Interview: Gao the Arsonist Builds His Own World as Earth Continues to Crumble

The old adage of expressing yourself in the face of tradition is borderline melodramatic at this point. But, as with most archaic sayings, it's wholeheartedly true. The only way to legitimately mold yourself as a singular being is by somehow finding the courage to say, "this is what the hell I want to do with my life, regardless of what family, friends, or outsiders may think or believe."

In a world that favors economical complacency over self-actualization, saying "fuck it" may seem a tad optimistic, if not a little cautionary. Sometimes, this attitude can read as nihilism, which in turn can lead to passivity or lack of ambition.

We find ourselves in a time period where interpreting life as a meaningless vacuum is easier than catching a good night's sleep. Diseases, fires, hurricanes, heartbreaking deaths, and constitutional depravity are headlining our own "Book of Revelation." Naturally, it can be hard to find inspiration when your reminded every day of our hellish atmosphere.

On the flip side though, there's a lot of us who view these adversities as an opportunity for creative change and forward movement. We can build our own worlds from the grassroots level without having to adhere to monarchial tendencies. Contributing to the betterment of ourselves and others while also saying "fuck convention."

For rising independent artist Gao the Arsonist, capturing the very essence of rebellion and creative control is basically second nature at this point. Born into a conservative Jamaican family, Gao has always walked a fine line between ambiguous and understandable. Before rapping and producing, the multi-dimensional talent ponders different landscapes in his head like a movie director, creating this cinematic universe where life can seem a little more exciting.

Gao (which means "to tell" in Chinese) has spent most of his life in different sectors of the world (UK, China, and Canada to name a few), which in retrospect, has helped him gain a much broader mindset when it comes to his music. "Well me being geographically so far removed from the genre, I was able to look from the outside," Gao tells me. "I was in such an international, culturally ambiguous environment that I almost had much more agency in what I was influenced by."

The music itself is reflective of someone who is sick of the institution. His production on projects like Solstice (which was a narrative album with frequent collaborator Empty Sentiment) and Autopsy of a Degenerate (solo) is bass-heavy, apocalyptic, and borderline desolate. Sometimes, his beat-making can sound grimy and vast, like the many movie-sampling snippets he would strategically place on his Instagram for public consumption.

As for the rapping, Gao's multi-syllabic rhymes are reminiscent of early Tyler and Earl, two guys he was easily inspired by when growing up. His caustic delivery mirrors the smog-filled scenery of the production. His messaging is as undefined as it is relatable-fictional but also riddled with seasoned verity.

Never is this more apparent than on "Guap," a dynamic track that almost sarcastically fetishizes the monetary gain that an artist like him would detract from. Dressed up in his patented gas mask-which is a look that maintains his enigma to outsiders-Gao is seen throughout different places during the music video in almost Kubrick-like fashion. When the beat switches a quarter of the way through, nighttime descends, and secrets are sinisterly revealed. In this capitalist society, people are addicted to something, whether it be money, nicotine, or other drugs. Our incentives are measured in cents according to Gao. He's got a pretty good case.

Despite the Sci-Fi implications, Gao is like any artist trying to make it. He's been working on projects outside of music, whether it be a new podcast, more music videos, or better business opportunities. If he's taught me anything, it's that the world around us may feel hopeless, but your mind carries the biggest and brightest universe. And that's something we all need to understand if change and forward movement is attained.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Gao about his vision, what inspires him, and what his plans are for the future. Check it out below! I've also added links to his YouTube channel (so subscribe), Instagram, Soundcloud, and BandCamp. If you enjoy the music, make sure to buy his album for support!

You said in your intro video that you lived in China for a little bit. How was that experience? Other than finding your name, how did it affect you artistically?

You know how in music, hip-hop more specifically, artists tend to 'rep' a certain location that represents their sound? East Coast, West Coast, Atlanta being the trap Mecca, Memphis birthing phonk e.t.c. Well me being geographically so far removed from the genre, I was able to look from the outside. I was in such an international, culturally ambiguous environment that I almost had much more agency in what I was influenced by. I always watch interviews of artists who say they "grew up" around certain music but because of the cultural limbo I was raised in, I had control over most things that entered my ears. (yesyesIknowthisisbecominglessandlessrelevantintheadventoftheinternetandtheproliferationofsubgenres)

Even saying that, I would never have found hip-hop in the same capacity if I hadn't been in China. I guess it was that same fluidity in culture that allowed a style of music that had so little presence in my life to suddenly consume it. Living in the UK until I was 12, rap was something I was only vaguely aware of. My older cousins played Souja Boy on their phones in 2009 and my friend was bumping 'Bugatti' before I even knew who Future was or even trap for that matter. My 6 years in Beijing allowed me to have so much more access to hip-hop and music globally:  when it eventually did cross paths with me, I latched onto it.

Where else have you lived in your life? Why did you feel like Canada was the perfect place to continue your music career? 

