Gabriel Stark

Innovative, inspirational, interesting and incredible are just a few words that came to mind when I came across music coming from Gabriel Stark. Immediately you'll recognize that he is a product of the newer generation of musicians who appreciate all forms and types of music. On his previous work you'll find him doing his own production which consists of hip-hop, rap, indie, pop and almost anything that he can get away with. Ultimately he leaves you with a full plate of deep or superficial lyrics and varied instrumentals that would satisfy any modern listener who is looking for more than just a one-trick pony who deals with one type of sound. Out with the old in with the new generation of music. Gabriel Stark has just unleashed his latest full album which is entitled Starky F. Kennedy. This album brought us two singles in aticipation of the release. They were "Jackie O" and "Rolling Through Dallas" which easily showcases the different type of styles this artist brings to the table. And that's just two fo the tracks. You'll find that the rest of the album contains tracks that could of all been chosen as singles as no two tracks really sound the same. This is a very ambitious project from Stark as he's really allowing you, the listener, to give him a chance to prove to you that he has something new to bring. The album speaks on political issues, social issues and other things that are obviously just present in Gabriel's brain stream. Some of the other stand out tracks are "Scriptures", "Glory" & "Marilyn Monroe". No matter your tastes in music; there's definitely something for everyone to enjoy. Download the album below. - EARMILK.com

Attention upcoming artist: take a note from Gabriel Stark’s grind. This dude has been working as hard as he can over the last 6 months to create 3 amazing projects and today I bring to you his latest release, a free album entitled “Thank You Starky”. He reminds me of Skizzy Mars in the way he sticks true to his original flow/vibe in every song but can kill just about any type of beat. If you are just getting catching onto Starky, then download his other two tapes at his website GabrielStarkMusic.com. Check him out on facebook so you can watch this guys grind pay off over the next 12 months, just watch - GoodMusicAllDay.com

Who doesn’t remember Brenton Duvall’s track ‘Mean Planes and Taylor Gangs’ the song featuring Wiz Khalifa and Taylor Swift. Well today I’ve got a new version of this track, this time instead of Wiz Khalifa, Gabriel Stark goes in on the track, the new rapper who brought you the chilled out summer anthem ‘Random Song That Doesn’t Fit’. The beat was so sick it’s good to hear another rapper on it, and Stark does a good job. Enjoy! - ThisSongIsSick.com

Gabriel Stark’s GATSBY project’s release date is in sight and with that in mind the NYC native teams up with fellow New Yorker Harry Fraud for the latest release which really discusses the troubles of inner city living. Some nice shit right here. Melrose & Cortlandt is an ode from Gabriel to the blocks in the Bronx he grew up on. GATSBY will be here on Halloween. - You Heard That New.com

With GATSBY (Oct. 31) and the Presidential Election right around the corner, I wanted to release another song from the album that really discusses the troubles of inner city living. Using my music as a platform to discuss some of the issues that I see unjust in my community, I wanted to include something more conscious on this project. From societies effect on the youth to education, Melrose & Cortlandt is an ode to the blocks I’ve grown up on in The Bronx. - 2dopeboyz

New release from Bronx artist, Gabriel Stark - AllHipHop.com

While I’m still vibing out to Rolling Through Dallas, the Bronx emcee hits us with his new project. Tracklist/download link after the jump. - 2Dopeboyz

The always humble and extremely talented Gabriel Stark let COM get an exclusive first peak of his upcoming album, GATSBY. Gabriel Stark hails from New York, New York and graduated from college earlier this year. Stark has been on my radar ever since I started looking up underground hip-hop and pleasantly stumbled upon his music. Earlier this year he released Starky F. Kennedy which took an interesting unique look at his life compared to that of JFK's. Stark's ability to make enjoyable music that still makes you think is something that many artists don't have. I had the privilege of meeting him when he performed on LDOC at UNC in April and he absolutely kills the stage, as can also be seen in his Webster Hall recap video.

Read the GATSBY review and check out Danielle's Song after the jump!


After recently graduating from college, Gabriel Stark's life is in a critical transition period. GATSBY takes us through his thoughts and journeys as he changes into a new life stage. This tape really has it all, from new school to old school, from societal problems to childhood memories, while always being wavy of course. Stark's lyricism and flow plus the sick production on each track make for a deadly combination.

