GMK

“First up was GMK. I was shocked immediately by his presence and vocal clarity, and his first beat was an amazing, very Slum Village-ish arrangement with crazy synths. A little snooping around revealed that the pint-sized GMK also served as J.Pinder's hypeman--and that he makes his own beats. The Golden Mic King's production was fire, his delivery was crisp, and his hooks were catchy as hell. "GMK/I do it properly/I won't be obsolete/Control, Alt, Delete", he rapped. The crowd was immediately receptive, and he was pumped just to be up there--even snapping flicks of the crowd. I just love these moments when everyone at the bar is kinda looking around at each other, like--who the hail is this dude? He rocked it.”

http://lineout.thestranger.com/2007/08/sportn_life_5_year_anniversary_show_818 - The Stranger

Unlike the patchiness characteristic of many multiact performances, there wasn't a weak link on the Chop Suey stage. Latecomers weren't disappointed by the headliners. But early arrivals received perhaps the greatest treat -- GMK, a slender young man with a to-die-for face, who charmed the crowd with his gorgeous, clear voice, polished timing and lyrics, and warm, open onstage persona (at one point, he took photographs of the audience). He rapped about everything from racial profiling to MySpace.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/pop/328323_hiphop21.html - Seattle PI

Hip-hop and Japanese anime are becoming increasingly more connected in recent years. There are a variety of projects like Afro-Samurai or the Samurai Champloo series that pit the two mediums together in a colorful way. Still, it caught me off guard to see local rapper GMK release an all anime music video recently. After the jump, check out his latest single, "Music Swinger" off of his upcoming EP, Songs For Bloggers. That album is due out in May and features a variety of songs like these that come with their own visual stimulants. This one is definitely worth checking out.

by Jonathan Cunningham

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2009/04/new_video--gmk_music_swinger.php - Seattle Weekly

A couple weeks back, I took a nice jaunt down Rainier on the number 7 for old times' sake (awesome as ever) and met up with the dude who calls himself Brilliant, I call Young Cosby, and you call GMK—he of the Perfect 10 mixtape, of the superenergetic live shows (with his man J-Magnum, Street Sounds cohost and Seattle's best hypeman), of Jake One's anthemic "Big Homie Style." Finally, after weeks and weeks and weeks of missed connections (my fault), I got to sit down with GMK (and producer Dot) at his pad and listen to his upcoming EP, Songs for Bloggers. I'm happy to report that—after having had a particularly sketchy cluck and his girl attempt to simultaneously occupy the single bus seat next to mine (though they only rode for two stops), followed by a brisk uphill walk to the Golden Mic King's domain (I am fat, mind you)—it was totally worth the wait. Songs won't be out for a few weeks, but you don't have to take my word for it, either. In either an incredible bit of local-rap espionage or some savvy blog-minded hype-beasting, I received an e-mail from a mystery person linking me to a "leak" from Songs; the Ghost in the Shell–jacking video for "Music Swinger," one of my favorite tunes from the oh-so-futuristic, free-form, and fully fonky concept record—appropriately, you can find it online.

-Larry Mizell Jr

http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/my-philosophy/Content?oid=1220760&ms - The Stranger

OGP Productions
Good Day,


I am contacting you today to inform you of an exciting and bright new talent GMK. GMK who goes by Mic L' Kryton when it comes to production and released "Impressive material " – Koch Entertainment - on his full length album "Golden Verbal" definitely bangs out the beats on this album and lyrically is as sharp as any industry MC's. However, I will let you be the judge. Below I have provided links to GMK’s public website. Please contact us for a production CD. If you received this package via standard mail, you have also received a copy of his recent release "Perfect 10" hosted by West Coast DJ of the Year DJ B-Mello as well this package includes a copy of his hit single “College Girls”.