As I said before, I was raised in the UK until my first year of middle school. I had settled down and felt as though I had finally found my place in the world after a less than glorious elementary school. That all came grinding to a halt when my dad got a teaching job in fucking China of all places.

Now Canada is an interesting place. I have literally no ties to any one country on the planet. Nowhere feels like home so it's strange that I have this weird fixation on the maple state right? Well you see for one, I have a grandma there. That’s more of a supplementary reason than anything but, I also have some collaborators there who I just happened to meet online. I have the beginnings of a network of artists that would make building from the ground up that much easier. Lastly, if you want to be successful in the western music industry, it doesn't have to be said that North America is the way to go. The thing is, though, as we were discussing earlier, the US has deep-rooted musical history in whichever location you go. Though Canada has a developed industry, no real distinctive sound has matured from there so it would be (presumably) easier to be an influencer and hopefully 'carve my name in the concrete'.

From the music I’ve heard from you, it seems like you enjoy building these worlds through production and Sci-Fi narratives. What inspires all of that?

I just love world-building, man. I’ve always been fascinated by fiction that could never happen in reality. When I was a little kid I would spend hours and hours just reading wikipedia articles on random mythical creatures. I would get engrossed in the narratives of video games I didn’t play and become obsessed with the lore of tv shows I didn’t watch. In fact, my nigh unhealthy interest in fantasy became pretty strange as for almost a decade I build an entire world with lore, history, fleshed out characters, spin offs and a lot of inconsistencies entirely in my head. I would escape into my little cinematic universe when I was unoccupied and my dad would always ask me why I was glazed eyed, staring into space. Shit, this continued until surprisingly recently, when I just suddenly grew out of it literally a couple of years ago. Now that I think about it, maybe it just transformed into music.

I’m so happy that you’re doing a video for “Guap,” because when I listened back to your Autopsy of a Degenerate album, that was one of my favorites. It also came off as personal (at least to me), especially as an independent artist trying to make it. I know you’re still kind of new in the music game, but what advice would you give to an independent artist trying to make money early on?

Ay I’m glad you liked the project. Everyday I’m deathly afraid that I made my magnum opus at 17 lmao. Also yeah, it is extremely personal. That’s exactly what the point is: an extended metaphor of an autopsy used  to explore the concept of vulnerability. 

Damn, making money? Ha I’m really not one to talk to about that. I’m just ridiculously lucky that I’m as much a producer as I am an artist. From my own streams, you know how much money I made in a year? 24 dollars.  Recently, though, I’ve finally started making petty cash from production which is such an incredible feeling. I’m not a superstitious person at all but ‘manifestation’ was a big part of my small growth. Now it isn’t the universe deciding to bless you because you said some syllables, but it’s asserting something and putting every fibre in your body behind making that goal a reality. In my junior year we had to write a goal down to achieve by graduation and we folded the paper up into origami cranes. I wrote down ‘I will make money from my passion’ and the energy I put out since then was getting me closer to realising that goal. 

Lol that sounded corny as hell. More tangibly, my advice for making money as an artist is to be a producer. My advice for making money as a producer is fuck all those marketing tutorials that show up in your youtube ads and connect with people. Just have some genuine conversation with some genuine artists and if people like your stuff, the opportunity to work will arise. Just keeping authentically putting yourself in front of people you respect and admire and something will come. Probably.

What are some of your music inspirations outside of Tyler, the Creator? It’s funny you mention him as an inspiration, because I do hear a lot of early rebellious Tyler in your music.

Yeah old Tyler was a big inspiration for the foundation of my style. Because of my inexperience with rapping, I was completely unaware of style or sub-genre, so though I had some very raw potential it was kind of aimless. The moment I heard ‘Yonkers’, I was obsessed with that grimy, paced multi-syllabic flow. The first track I made after I heard that song was a bootleg ‘Yonkers’ and nothing more. After that, I soon discovered Earl and his doris-era sound became a huge influence (to this day doris is probably my favourite record).  

Initially, I tried so hard to emulate the gruffness of Tyler and Earl’s deliveries and cadnecies but being 14 with a voice going through the turmoil of puberty, I had to fucking pitch my voice down by a couple semi-tones to not listen to myself and cry. I told myself over and over again ‘when my voice drops it’ll be fine’. Then my voice dropped and I still sounded like a choir boy so I thought I was fucked. This is why I cite JID and Lou the Human as important influences. The first time I heard JID I thought to myself ‘This man sounds like a little girl’ but the thing is though, it didn’t detract from it’s enjoyability. In fact I think his voice enhanced the appeal of his dynamic flows and cadences. From then, I learned to embrace the natural qualities of my own voice instead of trying desperately to copy someone else’s.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed your Instagram snippets of beats you’re making in the current moment (especially since they have movie references). What genre/eras of film inspires these samples?

