Hailing from the beautiful French-Canadian city Montreal, Giiifted is a budding rapper and music producer who has just released the quarantine-related Hip-Hop single “These Days.”
With a personal music style that places importance on witty lyrics, “These Days” is bursting at the seams with metaphors. Giiifted wins over his fans by layering his introspective lyrics on top of a chill beat – making his music feel natural to vibe to.
“These Days” has an organic intro, with a plucked melody from an acoustic guitar. The sounds of fingers sliding up and down the strings makes the instrumentals seem natural and authentic. Giiifted then showcases his intrinsic rapping talent in the first few verses of “These Days.” He immediately snatches the attention of the listener with an attention-grabbing statement: “can’t listen to the media, you gon’ think Corona eatin’ ya.” This verse opens up a dialogue with the audience regarding the ever-so-relatable struggles of the pandemic. Giiifted soon layers in a laid back 808 trap beat, which boosts the energy level of “These Days.”
Lyrically, Giiifted raps about the pandemic’s ability to affect our psyche. He includes vital phrases like “these days we all in a cell” that allow for the listener to emotionally connect because of their own quarantine experiences. After bringing attention to the negative, he has a gift for spinning a situation in a positive way.
Giiifted ultimately uses his lyricism to motivate and inspire his listeners to persevere on their life paths – even if they have changed due to our current situation.
Why did you choose to write about the pandemic? Can you elaborate on how your quarantine experience inspired this song?
I chose to write about the pandemic because I was going through it and I knew other people were too. It's a scary time for everyone, full of unknowns but music is one thing that always keeps us grounded and connected. I just tried to fill that void.
How does “These Days” compare to your other songs?
I find this song is different from my others because I am speaking to myself on the song but I'm also speaking to the audience. It's a parallel between my experience and the listeners at the same time. It also addresses more "real" topics than other songs I've dropped before.
With your songwriting in “These Days,” you tended to use many metaphors to represent your message. How does the use of metaphors represent your writing style? Why are they helpful for you to get your point across?
My style has always been heavy on metaphors. I love using metaphors because they make you think, laugh, and see a different perspective all at the same time.
As someone who has been rapping and releasing music for years, could you tell us how your music style has evolved over time?
I was trying to sound like my influences (Lil Wayne, Drake, Jay-z)in the beginning. I used to rap about things that I never lived just to fit the "rapper image" or sound like a gangsta rapper. I realized I had to rap about my authentic self and speak my truth. Though, it took time to find my voice.
What was your biggest inspiration while creating "These Days"?
I heard the beat on Beatstars. I am a producer myself so it's not usual that I purchase beats from people that aren't my friends. This beat just hit different and that was at the start of the pandemic when my mind was spinning in all directions. I then let the beat speak to me and I spoke back.