Coming of the hills of opening for GZA and Ying Yang Twins and featured artist on Jake Ones “White Van Music” GMK has a lot underway for 2009. Already scheduled to perform the first 6 months of 2009 with artist such as 88 Keyz, Murs, Izza Kizza, and Wale and a tour with dates in Atlanta, California, and New York in the summer. GMK will soon be shopping his highly anticipated full length LP currently untitled after his EP “Songs for Bloggers” which will be released May 09 via Itunes and Vimby. Coming this year GMK will have featured production on the world famous B-Boy Fidget's mixtape "True Story" hosted by Shadyville, and Bumsquad DJ's, own DJ Scene. As well GMK will have production credits and vocal guest appearances on national and local artist such as A.O. (Capital Records), D Black, Choklate, J. Pinder, and Macklemore.


Public website:
http://www.gmkbrilliantreality.com/


New material:
http://www.myspace.com/whoisgmk
http://www.myspace.com/gmkthegreat


EPK:
http://www.sonicbids.com/gmk
- OGP Productions

You might've heard a li'l bit of buzz 'bout my man GMK—Golden Mic King to you—and it's definitely well deserved. Dude impresses audiences with high-energy sets characterized by a certain, almost scholastic, clarity and preciseness that seems to be his calling card and is all over his debut mixtape, Perfect 10. Hosted by—get it right—West Coast DJ of the Year B-Mello, Perfect 10 features production from BeanOne, Black & Brown, Eric G, and the King himself. GMK has the goods on the mic, too—heart, insight, and technique all come through, with the kind of shrugged-off cockiness that is the birthright of everybody who ever studied a Jay-Z verse. Best part, you can download this whole 10-track mixtape for FREE from www.onlygp.com. Do it. This kid is one to watch; he'll be making that leap from "surprisingly dope" to "seriously freakin' ill" in the future.


http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=429016
- The Stranger

For Seattle MC GMK, the “underground” title bestowed upon him and most other rappers from the area satisfies him…for now.

“I guess I’m considered underground for now and that’s cool,” says GMK, aka Louis Johnson. “But I’m not doing this to be an underground legend. The plan is to blow up outside of Seattle.”

The plan may seem simple and stereotypical of any unsigned rapper, but what sets GMK

apart is that he may have the best chance of any Seattle MC to actually find mainstream success.
While most rappers in the Seattle hip-hop scene embrace the “politically conscious” tag that has been thrust upon the city, GMK is one of a handful of MC’s hoping to buck the idea that Seattle cannot produce commercially viable music.

“A lot of people don’t see Seattle as being able to produce anything for the masses,” says Johnson. “I’d beg to differ on that point.”

His best attempt at dispelling that myth may be his last CD, the “Perfect 10” Mixtape, which he released earlier this fall.

The CD, which took two years to record and refine, is GMK’s most solid effort to date. While on past albums the 21-year old has struggled with defining his own style, he is at the top of his confidence game with this one, assured of who he is and aware of his talents.

After years of grinding out tracks that reached few ears, GMK is making a concerted effort to get his product out. He spent last year blazing the local scene with shows before launching “Perfect 10” in an innovative way.

“Right now, it’s free to download online,” says Johnson. “People can even pick up cover artwork at shows.”

While some may be confused at the concept of a struggling artist giving away his product for free, the move is just another step in what GMK sees will be the long road to success.

“Right now, it’s all about building a fan base,” Johnson says. “Hopefully [people] will like what they hear now and support other projects down the road.”

But building, and keeping, a solid fan base in Seattle is no easy task. Outside of maybe Blue Scholars and Common Market, the hip-hop game in Seattle is more about who’s hot at the moment than who has been consistent in the long run. Even artists with solid fan bases, like Ricky Pharoe, have fled for greener pastures in California.

“Obviously the plan is to blow up outside of Seattle,” says Johnson. “But it’s almost like people in Seattle don’t accept artists who have more mainstream styles.”

While GMK is confident of his mass appeal, others seem a bit skeptical. Some of GMK’s favorite lines only make sense after listening to one of his rambling reasoning’s behind them. Lately he has tried to tone down the complicated verbiage, but still, concepts of the songs often are only known by GMK himself.

Early on in his career, which began when he started rapping at age eight, GMK struggled with comparisons to Jay-Z.

