In the beginning the east ruled the rap landscape. The world was captivated and intrigued by this fresh and creative force of youthful spirit and unbridled energy. Setting the platform, the east ignited a force that the world was not yet ready for, the movement we now call hip-hop.
Infiltrating to the west, a new chapter in rap history was written. Challenging the precedent set by the east, west coats rappers moved to the forefront, displaying a diverse mix of sound influenced by their own stylistic nuances.
The domination of these musical coasts, although still strong, waned with the emergence of another sphere of influence-the "dirty south." Up from the sweltering heat, gumbo, collard greens, grandma's macaroni and cheese, and country slang, the south has affectionately been embraced by the hip-hop community, while setting its own standard and ingraining its own mark on this powerful music genre.
Graveyard Soldjas (GYS) add themselves to this list of established southern acts, pushing the southern sound forward while continuing to put its artists on the map.
Corey "Gemini" Simon, David "Tiga" Lawson, and Elton "Bandit" Porter are the members of the trio that make up this up and coming New Orleans based rap group. Raised in one of the toughest sections of New Orleans, known as "Cut Throat City," (CTC) these three rappers had to grow up fast and hard in order to survive.
Like soldiers going to combat, life was an everyday battle in the hard knocks of Louisiana's ninth ward.
"Growing up we saw a lot of things. We had to adapt in order to survive and in doing so we have been able to learn from those experiences. Our songs talk about what we had to deal with. They are pretty much the poetry of our lives," Bandit expresses.
In an area where death and violence were prevalent, they managed to stay alive, thereby calling themselves Graveyard Soldjas, survivors in the perpetual battle of life.
Originating from two separate rap groups, GYS came together after realizing that they had a combination that worked.
Tiga recalls, "We decided to become one group because our styles fit together so well. We were always the guys outshining other groups."
Their combined talent and lyrical sharpness allowed them to form a strong underground following.
Off the strength of their first two albums, "Day of Execution" and "Cut Throat City," released respectively in 1995 and 1998, GYS, without major distribution, managed to be rated by Rap Pages as one of the top five acts in Louisiana.
Not a small accomplishment considering Louisiana is home to rap all stars, No Limit and Cash Money Records.
Coming from a closely-knit southern community not only allowed GYS to build a strong following, but also gave them the ability to align themselves with prominent rap acts already paving the way for new talent.
Cash Money's Juvenile reached out to lend a hand, resulting in feature appearances and production credit on their upcoming album, "3 Time Losers."
GYS manager, BC explains, "Me and Juvey grew up in the same neighborhood. When I decided I wanted to start my company I went to him and told him about these guys he had to check out. He liked what he heard and things just jumped off from there."
Working with a multi-platinum artist has given GYS exposure to what it takes to succeed and has inspired their efforts as they work to represent New Orleans to the fullest.
"We have been rapping since 1989. The difference is that Juvey has gotten to a greater platform than us. We have learned a lot from him," explains Gemini.
"He jumped off before us so we have been able to gain a lot from his experiences," Bandit continues.
GYS' relationship with Juvenile not only shows something about their talent and skill to the industry, but to a community it illustrates a lesson in life.
Like many urban settings, turf disputes can riddle a community with strife and senseless acts of violence.
Because art imitates life, for GYS not only did the content of their lyrics become absorbed by their environment, but the context in which the songs were developed were as well.
"For us [Juvenile and GYS] being from different sides of town make this collaboration big," Gemini explains.
"Juvey is from the fifth ward and we are from the ninth, so you just don't have stuff like this happen where we come from."
In showing their community that people from different sides of town can come together in harmony, bridging the gap between their differences, GYS also hopes to prove that their music does the same.
"Most Louisianan artists out right now are from 'uptown,' so most people are use to hearing that uptown sound," Bandit expresses.
"We represent 'downtown.' We are the missing piece right now and we hope that we bridge the gap between these two sounds." Coming from a school of deep influence on hip-hop, pushes these artists even further to create their niche. "We want to take our own originality and add it to what's already out there and to what people are missing," Gemini concludes.
In understanding from experience, that nothing in life comes easy, GYS hopes their efforts to bridge the sound of the "Big Easy" are reflected in the work they bring to the public.
Not looking for instant success, Bandit, Tiga, and Gemini, are looking for their music to be a vehicle of instruction, on how to live and survive in the battles of life.
Whether from the east, the west, the south, uptown or downtown, their message reinforces that we are all soldjas in the same war, fighting for the will to live and die with dignity and honor.
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