in a city where most of the big acts have molded their sound within the traditional west coast vein of rap, Gang$ta L stands out. He relies on more latin-infused west coast production, but his gravelly, sandpaper-like voice coupled with his laid back delivery are what make him completely stand out. on tracks like “colombiana” and “growth”, he effortlessly glides over the beat and his melodic rapping makes you pay attention to what he is saying. though he may not be the biggest act in the city, the clear potential is apparent. he has recently been preparing for “Showtime”, a full-length EP that features spots from artists such as Lil Weirdo and producers such as DJ on tha Track. While L lacks some of the name recognition that other peers of his command, his talent level is clear to anyone who listens to a track or two. his flow and unique voice make him shine, and his relatable lyrics paint pictures of troubles with women and personal growth that most of us can relate to. recently we interviewed L to get to know him better before the release of “Showtime”, this is what went down:
1. let’s start with your name, Gang$ta L. How did you finally settle on this name and were there any names before it?
My original rap name was Logan Tarantino but I decided to change my name to Gang$ta L in 2017. I used to make sci-fi style music but i changed my name after feeling depressed with just life and not being content with the music i was making. Gang$ta L represents me as a person. I always try to keep it G mellow and cool on my regular day to day. growing up as a kid i was always getting into trouble, fights and had a smart mouth, so the gang$ta aspect to my name is just not having fear and not being afraid to express myself. i’m a man of integrity and i never hold back what i gotta say.
2. what part of daygo are you from and how has this influenced you?
I’m from south bay san diego. grew up in otay ranch, san ysidro, na$ty city, and paradise hills in my lifetime. i grew up in majority Latino communities so growing up i never learned fluent spanish but i learned the culture and honestly it’s apart of me and my rap style. i didn’t grow up in blood or crip hoods but i definitely was raised around the varrio.
3. describe your style of rapping. in your words, how does it make you unique?
my style of rappin is story tellin. i like to talk about my past experiences with women, taking a drive to the beach even when you in sticky situations with the law. what makes me unique to me is my tone of my voice. i feel like my voice just naturally serenades the beat and just makes me feel like everything is going to be okay. i like to kill with simplicity.
4. How long have you been rapping now, and what inspired you to start? what inspires you to keep going now?
I have been rapping since 2015 and honestly even sonically i wasn’t even where i wanted to be at. I was able to find peers that respected my talent and wanted me to keep going. kory winter is the only reason i started to make music in the first place. At one point i had never rapped on anybody’s beats except his. we made a lot of music during 2015-2016. i went through some depression and self-confidence issues back in 2016 but what kept me going was when i took a step back from music and having random people i never met in my life tell me they wanted me to keep making music. i do it for the people that believed in me when i didn’t believe in myself.
5. Describe how you started to get managed by TMI and how you feel about the rest of your camp. who do you feel you have the most compatible style with?
So TMI [Tastemakers Inc.] started as a group chat. we would just share music jokes and roasts that’s literally all we do. The thing about TMI was that we were all friends but not everybody was connected as one. the group chat grew and we started linking together and at one point i decided to let my childhood friend Sly manage me. once he started managing me everyone else got on board and we decided to all network and start making music together. what i like about TMI is that we are all individuals and we don’t have to worry about the woes of a group. Style wise i would probably say Larry June. My peers always give me that comparison even though i don’t hear it myself.
6. Tell us a little bit about showtime, what was your inspiration behind the project, and what are some standouts listeners should look out for?
Showtime was a project that started with Akrite Radio’s production. He was the first producer to really believe in me and gave me the jump start on the album. I was inspired by classic west coast albums like Dom Kennedy’s “Westside With Love 2”, “Street Gospel” by Suga Free, and etc. Standout wise i’m really feeling Lil Weirdo’s verse on my album. He really gave me some cold bars and i fuck with him as a person. if chicano rap died i honestly could say lil weirdo could resurrect it himself. DJ on tha Track believed in my vision as well and he supplied some epic production to this album but honestly all the producers gave me some original sounds. shout-out to AK, FoeDeeoz DJ, Archie, 50K, and Ecclectic.
7. As an artist, what do you prefer to do with your music in terms of release? do you prefer to drop it as often as you can or do you prefer spacing out your releases? do you prefer tapes and albums or single releases?
Curren$y is a big inspiration for how i release my music. he’s always working but he’s always releasing bodies of music. Even though i released 3 songs, 2 singles and one visual i wanted to make a 15 track album so that people could find something on the album that they enjoy. nowadays everyone wants to drop singles but i love listening to cohesive projects that slap from beginning to end. I already started working on my second EP and i already got some content finished and ready to go for the TMI collab tape. My goal is to release 4 projects and multiple visuals. strategy wise i always pay mind to other artists from my section because i don’t want to compete with others artists. everybody needs to shine.
8. who in the city right now would be your dream collab to make a song or project with?
my dream collaboration in the city right now is Marty Mcphly. He so cold with his lyrics and beat choices. been listening to him since i was 17. he’s a positive dude and he rep daygo to the fullest.
9. You’ve just moved to Georgia. how do you plan to continue your career now that you’re located in a new city? what does the future have in-store for Gang$ta L?
What i love about moving to ATL is that music just got even more easier to record and showcase. it’s like black hollywood out here so it’s fun to me that i could meet so many hungry artists, producers, and engineers in this city. san diego can be limited at times but i already met 6 engineers in a 5 mile radius from me. the music won’t stop and i have a vision that i wanna hear more southern rappers on San Diego style production. i feel like the sonics will be unmatched. the challenge is to get the ATL scene to respect my west coast roots and style. i’m up for the challenge though.
10. shameless promotional plug.
this is Gang$ta L, daygo raised, made, and paid. follow my ig @logan_tarantino showtime will be released very soon and it will be hosted by Running Digits, an LA platform. “What’s The Move” visual on the way directed and shot by @trigaaru productions. thank you to everybody that read this and thank you to thenewwave for conducting this interview with me. keep it player don’t save her and always be about yo paper.