“Don’t even put me and Jay in the same breath,” he says. “I feel like I try to emulate that kind of swagger Jay has, but I know what my music is and it’s nowhere near Jay’s level.”

Swagger is the perfect term to explain what set’s GMK apart from other Seattle rappers. The MC is confident that everything he spits is better than the next MC. When asked to name his top-5 rappers in Seattle, he names himself as number one.

But don’t be set off by this bravado. GMK doesn’t just talk the talk, he walks the walk. He excels on tracks like “Let Me Live,” where over a banger of a beat, GMK details how he deals with the vultures around him and “Promised Land,” which sounds like a un-released Lupe Fiasco track, where GMK preaches over a beat that sounds like something football players listen to in order to get pumped before a game

He stumbles on his self-produced “Soul Vibrations,” which comes off as filler, but finds his inner sensitive-guy on “We’ve Ended as Lovers” which follows a troubled relationship that never progressed past a physical point.

On past albums, GMK also produced many of the beats he flowed over. But here he takes a step back and uses a plethora of different producers, making for a more expansive sound and allowing him to focus more on his lyrics.

GMK still has work to do and dues to pay, but recent positive reviews indicate his star is one the rise. As he blazes through whatever shows he can get on, he has built a reputation for stealing the show as an opening act and interacting with the crowd in ways others can’t. Along with rappers like Grynch, Seattle may have found a solid cornerstone of young MC’s who can bring mainstream appeal.
- The Spectator

GMK—Songs for Bloggers

GMK has made a hiphop record that fully absorbs the World Wide Web into the logic of hiphop. At the end of the work, the two (hiphop/WWW) are seen as inseparable. Hiphop is not a stranger to social-networking sites, e-mail, or even old modem noises, but GMK is perhaps the first to dedicate an entire work to this communication technology. He not only attempts to mirror the experience of surfing on the web, he also discusses the impact it has had on the production and distribution of music. The beats on the album have a beauty that is utopian, and GMK raps with the calm and ease of a person who has spent most his life on the other side of the computer screen. Smif N Wessun once rapped about maintaining a thin line between rap and reality; GMK's raps remove the thin line between rap and virtual reality.

Link
http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/renewed-school/Content?oid=1847102
- CHARLES MUDEDE

Day Four

While we waited for Day Four of The Program to begin, we milled around the floor at Neumos and conducted a short, certainly scientific but methodologically flawed poll. "Are you here to see any group in particular? Have you heard of any of the groups performing tonight?" we asked. Out of ten participants, four were there to see Blue Scholars, two and a half came for Dyme Def, one half of a person had even heard of J. Pinder, and three were there to see "no one." The most common question Seattlest received in return: "What time do the Blue Scholars start?" Day Four: GMK, J. Pinder, Dyme Def, and the Blue Scholars.

Seattlest came to Day Four mostly for GMK and Johnny Magnum, whom we feel are primed to take on the local hiphop universe in a big way this upcoming year. Deliciously catchy, upbeat tracks like "Let it Go," "Dream On," and of course, the too-short "Baby Wanna Drop That" had the crowd at Neumos enthused, hands in the air, and Johnny came over afterwards to talk to me about the show. Both he and GMK were sick as dogs the week before The Program. "We were at 98% tonight, and we're usually at 120%," he said. "I've been taking every pharmacy drug I can find... It's a big honor to be here." The guys rocked it, although we agree with Johnny that perhaps the show was less magnificent than what we've seen from GMK before.

By Katelyn in Arts & Events
- Seattlest

I recently sat in on a listening session for GMK's Songs for Bloggers EP, and it's definitely some next shit; here, GMK finds his opaque, tech-obsessed rhyme style buoyed on the Prince-funky futurism provided chiefly by Dot (who you might know as Vitamin D's younger bro). Clocking in around 30 minutes, the EP's ADHD rhythms sound much like an audio analog of the six-windows-open net-surfing experience. GMK and Dot have crafted an extremely ambitious project that succeeds wildly; I think this could be a name-making project for both. As the Golden Mic King would say himself: brilliant.

-Larry Mizell Jr

http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/my-philosophy/Content?oid=1192427 - The Stranger