Gel Roc
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Gel Roc

Los Angeles, California, United States | INDIE

Los Angeles, California, United States | INDIE
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"Beautiful Tragedy"

Well then, before I get on with this review, I'd just like to point out that I love this album art! Just look at it. Brilliant. 'Beautiful Tragedy' was sent to the blog by Gel Roc, a Los Angeles based Californian whose work with fellow artists in EX2 landed him within the folds of four records, collaborating on many many more. As far as his solo work goes, from what I can gather this is his second output after the 2006 release 'Laws and Flaws'. This record is one focused on Gel's career as a whole, incorporating ideas from his past work. Released on the label Abolano Records, there are several contributions here from prolific underground rappers, with the most notable for me being Open Mike Eagle, with his album 'Rappers Will Die of Natural Causes' an enjoyable hip hop release from last month.
The sound here is very fresh, an element made all the more fantastic through Gel Roc's lyricism and the excellent scratching and overall production. There is a slight 80's edge to some of the sounds here, an old-school hip hop sensibility ruined in my opinion by most modern rappers. This sixteen track album gets back to the streets, gritty at times and experimental at others. It's a solid effort based in the very roots of hip hop, relevant and yet strangely nostalgic if you've listened to a lot of the 90's rap output. Outstanding!
Gel kicks things off with 'Trust To Dust', a hard beat supported from below by a low, humming bass line. The lyrics recollect his daily activities, and the walls he has to break through in order to succeed. This leads into the second track, which I've very fond of. 'Autodidactic' is filled with very subtle scratching and an atmosphere amplified by the female backing track. These echo down a long, cold pipe, almost creepy in their execution. The sampled voice that runs throughout in combination with this makes for a very nice and engaging sound, and Roc's lyricism highlights, like the title suggests, a struggle in learning the hard-way, and creating your own opportunities in a difficult world.
'Buzzin Cousins' rumbles along, recalling memories in a drugged-up, smoked-up room, light seeping through the musty old shutters. It feels dizzy and blurred, the dark melody creeping through in the background while the lyrics are repeated and overlaid on each other. It's a trip, but a perfectly enjoyable one. The next song, 'Night Alone' is introduced through the soulful humming of a sincere woman. It's a gloomy, home alone in the rain kind of track, but this comes as a great contrast to the previous tracks, even relaxing in it's relative peacefulness. 'Inside Out' has more natural sounds, with it's wind instruments and tinny drums, all compiled in a way lit up by Roc's lyrics regarding love and passion. The last of the 'relaxed' tracks is 'Empty Hellows', a song laced through with the occasional saxophone, coaxing forth a warm and mellow infusion of hip hop and jazz.
The harder tracks fill up the remainder of the record. 'Epilepsy' is an electronic ghost-train, with a hysterical scream even thrown in for good measure. The contributing artist here adds variety to the record with his vocals, though the track is pretty unique already in it's electrified make-up. 'Corporate Indecline' is brilliant. That's it. Brilliant. No, but it really is. With a short sampled fight scene and the first few lines spat by the guest vocalist, this track is denched in blood and shivering with it's stinging bloodied knuckles.
The album ends with a remix much harder than the original song, but the real grand finisher for me is 'Tragic Poetry'. This nine minute monster has no less than thirteen contributors, which makes for an astounding track filled with the ever-changing vocals expected. The structure and instrumentation isn't anything special, but the influences of all these different people make it stand-out enough as an accomplished coup de grâce. This record is for the most part an adrenaline fueled hunt, broken by the occassional hiding space and ended with the deathblow that is track sixteen. Heart-pumping however, you can't wait to respawn, and start the hunt again... If you don't know Gel Roc, get to. - Music Dissection


"EX2 member Gel Roc Drops Grammatical Greatness!"

