I usually try and replicate the feeling another song made me feel,” said the rapper.
“My experiences, how I feel, all those things play a role in what I write about and for me, more than anything, writing is an outlet and it’s really therapeutic.” he finished.
What was GREEK.’s experience on ‘iiWay Remix’
In an earlier interview with Guy Onke, we learned how he had a great experience working with GREEK. and multiple other artists on the iiWay Remix, so we wanted to find out how GREEK. felt about such an experience.
“Honestly, it’s just crazy how well iiWAY Remix is doing right now because on the original it was just me and Onke,” stated the rapper.
“The fact that the original warranted so much love that we were able to take that song and make it the anthem that it is now, alongside guys really doing the most right now, is crazy man,” he excitedly added.
“I don’t think neither of us knew the impact the song would make when we did the original and it’s even more exciting how much further this remix is still gonna go,” he added.
“Shoutouts to Onke for putting me on this man, I appreciate him for real,” he concluded.
What’s the next move for GREEK. in the world of fashion?
Not only is GREEK. a talented at music, but the rapper is also heavily involved in the fashion scene, flexing his trendy fashion gear over social media and even walking down a fashion runway.
“Yep, I graduated from my fashion design studies at the end of 2019 and I’m super grateful for what fashion has done for me so far in my life man,” he started.
“In a professional sense, it’s actually done more for me than music has,” he added.
We wanted to know what the rappers’ ambitions were in the fashion industry.
“The end goal is to focus on my brand, but if I’m completely honest, I don’t feel like I’m ready to take that foray just yet.” said the rapper.
“I’m really a perfectionist so as long as there are still a million obstacles such as lack of resources and time, I don’t know if I’ll be able to put my full focus in fashion, but once I’m ready, you’ll definitely know.” he finished.
What does GREEK. enjoy the most as an artist?
To finish off the interview, we simply asked GREEK. what he enjoyed the most as a creative in the world of both fashion and music.
“I enjoy creating man,” he simply replied.
“Like I said before, this is all an outlet for me and it’s deeper than just wanting to make a great song or designing a great piece of clothing,” he continued.
“It’s me offloading a piece of me every time I write, produce, or design and sometimes it’s pieces of me that I wouldn’t share with my closest friends, but I’ll put it in my music,” he added.
“If I wasn’t creating, I don’t know what I’d be doing.” finished the rapper.
GREEK. is making waves in Cape Town both as a rapper and fashion designer and with the release of his hit single Sbali, he can make an impact in the music and fashion world.
Check out his track Sbali, now available on all streaming platforms.