GILBERE FORTE

Gilbere Forte is an American rapper/songwriter/producer. January 2011 signed with Universal Motown Records, but was later that year granted a release from his deal when Sylvia Rhone stepped down as President, and the label shut down operations.

Born in Flint, Michigan (later moving to Chicago, IL, then Philadelphia, PA) music has played an integral role in Gilbere’s life. Embracing his parents musical taste, Gilbere was introduced to the likes of Isaac Hayes, Roy Ayers, Phil Colins, and Sade as a youth. By age 9 he was reciting raps from likes of 2Pac, B.I.G. and Outkast, which inevitably led to Gilbere penning his own songs by age 12. In 2000, songwriting gave way to production and an initial foray into beat-making with Fruity Loops and Reason. This continued through high-school and into college.
The inspiration to take music seriously led Gilbere to pursue a degree in Entrepreneurship & Business Management at Temple University, where he enrolled in the fall of 2006. As Gilbere progressed as a musician, he was aided by his brother (and manager) DeNiro Forte’s own growth in the industry. Through him, Gilbere was introduced to the Junior Music Executive Program which lead to an internship with Studio 609 and award winning production duo Dre & Vidal. The experience and experimentation with Reason and Logic, along with live instrumentation, presented a true opportunity for Gilbere to carve out his own sonic identity. Staying close to the business, Gilbere also served as the East Coast Sales Rep that year for burgeoning streetwear brand Undrcrwn (alongside brand-marketing vet Set Free Richardson). In building his musical foundation he took another step in his progression as an artist – teaming up with fellow producer from Temple, Rakib “Raak” Uddin.

In 2009, Gilbere formalized his relationship with Raak. The two busily began preparing Gilbere’s debut, 87 Dreams. The release has successfully solidified Gilbere as a strong voice not to be ignored. The critical acclaim, led to a slew of 2010 featured guest appearances, most notably, Stromae's "Alors on danse" remix also featuring Kanye West, the Yeasayer remix of Florence + The Machine's "Dog Days Are Over", and the Diplo and Switch-produced "Up All Night" by Alex Clare. As well as Chris Robinson-directed video for his breakout single "Black Chukkas". With the February 2011 release of the much anticipated Don Cannon-produced/hosted EYES of VERITAS mixtape (featuring additional production from Boi-1da, Bink, Lex Luger, and Raak), Gilbere's popularity increased. The lead single "Born In '87" led to a slew of even bigger opportunities, most notably a feature spot in the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards Cypher and the FUSE TV Hip Hop Shop Cypher. Just as steamed picked up, his new label home closed its doors. Rather than languish in limbo as the label's parent company restructured, he asked to be released. In the fall of 2011 while on tour promoting his Some Dreams Never Sleep EP (featuring Big K.R.I.T., Bun B, Asher Roth, Tyga, Pusha T, Jim Jones, The Kickdrums) presented by The Hundreds, Gilbere was finally granted a release from his record deal.

With his newfound international fame, Gilbere spent some time in Paris collaborating and touring with French-record producer/DJ Bob Sinclar. He is featured on two tracks from Bob's latest album Disco Crash, "Fuck With You" alongside Sophie Ellis-Bextor and "Around the World". Now splitting time between Los Angeles and Philadelphia, Gilbere Forte is prepping his next body of work. The as-yet-untitled independent project is slated for an early 2013 release.