There’s very little that the Jamla clique can’t do. Under the guidance of Grammy Award-winning producer 9th Wonder, the eclectic, but balanced collective of MCs and dynamic production core, the Soul Council, have crafted their fair share of stellar projects in recent years. And on June 24, they scored another in GQ’sRated Oakland LP.
From the moment actor Howard Beale’s legendary monologue from 1976 film Network tickles your earlobes with eerily current truth, it’s clear that the Bay Area lyricist has returned with a tightly packaged message that’s both urgent and lyrically dexterous. Within the album narrative is another tale of a wordsmith whose life was devoted to an entirely different craft. “Before the music, I was dreaming of sneaker deals,” he raps on the Nipsey Hussle-assisted “Count’em Up,” referencing his years playing basketball.
Now a part of a true steel sharpens steel label, GQ has the proverbial ball in his court. With the opposition running a box and one, Rated Oakland is a definite game winner for the home team.
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Who: Born Quentin Thomas, the wordsmith we know as GQ could easily have been known for an equally marvelous talent. Bred in Oakland, he devoted much of his life to basketball and was recruited to play for coach Roy William’s University of North Carolina Tar Heels (where he played from 2004-2008). But a plaguing knee injury, a hobby, and a luck of the draw rendezvous with 9th Wonder at North Carolina Central University would forever change the trajectory of his life.
Soon after, he joined the growing Jamla family, where he’s used the skills and hard working mind state he developed throughout years running the parquet and applied it to a rap career.
Credentials: GQ’s proved himself to be a worthy addition to the Jamla family. Under the tutelage of 9th Wonder, the MC has delivered three projects under the umbrella, beginning with his 2011 Trouble Man EP. At the time he was a raw talent with some major wordplay. Those privy to GQ’s music were anxious to hear more, but it’d be a little less than two years until he’d follow up with another EP titled Death Threats & Love Notes. In between, he contributed to projects by Jamla artists, including Rapsody’s The Idea of Beautiful, and 9th Wonder’s compilations, The Wonder Years, and Jamla Is The Squad. Now GQ
Fun Fact: GQ played point guard for UNC during their 2005 NCAA Championship season (yes, the same squad as Rashad McCants). He also graduated with a degree in African American Studies in 2008.
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Photo: YouTube
Hip-Hop Wired: How does it feel now that the world has received your latest project?
GQ: It’s a good feeling to have the project out for one. I dropped Death Threats & Love Notes last year in March. Since then, I’ve been recording – a few shows here and there – but recording, recording, and writing. To put all of that out, it’s been a great feeling. So far I’ve seen positive feedback.
HHW: How was the vibe in the studio while creating Rated Oakland?
GQ: Going into it, it was just a feeling. As far as the recording sessions, the studio sessions and writing, it was just a feeling that I wanted it to have. Most of the time when I go to the studio, I never have a plan or an agenda, so to speak. I really go off of feeling, and if I’m working with the Soul Council or whomever as far as beats, I just let the beat take me wherever.
As far as Rated Oakland, honestly 9th [Wonder] had thought of the title of the project. He was just like, ‘What do you think of this title?’ And I was like, ‘I love it.’ For me, what really stood out wasn’t the fact that it was titled after Oakland. It just felt like a beginning for me, and what better [way] to start talking about the beginning than be at home?
It’s basically just feeling and emotions, whether it be from experiences growing up, other people’s experiences and things I’ve seen – not even just in Oakland, in life in general.
HHW: Whose decision was it to kick off things with the clips from Network?
GQ: I have a good friend of mine that I grew up with. He’s always watching documentaries and old movies. He came across the movie and that quote itself, and he emailed to me one day.
The first day I saw the quote, it spoke volumes to me. Especially being from where I’m from. For that movie to come out in 1976, and for it to have that much more of an impact still today, it says a lot. I got that email probably some time last year. When we were putting the project together, I asked 9th if it’d be cool to put this quote here or use it some way – it wasn’t even necessarily for the intro. It just came together perfectly, and I think it sets the tone for the project as a whole.
HHW: What are three things you’d like listeners to get from listening to this LP?
GQ: Hopefully, I always want me music to be an extension of me. I want people to listen to my music and feel that they know me a little bit, even if you’ve never met me a day in your life. You can listen to my music and feel that you know a little part of me.
Second thing, I just love for people to be able to play my music in all walks of life. If you wake up and you’re having a rough day, you can throw my music on. If you’re having a great day, you can throw my music on. If you want to ride around and think or smoke to it or what [you can throw my music on]. And third, I just want people to enjoy listening to the music and vibing to it.
HHW: On “Nice Guy” you spit an interesting line that goes, “Working with a legend while seeing others becoming one.” Could you elaborate on that?
GQ: Funny you brought that line up, because the few people who catch it – whether close friends or strangers – they’ll ask me how that line came about. For me, when I write lines, I like to have more than one meaning. For that one, it was of course having 9th there, who not only I consider, but a lot of the world in general considers a legendary producer and person in general.
