Gfo

These days any rapper worth his or her salt has their own signature, for Lexington, Kentucky Native, Chris Moore, better known as Gfo Zhey, his “zhey” ad-lib is as unique as they come.

“It was the first thing that came to my mind when I was in the studio. I originally wanted to say "Kayyy" because I’m from Kentucky, like ‘the kid from K’ but it kind of formed into Zhey when I said it on the track.” 

While it may look strange in print, it flows seamlessly on wax and is quickly becoming something Gfo is known for, just as much as his quick-witted raps. After using the term on mixtapes and albums for nearly 4 years, he sees the potential for the term to grow beyond the studio. He so closely identifies with “Zhey” that it has now become part of his moniker.

“I wanted it to be incorporated into my music. I wanted it to be me. That’s why I put it into my name, Gfo Zhey. They can’t take that, that’s me, part of me.”

The name Gfo in itself is also unique, but Moore says it’s the result of an evolution of his previous rap name. Just over time, I started wanting to abbreviate “Greed” so [it was] G- Fo Letter. And one day Gfo just came out and it stuck.
He says coming up with clever and different ways to brand himself and his music is a byproduct of trying to attain success coming from a place like Lexington,Ky.

“If you’re not built for it, don’t do it. It will drive you insane just because there’s not a market here. There’s no outlet for you to really get out and do what you wanna do. Without there being such a market, you really have to be creative, stand out and just kind of “do you”. It’s been a blessing though because it’s a small town, everybody knows each other. So it’s even more significant to have your own style.” 

Having his own style includes using mixtapes to put his own spin on beats used by popular artists and coming up with lyrics that will make you want to rewind the track. 
A perfect example comes from his newest mixtape entitled “Off Road” where Gfo throws darts over some main stream instrumentals that will surly have you dissecting the lyrics. 

The "OffRoad" mixtape will be a 18 track offering, Gfo dropped this last year. He explains its creation as a pit stop in the journey of where he wants to take the listener. Now with "OR2" locked and loaded hosted by upcoming EazytheDJ the series is only catching fire. Release will be fall 2015. 

“The whole buildup is to something that’s very special to me and that’s [his upcoming album] ‘SparkUP’. So I wanted ‘OffRoad’ series to be that little detour you have to take to get to this place that we’re going next. I want you to be along and ride the journey with me, so let’s go off road and really let loose. I just wanted to do some really dope shit before we go where I really want to take you.”

While navigating the rugged terrain of life as an independent artist may not be the easiest task, Gfo seems to handle the ups and downs with an affable approach, an infectious laugh and a sense of humor that comes across easily in his lyrics. With his easygoing demeanor it’s easy to see why the adjective that best describes him cannot be found in any dictionary or thesaurus on this planet. 

For him it is simply “Zhey”. A one syllable, four-letter word that rolls off of the tongue with minimal effort, yet carries so much weight.