Gel Roc- “Laws and Flaws” – Abolano
Review by CyPhEr777

“Laws & Flaws” is a conglomerate of ideas and idioms from the mind of Gel Roc. For those who don’t know, Gel Roc is part of a crew called EX2 (Endangered Elements) out of the West Coast. They released 2 full lengths before putting things on hold for a bit. In the absence of EX2, Gel found it fitting to release his own full length.

These days, emcees who are part of a group find it hard to hold down a full length on their own. The main reason for this is, you always have someone to back you up lyrically and if the song, or in this case the album, doesn’t work out, you won’t take the full blame. However, when you’re a solo act, all eyes are on you. And those who have followed EX2 know Gel has always been strong lyrically and was a major cog in the EX2 sound. So, would he be able to carry these attributes over to “Laws & Flaws”?

Right off the bat Gel Roc is hitting the listener over the head in “Adaptation.” Rapidly, he starts rhyming more lyrical patterns and combination of elements than a Hieronymus Bosch piece. And with the beat from Mascaria coming rather incredibly groomed, some of their magic was done for the trained or patient ear. The chorus is Gel’s credo to the world:

“Even if the world doesn’t really care what I gotta say,
I gotta spit it to ‘em anyway.
Hard to the core, Art to the form, Far from the norm,
Cause as soon as one star dies another star is born.
It’s adaptation!”

Spitting with Gel is Hip Hop Klan’s Ellay Khule. He rips with incredible preciseness that only adds to the track. Gel continues his sarcastic undertone and speaks his mind in that condescending “I Don’t Give a F**k” sort of way in the track “Fundamentals” that’s preceded by a dope spoken word like a poem from Nite n Dae. Ex2 cohort Virus lends a hand and is unrelenting. “Cease to Amaze” is a posse cut that boasts some of the best underground West Coast rappers. It features emcees such as Zagu Brown (Global Phlowtations), Existereo (ShapeShifters), 2Mex (Visionaries), Tommy V (Imprints/ShapeShifters) and 2 members of Ex2, along with an enigmatic appearance by L’Roneous. Mascaria provides a bouncy mid 90’s flavor for the emcees to feast on. This track is sick! This album almost defies description because of its subtle technicalities. It accomplishes to combine several styles, from the straight up bragging and boasting with strong smartass undertones, to the surprising eloquence that comes straight from the heart. The jumping formula on “Love Letter,” a track exploring relationships is celebrated with lyrics that set a secure foundation of quality.

As we move on, “Suckamuthaf**ker” is giving us another chance to hurry along with the quick flow of this Cali native. The lyrics at the same time add off beat eccentrism. Employing Mascaria to produce this album was a great idea. The vibes of his beats merge perfectly with Gel Roc’s cryptic rhyming and messaging. “Flaws & Laws” is the antithesis of wackness and if you’re a fan of left field Hip Hop, this one is sure not to disappoint! – CyPhEr777 - Insomniac Magazine


"Gel Roc - EX2 / LSD Crew (Interview)"

I recently got the opportunity to chop it up with the old school homie Gel Roc of EX2 / LSD Crew in the middle of what has been a recent smash on the underground landscape. With records, videos, shows and more going down: I felt it was my duty to get you all up to speed.

Enjoy.

Chip: Big Gel Roc! What’s good with you sir?

Gel: Chilling! Glad to be visiting with Clout! Thank you..

Chip: For sure man. And thank you for taking the time out to talk with us. We originally planned to do this when Resurgence was dropping, but you’ve been doing videos and dropped the Life Before Death record with Awol. Let’s start with Resurgence. You want to give us some background on the project?

Gel: I think it was 2003 since our last release, Nemesis. Right when that record came out it seemed like we all came to different cross roads in life…dealing with incarceration, child births, solo aspirations and general maturation of man & crew shit. Everyone pushed on at their own pace putting random stuff out. I think I was the only one, officially, to drop anything solo beyond that for a minute. Once we all got back in the right place, we knew we had to get back in the studio. Too many fans were asking me about the crew. Lots of shows, the internet, and hitting the road a few years ago showed me how much of a loyal following we had. So, at the end of 2007 I got the crew in the studio and we pressed on it hard in 08-09.

