22-year-old musician, CityBoiGreg, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana is aiding in the new wave of rap through 2023 by continuing to diversify his sound across a range of artists and styles.
Although he was always a big fan of the music scene, his career took off in 2020 with the spark of COVID-19. After saving up throughout the pandemic, CityBoiGreg occasionally would find himself in the studio to record the songs he had been writing on the side.
CityBoiGreg always took a particular interest in writing and sentence formation growing up, and shares that he attacks his writing from a place of joy and entertainment. While each of his projects has a clear message behind them, while working on diversifying his sound, CityBoiGreg intentionally taps into multiple areas of inspiration through his lyricism.
“There isn’t always a clear intention when I get started with the writing, but I begin with freestyling and through there I am able to develop the project fully along the way.”
Although his main interests in the music space lay within the R&B and pop realm, CityBoiGreg ventured to rap and hip-hop in high school after hearing a resonating J. Cole verse. After discovering Cole’s work, CityBoiGreg admits hip-hop was the style that finally brought everything full circle, sparking his future –and current– endeavors in the music industry.
CityBoiGreg shares that it was his friends who pushed him to work harder and he has always been thankful for the influence he can pull from their energy inside the studio. Aside from that, his largest influence active in the industry right now is Nas. The foundation of his sound mimics traditional rap, however simultaneously, he treats his voice as another instrument to become “one with the music.” His modern approach over traditional rap by maintaining the foundational sounds while holding varying tones behind his voice to imitate the beat.
Currently, CityBoiGreg has been wildly enthusiastic about entering the performance scene. The energy of the audience has always been an empowering and motivating factor for him, and he intends on expanding to larger audiences soon.
CityBoiGreg shared a story with me about a recent performance where the beat cut out. Luckily for him, other performers at this concert had a band, and their drummer joined in to aid in an impromptu acoustic production.
Recently, CityBoiGreg dropped a fresh EP titled In the Dead of Winter. This project focuses around staying strong through depressive months, and how to find comfort while doing so. This project covers an array of topics in an open manner with the intention of all supporters being able to relate regardless of who they are and their background. I highly recommend checking out CityBoiGreg’s recent works and to continue following along his journey as he rises in the hip-hop industry.
CITYBOIGREG ON TOP SOON!