GATSBY starts off with a boom with CAKE. The sound clip at the beginning comes from the movie Layer Cake and states that no matter what gets thrown in Stark's way he's never going to give up. After starting with that banger the next song takes an opposite style with the catchy sample of The Chordettes' Lollipop. The song is appropriately named Icing and discusses the changes in Stark's life from when he was a child to now that he is grown up. The next song gives us a fun feel as well and then it switches up the pace with Immortal which samples Lonely People. The chorus makes this a thought-provoking song as the listener is inclined to listen closely to the lyrics in the verses.

The hard-hitting track Rumble Young Man Rumble provides a smooth transition into The Anthem. In the wavy anthem Stark states where he is, how he got there, where he's going to be, and the movement he's starting. Directly following that is Melrose and Courtlandt, which is easily one of the best songs on the project. The track tackles the issues of kids growing up in a society where people tell us that we can't do it, we can't make it, we can't amount to anything. After telling common stories of these instances Stark then tells us that we can make it, that he's going to make it. This is the track that best showcases his lyricism as it delves into the deep issues of society.

Two songs later he gives us Danielle's Song, which can be streamed and downloaded below. It's a smooth track that gives you a taste of the lyricism and flow that can be seen throughout the whole album. A couple more songs and then the project closes with Stark's positive message in It's Always Sunny.

The tape as a whole makes it one of the best mixtapes of the year. The production, lyricism, flow, everything is just so on point. GATSBY takes us through the journey of Stark's life and I believe this tape will greatly help him on his way to being where he wants to be; to being where he know he can be. Stark, who is mysterious like the main character in The Great Gatsby, has made it this far and has never even released a video. By being one of the hardest working, talented, and humble people that I know, he's bound for greatness. - College Of Music.com

It has been almost exactly one year since I first met Gabriel Stark in person, the fresh-faced Bronx native with an eager attitude and subtle humbleness. We met in John Paul Jones Park in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn during CMJ Music Marathon, a calm day that perfectly emulated Stark’s relaxed demeanor, the same demeanor he carries through to his music. It was this first meeting that clarified how I would translate Stark’s music, as I fully understood the mentality of him as a musician, his striving passion to push forward without losing humility. He never misses an opportunity to progress, consistently experimenting and releasing new material, even recently wrapping up his first headlining tour throughout the East Coast of the States. Stark brings this passion and drive to his latest album, GATSBY, his second album of the year following January’s Starky F. Kennedy. The 10 tracks he delivers here draw from throughout hip-hop’s existence, blending old styles and new, nostalgic cuts followed by more electronic-focused tracks; Stark manages to juxtapose varying styles through consistent, socially conscious lyrics and top-notch production.

Lyricism has always been an important aspect of Gabriel Stark’s approach to music, with an intense focus on conscious lyrics that blend seamlessly with “dope ass beats”. As soon as GATSBY begins, our ears are met with a sound clip from 2004’s Daniel Craig-starring Layer Cake, the beginning of album opener “CAKE”. The clip instills a sense that Stark won’t be slowed down by the shit that life throws his way, instead delivering pulsating beats and slick verses. Right from the onset, “CAKE” hits hard. A raucous combination of pounding drums and brash horns, the song keeps your heart racing from start to finish. Following “CAKE” is the aptly named “Icing”, which ironically goes in a vastly different direction from the former. Sampling the Chordettes’ 1958 hit “Lollipop”, Stark’s interpretation is actually pretty damn good, a chill take on the upbeat original.

Great (individual) song pacing and solid production are skills that Stark continues to impress with, but GATSBY does pose one issue, that being the rapper’s juggling of influences and styles throughout the entire album. Each song embodies various aspects of hip-hop, past and present, such as “Melrose and Courtlandt”, which draws on West Coast hip-hop of the early-to-mid ‘90s, or the College Dropout era Kanye West-inspired “Danielle’s Song”. Next to that, though, are more electronic-leaning tracks, with “Lemonade Stand” being a fitting example. The song has a grimy, synthesizer-heavy production throughout, with an eerie atmosphere and sparkling notes dotting the soundscape. While each of the album’s ten songs are impressive on their own merit, the overall pace of the album is thrown off by the ever-changing style from song to song.