Chip: I really enjoy the record and the chemistry of everyone together. For clarification: what is the official EX2 roll-call and an approximation of length of involvement for the members?

Gel: The original crew from the early 90's was Earthman Origin aka Origin, Vyrus, Syndrome, Regret and Digit 6. Awol & Roach The Dj were the earliest affiliates…Dust Off and myself came to the crew later but this was all before we started officially putting stuff out., so a there’s lot of history with those heads. If you listen to our old stuff from tapes and transition to when cd’s took over you’ll hear a mix bag of appearances.

Not a lot of songs with all of us on one cut however: me, Vyrus, & Syndrome pretty much ran shit. We always had our own sound & good chemistry as a whole, though, not too mention our school of heads we came up with. Typical big crew shit ya know? The current roll call for the Resurgence record was Vyrus, Syndrome, Regret and myself. I think it came together to represent us as it should have. We have always made it a point to stay close knit.

Chip: Word. Being someone who has always been involved with groups, posses, etc. I know how easy it can be to get a roster confused. Gotta make sure we keep the readers on track.

Resurgence was released on Abolano Records. Who are the minds behind the operation?

Gel: Abolano Records is mainly Sirk aka Kris Kaitanjian. He created the label and manages our releases. I act as the primary steering consultant. He also used to handle production and executive production for a few of our records.

Chip: As a steering consultant, you get to do something that seems to be less than common these days which is essentially a&r work as it was commonly referred to in the days of yore. Considering the complexity behind your own music and what fans have grown to expect from you over the years, what criteria are you generally drawn to when signing/developing new talent?

Gel: For me, this year will be my first release i’m co-signing. My thought process has been stay away from what’s popular and has potential beyond what I can feel on the surface. Picking an underdog so to speak… where I can have some external influence on a record that I have no raps on. Not necessarily a safe bet or easy formula for success on paper but it’s like stocks and shit…not to say we don’t have some solid shit on the roster. Trying to identify with some cutting edge let’s see where this goes is a good thing for growth. We used to be in that position as you know, so also trying to give back.

Chip: Right on! Now Abolano (which I have trained myself to not misspell): what does it mean?

Gel: Abolano is a word that Sirk made up. it means Above Land…a combo of those words.

Chip: Ha! I owe myself 5 bucks. I swore it was something Native American. Arbitrarily. I’ll blame it on my American education…or plain old assumption. I like the real story better.

Gel: I always thought it was dope that FTA was Highground, right?

Chip: Yessir. Dope you know that. Rase lived in the mountains of San Jose. They’re just hills, but in San Jose we call them bitches mountains. Haha

Gel: Back then, I remember thinking “that’s some underground thinkers…”

Chip: That is a real honor. I feel as though something’s that been missing over the past few years is artists reaching outside of their own circles to include other up and coming artists. One thing about the era we came up in was that artists used to like working with one another. Nowadays it almo - Clout Magazine


"Gel Roc - EX2 / LSD Crew (Interview)"

I recently got the opportunity to chop it up with the old school homie Gel Roc of EX2 / LSD Crew in the middle of what has been a recent smash on the underground landscape. With records, videos, shows and more going down: I felt it was my duty to get you all up to speed.

Enjoy.

Chip: Big Gel Roc! What’s good with you sir?

Gel: Chilling! Glad to be visiting with Clout! Thank you..

Chip: For sure man. And thank you for taking the time out to talk with us. We originally planned to do this when Resurgence was dropping, but you’ve been doing videos and dropped the Life Before Death record with Awol. Let’s start with Resurgence. You want to give us some background on the project?

Gel: I think it was 2003 since our last release, Nemesis. Right when that record came out it seemed like we all came to different cross roads in life…dealing with incarceration, child births, solo aspirations and general maturation of man & crew shit. Everyone pushed on at their own pace putting random stuff out. I think I was the only one, officially, to drop anything solo beyond that for a minute. Once we all got back in the right place, we knew we had to get back in the studio. Too many fans were asking me about the crew. Lots of shows, the internet, and hitting the road a few years ago showed me how much of a loyal following we had. So, at the end of 2007 I got the crew in the studio and we pressed on it hard in 08-09.

