Azizi Gibson: In Pursuit of Hip Hop

IN PURSUIT OF HIP HOP
In Arabic, azizi means “my precious.” The sweet sentiment is
something that doesn’t necessarily permeate with the grime
of Azizi Gibson’s electronic productions or his horror comic
branding. The rising star, combining electronic production with
rap verses from the likes of Waka Flocka Flame, is setting out to
evolve the two genres in one swoop.
Gibson, only 25, was born a military brat in Germany and lived in
exotic locations like Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic
of Congo), Thailand and Singapore before moving to Maryland. He
moved to LA in 2011 and a couple years later he was making strides
in the music scene with releases like the viral (and hilarious)
hit single “Smoking With The Gods,” a collaborative effort with
New Zealand producer Kamandi, and putting out a mixtape titled
Backward Books that continues to remain a fan favorite.
That, along with Gibson’s dark yet seemingly comedic branding
of skeletons, ghosts, and grim reapers—souffle’d with an afterlife
angle in contemporary hip-hop sound—is what got him noticed by
Flying Lotus, who signed the artist to his label Brainfeeder after a
serendipitous chat at a local gym.
“You cannot give up on yourself, your vision or your team,”
he says. With a budding career and a solid perspective, he touts
leaning inwards to manifest growth, and that has paid off.
Gibson parted from Brainfeeder, signed with the management
team at 36Brickhouse and dropped his self-released EP, The Last,
which led him toward the indie route again with his preHISTORIC
Till Death debut album, an 18-track wordsmith’s dream filled with
bangers alongside Waka Flocka Flame and Christopher Sabat
(the voice of Vegeta and several other Dragon Ball characters),
which rapidly climbed to No. 1 on the iTunes hip-hop/rap chart.
A Southside-produced EP hit, Grim Meets Evil, hurried afterward.
His third full-length album and second independent drop, A
New Life, is a flawless piece with heady rhymes and his signature
flow. Press play on “Matrix Slave Ship” and get low.
Gibson’s first headlining bit starts in June, hitting San Francisco,
New York City, Atlanta and other major cities. His final words
about the path ahead? “I have no doubts. Everything is going
according to plan.”

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