G-Eazy

G-Eazy

G-Eazy is Gerald Earl Gillum, an American rapper and record producer from Oakland, California. Born in 1989, he grows out of the East Bay hip hop scene and also works under the labels G-Eazy Publishing and Bad Habit. His music sits in hip hop and trap.

Early life and education

Gillum spends part of his childhood in Berkeley, California, after his mother leaves his father when he is in first grade. He lives with his grandparents in Berkeley and attends Berkeley High School, later continuing there after the family moves to North Oakland. He later studies at Loyola University New Orleans and graduates in 2011 with a BA in music industry studies. While at university, he starts making singles with producer Christoph Andersson.

Career beginnings

G-Eazy first works as a record producer before gaining attention in the East Bay scene alongside artists including Lil B, Crohn and The Cataracs. He joins the local hip hop group The Bay Boyz, who release songs on Myspace. In 2008, after a college talent show performance, he is signed as a client by The Revels Group, the management company started by Matt Bauerschmidt and Matt Davis. In 2010, he opens for Lil Wayne and Snoop Dogg, building profile through mixtapes during this period.

Mixtapes and early releases

In August 2011, he releases The Endless Summer, which includes an updated version of the 1961 song “Runaround Sue” and draws significant attention online. The mixtape also features Greg Banks, Erika Flowers and Devon Baldwin. In November 2011, he tours the United States with Shwayze. “My Life Is a Party” later appears in Saints Row: The Third on an in-game radio station. He performs across the United States on the Vans Warped Tour in 2012, and later co-headlines the Excellent Adventure Tour with Hoodie Allen, playing cities across the country.

He releases his first full-length album, Must Be Nice, in 2012 as a fully independent release. It reaches number 3 on the iTunes Hip-Hop Chart.

Breakthrough albums

G-Eazy’s major-label debut, These Things Happen, arrives in 2014. It reaches number 3 on the US Billboard 200 and also tops the Billboard Hip-Hop/R&B and Top Rap Albums charts. He supports the album with a tour across the United States and Canada.

His second studio album, When It’s Dark Out, follows in 2015. It includes “Me, Myself & I” with Bebe Rexha, which reaches the top 10 of the US Billboard Hot 100.

In 2017 he releases The Beautiful & Damned. The album reaches number 3 on the US Billboard 200 and includes “No Limit” with Cardi B and A$AP Rocky, which reaches number 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The same year he also releases Step Brothers, an EP with Guatemalan DJ Carnage, and features on Dillon Francis’s “Say Less” and Kehlani’s “Good Life”, the latter connected to The Fate of the Furious. He also releases “Him & I” with Halsey.

Later releases and collaborations

In 2019, G-Eazy releases the single “West Coast” featuring Blueface, later adding ALLBLACK and YG in the video. He also issues the B-Sides EP, which includes “Bang” with Tyga, and later adds extra tracks to the release. That year he puts out the single “I Wanna Rock” with Gunna as the lead track from the Scary Nights EP, which follows shortly after.

In 2020, he announces Everything’s Strange Here, a project with an indie rock sound. He releases the album that June. In 2021, he releases These Things Happen Too, his fourth studio album, with singles including “Running Wild (Tumblr Girls 2)” featuring Kossisko and “Breakdown” featuring Demi Lovato.

Live work, fashion and other projects

G-Eazy plays major festival stages in 2015, including Lollapalooza, Electric Forest, Bonnaroo, Outside Lands, Made in America and Austin City Limits. He later tours internationally with his second world tour in 2016 and co-headlines the Endless Summer tour with Logic, with YG and Yo Gotti as support.

He also works in fashion, including a collaboration with Rare Panther in 2015, and is named among GQ magazine’s most stylish figures at New York Fashion Week.

Activism and business

In 2018, he headlines a Bay Area fire relief concert that raises $15 million. He also withdraws from an H&M sponsorship after criticism of a sweatshirt advertisement, performs at an Everytown fundraiser before March For Our Lives, and speaks publicly against gun violence. That year he launches the Endless Summer Fund, a non-profit focused on helping young people and supporting the Bay Area community.

In 2022, he joins the ownership group of the Oakland Roots professional soccer team.