Chip: I really enjoy the record and the chemistry of everyone together. For clarification: what is the official EX2 roll-call and an approximation of length of involvement for the members?

Gel: The original crew from the early 90's was Earthman Origin aka Origin, Vyrus, Syndrome, Regret and Digit 6. Awol & Roach The Dj were the earliest affiliates…Dust Off and myself came to the crew later but this was all before we started officially putting stuff out., so a there’s lot of history with those heads. If you listen to our old stuff from tapes and transition to when cd’s took over you’ll hear a mix bag of appearances.

Not a lot of songs with all of us on one cut however: me, Vyrus, & Syndrome pretty much ran shit. We always had our own sound & good chemistry as a whole, though, not too mention our school of heads we came up with. Typical big crew shit ya know? The current roll call for the Resurgence record was Vyrus, Syndrome, Regret and myself. I think it came together to represent us as it should have. We have always made it a point to stay close knit.

Chip: Word. Being someone who has always been involved with groups, posses, etc. I know how easy it can be to get a roster confused. Gotta make sure we keep the readers on track.

Resurgence was released on Abolano Records. Who are the minds behind the operation?

Gel: Abolano Records is mainly Sirk aka Kris Kaitanjian. He created the label and manages our releases. I act as the primary steering consultant. He also used to handle production and executive production for a few of our records.

Chip: As a steering consultant, you get to do something that seems to be less than common these days which is essentially a&r work as it was commonly referred to in the days of yore. Considering the complexity behind your own music and what fans have grown to expect from you over the years, what criteria are you generally drawn to when signing/developing new talent?

Gel: For me, this year will be my first release i’m co-signing. My thought process has been stay away from what’s popular and has potential beyond what I can feel on the surface. Picking an underdog so to speak… where I can have some external influence on a record that I have no raps on. Not necessarily a safe bet or easy formula for success on paper but it’s like stocks and shit…not to say we don’t have some solid shit on the roster. Trying to identify with some cutting edge let’s see where this goes is a good thing for growth. We used to be in that position as you know, so also trying to give back.

Chip: Right on! Now Abolano (which I have trained myself to not misspell): what does it mean?

Gel: Abolano is a word that Sirk made up. it means Above Land…a combo of those words.

Chip: Ha! I owe myself 5 bucks. I swore it was something Native American. Arbitrarily. I’ll blame it on my American education…or plain old assumption. I like the real story better.

Gel: I always thought it was dope that FTA was Highground, right?

Chip: Yessir. Dope you know that. Rase lived in the mountains of San Jose. They’re just hills, but in San Jose we call them bitches mountains. Haha

Gel: Back then, I remember thinking “that’s some underground thinkers…”

Chip: That is a real honor. I feel as though something’s that been missing over the past few years is artists reaching outside of their own circles to include other up and coming artists. One thing about the era we came up in was that artists used to like working with one another. Nowadays it almo - Clout Magazine


"Album Review: Gel Roc – “Beautiful Tragedy”"

It wasn’t until hearing Aamir‘s 2010 album, “The Quiet After the Storm“, that Gel Roc was put on my radar (he was featured on two tracks). After that, I kept seeing his name around the web and my interest in his music kept rising. Shortly after, the people over at Abolano Records sent over a couple albums from their discography, including: EX2 – “Resurgence“, Gel Roc – “Laws & Flaws“, and Gel Roc & Mascaria – “The Void“. All great, and after listening… it was a done deal — Gel Roc is dope.

