Music
Meet the latest Red Bull 60 Second Freestyle artist bringing lyrical heat
Every clever lyric and twisted tale G Perico spits exists because the man witnessed it firsthand. From being shot and still performing to escaping police raids and jail stints, Perico has seen and been through it all in his short lifetime. Thankfully, music and a million-dollar state of mind changed the trajectory for the South Central Los Angeles native.
Since releasing 2012's "Tha Innerprize", Perico has made a name for himself as one of the West Coast's most prolific street poets by mixing G-Funk sensibilities with an appreciation of old-school Southern rap. He has spent the last several years releasing a slew of projects while simultaneously creating additional opportunities for himself in clothing, real estate, and community outreach. Fresh off a high-profile feature on J. Cole's recent Dreamville "Gangsta Grillz" mixtape compilation ("It's wild to think J. Cole thought enough of me to include me"), the emcee, with a style combining charisma and candor, is now the latest artist featured for Red Bull's "60 Second Freestyle" series.
Perico's transformation was years in the making but couldn't happen until he decided to leave his criminal life in the past. That meant leaving behind the spoils that came with it also. "Back when I was in the street, they knew me for having cars, clothes, and money all the time because I knew how to hustle, and I was smart. Or I thought I was smart, but I realized I was going about it wrong because I always ended up getting in trouble, getting locked up and shit," he shared with a laugh.
The ascent to where he is now didn't take shape until Perico recognized the allure of the block was nothing more than fool's gold. Big homies doing prison bids, former friends flamed out on drugs, and so many others who didn't fulfill their promise pushed him to seek a different path through rap.
"Looking at the older homies, they'd always end up going to jail, getting back out and having to start all over again from scratch. I knew I didn't want to end up like that and waste this good opportunity that I had. So I had to dumb it down and start from scratch. But it worked because now I got a lot of people and labels checking for me."
I'll ride around the city, roll the window down on my homies and see what's going on. Those conversations usually give me something to rap on. So I like to get out there and be out with my people.
For his music, G still looks to his city for inspiration. He remains tapped into his surroundings by cruising familiar locales to keep a pulse on things. "I'll ride around the city, roll the window down on my homies and see what's going on. Those conversations usually give me something to rap on. So I like to get out there and be out with my people."
And when it comes time to record what he's seen and heard, Perico doesn't employ a pen and pad these days. "I used to but it would slow me down," he said. "I'd be trying to get out all the words, scratching stuff out and going back. Or I'd get to the studio and try to spit whatever words I had written down earlier and it would sound too forced. So now, I just get in there and talk. Or if I'm not around a mic, I'll record it in my phone so I can remember what I want it to sound like when I get to the studio."
Perico has invested back into his neighborhood for providing him with the wealth of source material. Recently, he purchased a building located on the corner of 108th and Broadway in South LA. Featured on the cover of 2019's "Ten-Eight", it's the place where his earliest studio recordings took place. The same spot that served as a boxing gym in an earlier incarnation, a place where he spent time as a pre-teen before jumping into the streets. In the future, he hopes it can be a haven of hope for young people looking for alternatives to negativity.
"That building will be there for kids to use even if their parents don't have the money for them to do some of the things. If they want to box, they'll be able to box. They can take coding classes. They can come after school and hang out so they don't have to be out in the streets like I was, when I was. I know me being there shows them that there's more to it than just the street shit I saw when I was their age."
As an independent artist, Perico appreciates what it means to land a spot in Red Bull "60 Second Freestyle." “It's an honor, man," he said. "Red Bull is a major corporation, so for them to see me working and want to work with me is a blessing. I'm super appreciative of the platform and the chance to talk my shit for the world."
Landing the placement is a testament to Perico's unwavering belief in himself. He defied countless odds to become the artist he is today. It's all part of the path he envisioned once he decided to give music his all. "The biggest thing I can say is trust your vision and mash on it," Perico said when asked for a critical piece of game to share with artists climbing into their careers. "You have to know who you are as an artist. Because labels want radio songs and shit. That ain't me. I talk to the streets and speak to the things I know. And it's working for me so I stick to it."
He continued, "If you want to do big shit, and be like a Puff, a Suge or a Nipsey, you gotta believe in yourself. It's gon’ be plenty of people telling you why it can't be done. But you gotta have a vision and mash on that."
