GNS is a dude who just wants to create.

In his home lab, he tweaks knobs, pounds keyboards, and fusses with computers to compose and arrange original tracks. Public Enemy, Erykah Badu, N.W.A., Sly and the Family Stone, A Tribe Called Quest, and Prince course through his musical veins, powering his neo funk sound. GNS channels a ‘88-‘95 era hip hop spirit, yet shimmers with a musicality not usually present in hip hop tracks.

Raised in L.A., over a decade ago GNS relocated to Bellingham, WA, a small university town that sustains a tight music community. In Bellingham (which he affectionately refers to as Porktown), GNS started spinning records at house parties and clubs, then formed Prospect Champions, Bellingham's premier hip hop group, and later the Reparations, a live hip hop band.

Through those efforts, as well as on his own, GNS has shared bills with Ras Kass, Black Eyed Peas, Phife (of A Tribe Called Quest), Guru (of Gang Starr), The Coup, GZA and Ghostface (of Wu-Tang Clan). As a frontman, GNS scintillated onstage; his stamina as a performer and openness as a lyricist shot sparks through the crowd.

With this latest incarnation of GNS, the vibe is still a party, yet an introspective one: Beats bang while weed smoke falls over a velvet couch stained with forgotten vodka tonics. You can hear the Pacific Northwest in his tracks: Waves of original electro loops collide with organic instruments like the waters of Puget Sound slapping against a metro bus.

Lyrically, GNS gives himself permission to get emotional, to be real. Yet he delivers blunt truths with winks and cheeky wordplay, because the man wants you to have a good time, damn it. Unapologetically fierce, but not cruel, GNS is prepared to defend himself against injustice and ignorance. He’s got a very low tolerance for bullshit: “Like a doctor with a malpractice suit, I ain’t got patience,” he asserts in “Do It!”.

Full of humor and vulnerability, his songs examine intersecting identities and confront life’s challenges head-on. With bravery and street-smart sass, GNS lives the roles of: Proud and dedicated father, working class warrior, and tough as nails survivor.

The man makes music because he has to. He understands the life-sustaining power and release that music provides the weary. Funk runs through his lungs, and the songs he exhales express the fine art of everyday preservation (of body, mind, and spirit). He’s packing a sly smile, an impeccable ear and obsessively crafted beats.

Above all: GNS will be heard.


- E.B. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.