Gel Roc (pronounced with a hard “g” like graffiti) is a Los Angeles based hip hop artist. He’s also a member of underground crew EX2 (E Times 2). Today, he dropped another solo release, titled “Beautiful Tragedy“, on Abolano Records. There’s a total of 16 tracks, and a run-time of 1 hour and 15 minutes. Production entirely by Xczircles, with scratches by DJ Drez. A long list of emcees are featured, such as Awol One, Aceyalone, Mestizo, Abstract Rude, Rezult, Syn, Ecid, Open Mike Eagle, and many more.

I had the honor to get an advanced copy, and now I present to you my thoughts and review. Check it out…


01. TRUST TO DUST ———- 5/5
Xczircles doesn’t play around as he jumps right in with a hard, dark beat with crisp drum snaps over a low-humming bassline. Gel Roc lays his cards on the table to reveal his normal, daily life, his thoughts and views, his struggle and persistance to move past any obstacles to keep moving forward and to succeed. “Trust to the dust // Trust, trust to the dust // Hurry, but don’t rush // Hold it, but don’t touch // Say it, but don’t fuss // You got it, but not much // Guess, but don’t bluff // Test, but don’t flunk // Trust to the dust…”

02. AUTODIDACTIC ———- 4.5/5
Subtle scratching and a definition of autodidactic (“is a person who is totally self-taught“) starts the song. Gel Roc follows with the hook, “We live, we learn, we love, we win, we lose // We bruise, we heal, we hate, we fail, we choose // We do it together, or we do it alone.” Gel describes the struggle of an independent person, or artist, trying to reach a goal — that things aren’t just given to you, you have to create opportunities for yourself and pave your own path. Learn the hard way, I guess. But, if given the chance to influence or teach someone else a little something, maybe a younger person, do so. “But I always try and remember that nothing’s forever // From the dumb to the clever // We push and pull all the levers // So check every letter // Cross your f’s, and question the y’s // Cross your f’s, and question then y’s…”

03. BUZZIN COUSINS (ft Awol One & Vyrus) ———- 5/5
Pick your poison and knock back a drink or two when you’re bumpin’ this song. The EX2 emcees (Gel & Vyrus) and Awol One stumble through this song with hard liquor in one hand and a mic in the other, going off on life and distorted memories. If it were possible to get buzzed from a song, it’d be this one. It brings on the after effects of drinking… blurred visuals, fragmented memories, and slow-speaking Awol One repetition throughout, it’s like you’re hearing double. DJ Drez on the tables, getting your taste buds wet. Feeling good, with no hangover.

04. NIGHT ALONE ———- 5/5
Beginning the song is a somber woman humming a slightly haunting melody, which continues throughout the song. Joining her are loud drum hits, an undertone of keys, and Gel Roc repeating that “It’s a night alone“. Solitary confinement, handling business. And whether in a group or alone, he can handle things independently. The song might sound a bit gloomy, but it’s not sad at all. I like it.

05. BEAUTIFUL TRAGEDY (ft Abstract Rude) ———- 5/5
First let me say that Xczircles killllled the beat! Jazzy funk vibe. Aggressive bassline… playful piano… hard drums. Add in some DJ Drez’ scratching? Perfect. And then this full, robust bounce comes into play that is so fresh. And that’s just the production work. Abstract Rude and Gel over this beat is like butter on hot pancakes… melted and it tastes gooooood. To quote Biggie, they went from negative to positive, and it’s all good. The two talk about how they came from the streets and went through rough situations… but didn’t let that serve as an obstacle in moving forward and having a good life.
“I came from the streets // So I ain’t get my peak // I had to get over the hump, so I could crawl from underneath // My head won’t hang in defeat // I never gave up belief // Sticks and stones, mangled, but hating can’t phase me // That’s no good // If you could imagine what I’ve been through // Could’ve tramatized, but I turned it to a beautiful tragedy // Accepting what the universe had for me // Tested by free-will, but only held down by gravity.”

