OGM speaks with G-Eazy’s team, manager Matt Bauerschmidt to discuss motives behind rapper’s latest single with EST Gee
Over the course of his 13-year career, G-Eazy hasn’t been one to stay stagnant, as the “No Limit” rapper truly has put no limit on what he can achieve.
Whether it’s an 808-heavy trap cut or a glistening pop ballad, he seems to cut through each genre he steps in with a refined finesse — finding solace in never settling on one sound.
While his versatility shines throughout his discography, he leans back into his rap bag — a skill-set that intially garnered his stardom — going bar-for-bar with rising Louisville star EST Gee on “At Will.”
G-Eazy has strung a steady flow of releases in 2021, more recently finding himself alongside legendary guitarist Carlos Santana and Diane Warren on “She’s Fire.”
However, “At Will” exudes a persona of G-Eazy that thrives on being the underdog. He sounds hungry — motivated by something within him — as G is audibly biting at the bit to flex his pen game once more.
Flat on the beat, acknowledge the pen
Back in the my bag, I’m at it again
Rotate the roster, just toast out a ten
That shit just don’t even matter to him
Took me a minute to comprehend
Shit that I needed, I had within
Used to place all of my trust in them
I’m never doin’ that shit again
G-Eazy — “At Will”
While “At Will” serves as a blood-flowing banger fit for any pregame, it’s also a victory lap of sorts for G, coming back into rap at full force.
“[At Will] is just straight bars, like right at your head kind of rapping,” his manager Matt Bauerschmidt said. “It’s just a banger of a beat. We thought it’d be great in a sports context, so the video has a lot of basketball imagery to it. People can work out to it, warm up to it — you can feel yourself on this track, and also feel like you’re getting sh*t done.”
Linking with longtime collaborator Boi-1da, Eazy seemed more than comfortable over the track’s eerie sample and bouncy trap percussion. EST Gee followed suit, not only as the latest of his 2021 collaborations, but perhaps his most lethal. While EST Gee continues to ride the high of the grimly enticing Bigger Than Life Or Death, the pair is unmissable on “At Will” — spitting braggadocious flows and menacing bars throughout.
“Whenever Boi-1da sends beats, G is always really excited about it,” Bauerschmidt added.
G’s eclectic nature breeds his versatility. Dipping his toes in pop, rap, R&B and more, he’s seemingly centered by an enigmatic aura — both in taste and in the creation of his own music.
“G is just incredibly diverse. If you go to G’s house, you could literally hear like Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Mac Dre, The Doors, Kanye, Lil Wayne… he’s just fluid throughout tons of different genres. His taste is extremely eclectic in both what he listens to and what he makes. When you look at his albums, he’s putting Charlie Puth, A$AP Rocky and Cardi B all in the same album… he likes not being put into a box. He just feels different vibes every day and tries to make what makes sense to him.”
Labeled as this “underdog” or “anti-hero,” Eazy’s signature moody, intricate rhyme schemes have allowed him to flourish at the intersection of both pop and hip-hop. Toeing the line between the two genres, G has always found himself proving more people wrong with each release.
Simply put, his music has purpose — and it’s heard in every bar, syllable and hook he spits.
“He’s more of an underdog everyone wants to root for. Coming up, he didn’t have a massive co-sign putting his arm around him, and I think since G didn’t really come up in the traditional way and made his own rules, he was able to carve his own path. It wasn’t an overnight thing either — it was a long game all those years. In it all, I think people really relate to how hard he’s worked to get himself to where he is today.”
Listen to “At Will” below!