Despite the pace of GATSBY as a whole being off-kilter, Stark’s lyrics and the quality of his production make each song impressive in themselves. This is where his progression as a musician—in his lyrical style and production techniques—has paid off, as his passion truly comes out here. “Rumble Young Man Rumble”, for example, has Stark delivering heavy-hitting verses, one after the other, amidst a slick, New Orleans-inspired beat, carried along by rhythmic guitar riffs and an underlying, funk-laden bassline. “Kiddie Pool” is another moment where Stark’s production shines, sampling Cold War Kids’ chilling “Hospital Beds”. Stark uses the song to incredible advantage, grafting Nathan Willett’s vocals and piano keys seamlessly into this mellow, hip-hop soundscape. More than that, though, the lyrics evoke a sense of a more mature Stark, who is further learning from and examining the world—“I made a promise to my momma how I’d find a way one day”—and still learning from it.

This learning is what the whole album, inconsistent overall pacing aside, exemplifies, and what Stark continues to impress with. He is learning, every day, but what sets him apart is his insistence on utilizing what he learns. With every release, his production improves, as do his lyrics, yet he does so without an arrogant attitude found in many rappers. He strives to improve, all the while with a refreshing passion and reserve, pushing forward but capitalizing on the lessons learned from every previous experience. GATSBY represents the progression of Gabriel Stark as a person and a musician, his desire to take every opportunity and grow while understanding and respecting the past. From start to finish, the album is, through his lyrics and the influences present in each individual song, Stark’s way of exploring the history of hip-hop, a means of understanding how the genre is influenced by itself and other genres. GATSBY is a history lesson in itself, and Stark is your teacher.

GATSBY drops on October 31st, and below you can stream the lead single "Danielle's Song".

Recommended Tracks: "Melrose and Courtlandt", "Kiddie Pool", - Some Kind of Awesome.com

Sampling a movie quote at the beginning of your album is a bold move. For one, you’d better hope the listeners have actually seen the film, such that they get the reference. Secondly, if it’s going to be this all-encompassing, high-minded type of quote, the record should live up to it and follow similar themes. Otherwise don’t even bother and just sample the “Funny Surfer Dude” YouTube video a la Riff Raff, instead.

That being said, GATSBY, the latest project from young New York rapper Gabriel Stark, opens with a quote from the Daniel Craig cult favorite Layer Cake. The quote is taken from the end of the film and basically exposes the stratified human experience. You know, the old “We all start from the bottom and work our way up high enough that we end up looking down on where we came from” type of spiel. Having just come off his first tour at the end of the summer, and just graduating college to pursue music full time, I guess it’s fair to say that Gabriel Stark is in between strata, and GATSBY truly epitomizes this transitional phase in his life.

The hunger is there (quite a few of the tape’s track titles are food-related, not to mention Stark’s own sweet tooth leaving lyrical dents throughout). But in the figurative sense, Stark definitely has passion, and an ear for interesting beats. “Immortal” snags a sample from The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby”, and The Chordettes’ “Lollipop” is sped up and woven through “Icing”. Both are fun and immediately recognizable samples, which is great, but sometimes letting the listener dig a bit for that super special and secret sample can be fun, too.

Lyrically, the album is incredibly ambitious. Much like a layer cake, the themes in GATSBY are incredibly stratified. From politics to girls to social issues, Stark covers them all, which, for a 22-year-old, is an amazing feat. However, there’s a stark (get it?) contrast between the maturity of GATSBY’s themes and the way Stark communicates them. While touching on some pretty dense issues, Stark’s lyrics definitely reveal his youth.

GATSBY doesn’t illustrate that Layer Cake quote so much as it just happens to represent one of those strata. Here is a young man in a transformative stage in his life. He knows what he wants, but he’s not sure how to get there. The passion and struggle are evident in Stark’s voice, but he needs to find his bearings. Though I’m sure with his drive, and taste in beats, he’ll be on top layer looking down in no time. - EARMILK.com

Check out the young, Bronx spitter - MTV

Bronx native Gabriel Stark was recently in the studio with M1 of dead prez and hopes to gain the attention of more listeners by expanding the sound of hip-hop…
- XXL Magazine