I mean I love cinema deeply but I’m not that much of a nerd to pick up a movie from the 40s to casually watch. (That’s going to change in the near future though because I really enjoy the snippets I skim through). I don’t know though, I was just naturally drawn to the aesthetic of 1940 horror movie scores and I loved twisting them into darktrap beats. The samples have this natural insidious, edgy quality that to be honest I don’t really hear in many hip hop instrumentals. Hm...am I creating a new wave? Lmao I don’t know I haven’t thought about it too deeply until now. 808 go brrr.

How did you form a relationship with Empty Sentiment? Based on Solstice, it appears that both of you have the same type of artistic grandiosity. I know he’s from Canada too, does that must make things easier music-wise for collaboration? 

Empty Sentiment is my brother from another ethnic background and continent entirely. I found his stuff while scrolling through Chester Watson’s follow list on soundcloud (very good method to find collaborators btw) and I instantly fell in love with his sound. I messaged him straight away and that relationship eventually blossomed into a friendship as we collaborated more often. So I’ve never met Empty in person, him being from Canada is actually one of the biggest reasons why I chose there. I’m planning on moving in with him and fucking shit up together.

Do you like producing or rapping better? Or does it just depend on your mood? Tell me why you like one or the other.

Ok so I have to say that I don’t LIKE either more than the other. Production is definitely the more therapeutic of the two as I feel like I can almost switch my brain off and build worlds that are completely within my control. When I feel like things are spiralling, I can just open up Ableton and create something that reminds me that I have some sort of agency. 

Writing can be extremely frustrating. Not that production can’t, it’s just for me, I struggle to write outside of myself. My writing naturally stems from my own emotions and thoughts so when I’m in a period of time where very little is happening or I’m not experiencing much, I become creatively constipated. This extends to the kind of experiences I have as I’m extremely used to expressing from a dark place and (probably because of my lack of practice) I struggle to write well from positivity. I know for a fact that is a relatable feeling for writers of all creative mediums. Being in quarantine at the time of creating Solstice, I was in a similar situation as I didn’t have much feeling to channel into my writing. Solstice became something of a writing experiment as I took on an extremely narrative and story-focused style that I had never attempted before. I haven’t written anything I’ve been truly proud of since Solstice lmao.

How important do you think a social media presence is when you’re first starting out as an independent artist? What have you learned when it comes to marketing yourself?

It’s incredibly important. And I still haven’t cracked it yet. I’ve always been dismissive of most social media however I’m painfully aware of how crucial it is as an artist. Aside from networking and connecting with people, an artist is kind of required to present themselves in a way that’s larger than life. Unfortunately, ‘fans’ don’t want to ‘follow’ ‘friends’. They need something bigger than themselves to look up to and idolize. Recently I’ve been working incredibly hard on building an image that ticks those boxes. I felt as though building ‘Gao the Arsonist’ as something akin to a character would save me from having to let social media invade my personal life in an inauthentic way.

I know this is kind of random, but you have a good eye for the camera based on your music video. Do you think directing a film could be something you’d want to explore in the future?

My current passion for music could easily have been film. My best friend in grade 7 was hanging around a couple of grade 10s who were big on production. Me being exposed to it so explicitly with my already formed background in music was just the perfect combination of events to start me down that path. If my best friend had been hanging around film nerds?

Again, I’ve always loved cinema and drama and visuals and screenwriting but in school it was nothing more than an extracurricular activity due to lack of resources. I’ve wanted to film visuals for years but a lot of my visions were impossible to execute  without at least another human and my friends weren’t interested (I can’t blame them because there was no vested interest). This music video is actually the first time I’ve had full creative control over a serious film project.

Is there anything specifically you want to accomplish while in Canada?

Ha. Ha. Ha. I’m giving myself a year to create a stable career in music. M a n i f e s t a t i o n.

Does living in multiple places help your art in any way? I feel like as an artist, seeing different sides of the world could affect your output.

What are your plans for the podcast your launching soon? 

Oooh you’ve done your research. It’s called ‘I don’t know but I’m trying’ and it’s just a candid word vomit video-podcast series that I hope will bring more people into the fanbase. I’ll be sitting down with creatives and friends to just discuss random topics completely unplanned.

How has COVID affected the way you work on your music (if at all)? Do you see yourself performing in the future? When it’s safe at least?

This mighty global pandemic has not affected my work in the slightest. I’m still holed up in my room 24/7 as per usual so suck it, COVID. And yeah for sure, I was planning on getting more into live performance in Canada (whenever that’s going to be a possibility I have no clue).

What else should fans be on the lookout for within the music, aside from the video?

Man if I knew. I guess more collaborations, some singles and loosies and hopefully I’ll be able to pull myself out of this rut and write my next masterpiece of an album lmfao. Sorry this was so long bro.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm7vnP3zruEyXccN_Ey1ctQ

https://soundcloud.com/g_a_o/sets/autopsy-of-a-degenerate

https://gaothearsonist.bandcamp.com

https://www.instagram.com/guywithanoldasslaptop/