Meet Gum Gum Gabii | Writer, Artist, Rapper & Below Average Singer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gum Gum Gabii and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gum Gum, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Creating art is more of a need than a want. Many years ago, during another session of unrequited love, I wrote a brief piece called “Dora’s a Capella.” I finished it between a 10 minute break in class and I immediately felt relieved. The negative feelings just washed away. I knew then that I would do this forever; whether I am paid for it or not. So I figured, I might as well take a shot at a career.

I am a songwriter and rapper. I’m pursuing a career in Hip-hop. I think Hip-hop is one of the most accessible art forms and it can give a voice to those that don’t have it. You don’t have go to Berklee College or take years of piano. You can just share your thoughts and hope it resonates.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I would like the world to know that it’s never too late to follow your dreams. Society has such a warped perception of age, and I would like to change that. We only get one life and it should be a fulfilling one. I hope when it’s all said and done, my life reflects that.

My biggest challenge has always been my limiting beliefs. I grew up in an environment where art and dreams weren’t a path available to us. My first dream was to be a comic book artist. When I would share my goals, I would often hear, “oh! Another starving artist?” Dream killers all around. It wasn’t until I met Dame and Hopsin, and watched them create Funk Volume that I realized, that dreams could come true if you work for it. It wasn’t just for a mysterious group of talented people, but it could happen to people like us. It would still take many years before I build up my courage to purse music, but the spark was ignited then.

I’m currently in the process of recreating my style and art form. I want to revive a style of rap called Nerdcore. I first heard of it in a Documentary called “Nerdcore Rising” featuring MC Frontalot. The original Nerdcore focused on the nerd part, I want to focus on the hardcore part and make it more accessible. I would say I’m going down the path of artist like Khantrast rather than MC Frontalot. Check out Khantrast’s “Naruto Bluebird Freestyle.” I also want to focus more on productivity and self-improvement like on Connor Price’s “AMG.” A good example of what I’m shooting for is my song, “Kappa Kappa.”

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love to take friends to my favorite hike in Griffith Park. I would start at the Trails Cafe on Ferndell. Get some coffee and head across and up to the Griffith Park Observatory. You can take a quick restroom break here, and then head even higher to the Tom LaBonge Panorama. There’s great views and opportunities for iconic pictures featuring the LA Skyline, the Observatory, and the Hollywood Sign.

The Perch is a must! It’s a roof top bar in Downtown LA. You can take in the view of LA while enjoying the food. You can spend a day in Downtown LA; walk to LA Live, the Grand Central Market, and the Last Book Store. Angels Flight and MOCA are also within walking distance.

At night, I would bar hop in the Art District/Little Tokyo area. I really like the Arts District Brewery.

I would also take them to the 3rd Street Promenade, rent bikes at the Santa Monica Pier, and ride down to Venice Beach. I would stop by the Venice Canals before coming back to the Pier.

I also love Old Town Pasadena! Lots of great places to eat.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I wouldn’t be writing music if it wasn’t for my twin brother Def Note. He was the first one of us to write raps and asked me to join him when all his rapper friends went to prison. Turns out, I was good at it! My brother has always encouraged me and discouraged me by telling me that I’m wasting my talent by not dedicating myself to music.

It’s also my brother’s involvement in the early years of an independent record label called Funk Volume that made me realize this can be more than a dream. Meeting Dame Ritter and Hopsin before they were successful at music, made me realize that anything is possible.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/gumgumgabii

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/gg_gabii

Image Credits
all photos provided are my personal photos