Everyday, we’re working with this person, and like you said, being blessed to be with this person, you’re also gonna come in contact with other people and other legends. But then we get so caught up in it, and especially myself, I take the time to take a step back and look around me. You have people like a Rapsody – and I might be biased, but in my eyes she’s already a legend because of the work ethic she has. She’s still gonna do a lot more, but I see her as a legend. Everybody on Jamla has the work ethic to be a legend in my eyes.
I just tied that line into working with a legend while seeing peers becoming one. I always ask people, ‘Do you think it was somebody who just knew that when Jay Z was 16, 17, that he’d go on to make music on this level?’
HHW: How did creating Rated Oakland help your development as an artist?
GQ: It’s been a learning process. With every project I can see the growth as an artist in myself. I constantly try to better myself and challenge myself as an artist; I never try to get content. Even with Rated Oakland just being released, I’m still constantly recording and writing. I always want to be the best artist I can be and constantly improve.
HHW: You spent much of your life devoted to basketball and made a major switch to Hip-Hop. What are the parallels between the two?
GQ: It’s very comparable. I always say work ethic, because that says a lot. And being able to just go to the studio, and not have to be begged to go to the studio or having someone have to beg you to work. If someone has to beg you to do anything, it’s pretty much not a passion of yours.
Being passionate about the craft and on time, too. I just hate being late for stuff. And what helps me most – especially being a part of Jamla – is understanding your role in doing what’s best for not only you, but the team as a whole. I know people on the outside look at Jamla as a whole and say they’re very supportive of one another. But a lot of us played sports, so it carried over.
HHW: What are your thoughts on your former teammate, Rashad McCants’ claim that UNC let him cheat through college?
GQ: It’s just sad that someone that you’ve spent time with, sweat, tears, and all that during the time that we played at UNC together…. But everyone’s situation wasn’t like that at all. I remember having to be in the library for two or three nights my junior or senior year. I remember Sean May had a 25-page paper due the year we won.
It’s just sad that somebody would come out with that type of information I guess you can say, especially for it to be 10 years after you left the school. It’s like what are you trying to get out of it? Me personally, I don’t really trip off of it, because I know what UNC stands for as a whole, as a university, and as a basketball program. A lot of great people – not just basketball players – but a lot of great men have come through that program and have done great things after basketball. It’s unfortunate that someone would try to stoop to that level, especially it being a person that you played with and you went through certain things with as a teammate. But you live and you learn. True colors show at times, but I don’t have any hard feelings for him. I wish him the best in life.
HHW: Since rapping was only a hobby for you at one point, how easy was it adapt to formal songwriting?
GQ: For me, it was all fun. I used to rap in high school and in middle school I would write raps when I was supposed to be doing work. When I got to college, I would just freestyle when I was on the bus and spit raps that I wrote at home after practice. It was just fun.
A lot of people knew at the age of 7 or 8 or 9, they knew that they wanted to do music. I didn’t have that feeling until probably two years ago honestly. So when it came to getting around 9th and writing songs and doing that, it was a process, so I had to learn. The thing that helped me was having a God-given talent, but having somebody like a 9th and seeing someone like Rapsody, Remo and those types of people, you’re driven. I used to see Rap write three and four raps for one song or for one verse, and still wouldn’t use any of those raps. I’ve seen her work ethic since day one. I can’t come around these people and not work hard when I see them work hard everyday.
HHW: Hailing from Oakland, who were your favorite rappers from the Bay Area growing up?
GQ: Too $hort; heard a lot of E-40 of course, The Luniz, Richie Rich and Tupac of course. I grew up on all that, but I listen to a lot of music though. I’m a big fan of Outkast, the Snoops, the Biggies, Eminem, Nas, the list can go on. I just like music man, and especially lyrical artist. I think that’s why my music comes out the way it does. A lot of people say, “You’re dope with the wordplay.” I love lyricists, so regardless of where you’re from, old or new, I enjoy good music.
HHW: How is to be a part of steel sharpens steel atmosphere that is Jamla Records?
GQ: I always tell me nothing more, nothing less that it’s just a blessing. Especially for me, because I never thought about doing music or being a rapper. For 9th [Wonder] to even think of putting something together the way he did is magic. To have a group of different artists from all different walks of life come together under one roof and be able to make music together [is amazing]. And then you have The Soul Council, an incredibly talented group of producers.
I’m very proud of Jamla. We definitely are striving after the best for each other and ourselves.
HHW: Now that the project’s out, what’s next for GQ?
GQ: It it was up to me, I’d like to put a another project out before the end of the year. But I know Jamla has a lot of stuff coming out — HaLo is next, Add-2’s putting something out before the year’s up, and Rapsody’s returning before the year is up. Expect more visuals, more features, and shows. I just want to keep working and keep trying to get my name out there.