06. STEP SCIENCE ———- 4.5/5
This was the first track from the album that I heard, when Gel dropped the video for it. Half laid out in political, anti-corporate form and the other half in good sense, Gel speaks out against being a sheep — to think for yourself, to have your own dreams - Crayon Beats


Discography

Albums (Solo)
Gel Roc “Beautiful Tragedy” (2011)
Gel Roc “Laws & Flaws - Double Vinyl” (2007)
Gel Roc “Laws & Flaws” (2006)

Albums (As A Member Of)
Gel Roc / Vyrus / Rezult / Ovate "Abolano Records Presents...The Element Tree” (2011)
Awol One & Gel Roc “Life Before Death” (2010)
EX2 “Resurgence - Side B” (2010)
EX2 “Resurgence” (2010)
Gel Roc & Mascaria “The Void” (2010)
EX2 “Nemesis” (2002)
EX2 “Endangered Elements” (2002)
EX2 “Undersounds of the 562” (2000)
EX2 “Contraband” (2000)
EX2 “LMNTL Work” (1998)

Albums (Appears On)
Brzowski “A Fitful Sleep” (2011)
Megabusive “365 Songs In 365 Days” (2011)
Aamir “The Quiet After The Storm” (2011)
Rezult “Facing Consciousness” (2010)
Vyrus “Silent Kaos” (2010)
Existereo “Lo Fi Hi Def Deluxe” (2010)
Ira Lee “More Amazing Than Crazy” (2010)
Aamir “Within All The Silence” (2010)
Awol One & Ecid “Are...” (2010)
Awol One & Factor “Owl Hours” (2009)
Tobesko & Roach The DJ “Life Sex Drugs” (2009)
Ortho Acusto “Only Vultures Are Able To Eat Dead Food” (2009)
Tree Dusk Muir “A Propagated Molting” (2009)
Deeskee “Audiobiograffiti” (2009)
Myka 9 “1969” (2009)
Neila “Better Late Than Never” (2009)
Deeskee “In Loving Memory Of...Joey” (2008)
Xczircles “Act Of Gosh” (2008)
Awol One & Factor “Only Death Can Kill You” (2007)
Awol One “Afterbirth” (2007)
Escape Artists “Red Sprites & Blue Jets” (2007)
Joe Dub “Pooretry” (2007)
Awol One & Mascaria “The Chemikillz” (2006)
Awol One “The War Of Art” (2006)
Existereo & Deeskee “Hopeless Crooks With Open Books” (2006)
Nite N Dae “Journey Of The Fish” (2006)
Awol One & Daddy Kev “Souldoubt” (2005)
Existereo “Dirty Deeds & Dead Flowers” (2003)
Deeskee “Blacklight Sessions” (2003)
Awol One & Mike Nardone “Speakerface” (2002)
Awol One & Daddy Kev “Rhythm” (2001)
Raj (Administer) “Conscious Contemplation” (2001)
Tommy V & Sideshow “Quarter Life Crisis” (2001)
Three Eyed Cowz “Four Eyed Mortalz” (2000)
The Shape Shifters “Know Future” (2000)
Imprints “Who Woulda Thunk” (1999)
Imprints “Homeless Tea Party” (1998)
Three Eyed Cowz “The Evil Cow Burger” (1998)
Awol One “Noise” (1997)

Photos

Bio

Gel has recorded four albums as a member of EX2. After establishing EX2, Gel went on to pursue a solo career. In 2006 he released, “Laws & Flaws”; produced entirely by Mascaria. In 2010, Gel Roc and Mascaria reemerged with an avant garde record appropriately named, “The Void”. Gel then collaborated with Escape Artists producer, Xczircles along with DJ Drez, on his second solo album titled, “Beautiful Tragedy”, which was released in the summer of 2011.

Aside from his group/solo works, Gel has also appeared on countless releases and performed with artists such as the legendary KRS-One, his fellow Mass Men brothers; Awol One and Abstract Rude, Freestyle Fellowship, 2Mex, The Shape Shifters, Daddy Kev, Deeskee, Psycho Realm, Ellay Khule and Riddlore of Project Blowed, Open Mike Eagle, Megabusive, and many more.