Government Name: Khalil Bernard Kinsey
My L.A.: Santa Monica
Album/ Mixtape: Soon You’ll Understand mixtape (January 2009)
Signed/ Unsigned: Unsigned
My Jam: "Truly Yours" feat. BJ The Chicago Kid
"I’m jaded by new music in general,” says Diz Gibran, sitting in Los Angeles’ Westwood Park on an unusually hot November afternoon. The irony is Diz, 30, is talking about himself and a new collective of L.A. emcees emerging within city limits.
Los Angeles, infamous for its glitz and glamour, has been bubbling with excitement lately—a sort of L.A. resurgence is taking place. “I call it a renaissance. And it’s bigger than music—it’s art, clothing, and all that. It’s an incredible scene to be apart of,” says Diz. He pauses for a minute to roll a cigarette, (“They’re called Bali Shags, a friend got me into it. I guess I still enjoy the process of rolling,”), lights it, then continues: “You have all people from all different walks of life and scenes, but are creative in their own way. We’re definitely showing something different and reshaping the perception of the West Coast.”
It’s true. Gone are the days of the long-heralded gangsta rap archetype. With all due respect to the pioneers of West Coast sound, it’s a new day and Diz is embracing the change. “People are seeing that there is an actual scene. And the dope shit about it is, the majority of kids in L.A. aren’t gangster. We all know gangsters, we all grew up with gangsters, seen gangster shit and have done gangster shit, but we’re not gangsters. We’re just regular people.”
Amid all the excitement, Diz doesn’t really have time to let it all sink in. His tardiness for the interview is just one indicator of how busy he stays. Aside from rapping, he’s a partner at a sales and marketing agency for burgeoning and established clothing brands. He also recently returned from his first show in New York City—performing at CMJ, a citywide music and movie festival, is already booked to perform at South by Southwest in March, and is slated to perform at the upcoming Winter Music Conference in Miami. “That’s what drives me, is where I’ve been and where I’m trying to go, what I’ve seen and what I want to see, and just trying to put all that together. That’s what makes up my music for the most part, it’s not anything that’s outside of myself.”
His last effort, 2005’s Spin City mixtape, garnered considerable buzz. Diz alone pushed 10,000 units. But that was then. Now? “I have a lot more than hip hop in me. Like, I grew up a skateboarder. I grew up traveling the world. I didn’t grow up in the hood. I grew up on hip hop, but I lived to kind of be more than that,” he says assuredly. “What I’m saying transcends, it’s just in rap form.” Linking up with underground Queens producer Moonshine in 2004 changed Diz’ whole approach. The two met at the Magic convention in Las Vegas through a mutual friend, and have been vibing ever since. Diz, along with Moonshine, is hoping to re-redefine L.A. sound. “It kind of harks back to the golden era of hip hop. It’s sample heavy, it’s heartfelt and it has an East Coast feel to it, but when I rhyme over it, it sort of blends it together. Moon being from Queens, me being from L.A., it’s kind of the best of both worlds.”
Like his rhymes, Diz is full of surprises—offering criticism on politics, sports, relationships, you name it. “If he was a white guy, I would have been totally behind him still,” he says, speaking of President-elect Barack Obama’s historic election. “If it was him in any other shape or form, I’d still be like this is an incredible leader right here. But, I’m also not confused about America. I don’t feel like America was just so ready, and has come so far, for a black president. I think the climate and the stars aligned. The climate in America has gotten to the point where we’re in dire straights. People were losing hope.” Not unlike the L.A. music scene’s drought—beginning with rapper 2pac’s ill-timed death in 1996 to about 2007, with the release of Blu’s underappreciated debut Below the Heavens (Sound In Color, 2007).
But despite the past, Diz is hopeful. His new effort, Soon You’ll Understand, is sure to make good on his promises. “It’s all original material, all Moonshine’s production, and Crook & Castles are presenting it,” he says. For someone who blasts Frank Sinatra at home, it’s fair to say the wiry emcee has something special brewing. “My music is life music. Whether it was good or bad, or if I was talking reckless, it’s still the full spectrum of me. That’s all I know how to do. I only know how to be true to myself,” he says. “If I came out with a timeless record, that would be great. Hip hop is not known for timeless music, anymore. I’m just trying to show a different side of things.”
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Comments
1.
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December 2, 2008 at 1:14 am
2.
fdhobson says:
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I'm feelin this dude......nice to hear something new nowadays
December 1, 2008 at 4:22 pm