G-Eazy Talks “Must Be Nice” Tour and Johnny Cash Inspiration at SXSW 2013

After performing three showcases the day before and being on the road for six weeks, G-Easy comes to the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus at SXSW 2013 to talk about what “Must Be Nice” means to him, being inspired by Johnny Cash, and releasing his new album for free on Soundcloud.

First, he makes note of his Johnny Cash-inspired attire. “I always admired his storytelling and his honesty in his music and also the vulnerability,” G-Eazy notes of the legend’s ability to tell real stories through song.

G-Eazy is making his own musical dreams come true on his “Must Be Nice” tour. He explains the title as a realization of his aspirations: “It must be nice to be able to pay rent touring the world and playing shows in front of a ton of fans and selling records.”

While he’s present on social media and proud of handling every aspect of his brand, he says, “At the end of the day you can have all the right strategy and the right image, but if the music isn’t there…that’s what people need.”

He’s also known for sampling records with sick new beats. “It’s fun to take something that’s a totally different song and then flip it and turn it into a rap record,” he says. But he also felt like he had to prove himself as an artist by writing something from scratch.

Now, he’s putting music on Soundcloud so that fans and new listeners can have access to his work without having to pay. “That’s the age we live in. That’s what you do,” he says of offering his tunes for free. “That’s how we’re trained as consumers is that it’s available for free online.”

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