Written by Candace “CandiReign” Gnahoui
Photography & Fashion Styling by Sunshine Harding
On December 31st, while most people were finalizing their New Year’s Eve plans, G-Two was preparing to open up for Curren$y on the NYC leg of The Stoned Immaculate Tour. This would be his second time performing at the SOB’s Nightclub in New York City. G-Two, a proud Bladensburg, Maryland native, feels at home whenever he performs in New York City and hopes that one day he will be able to call Brooklyn, New York his home. He is not only influenced by the Hip-Hop culture of the city, but says that a large part of his fan base lies in New York and most importantly, that the city speaks to his soul.
Born Ronald Gathers II; G-Two had a rocky start to life. At the age of 3, he lost his father to street violence, which left his mother to raise him and later a younger sister. Though G-Two does not remember much about his father, he uses the stories he has heard as a major influence for the music he creates. G-Two started rapping as a pre-teen, but it wasn’t until leaving high school that he started taking his craft seriously. It was then that he started working with local producers, as well as a creative director to put together and release various mixtapes. This past November, he released his first album entitled Trillmatic, which is the work that he’s most proud of. His favorite song, as well as mine, is track number 11 entitled Keep it G, featuring Ro James. Keep it G embodies authentic pieces of his life, which includes the death of his father, meager beginnings, relationships and the struggle of chasing dreams. G-Two is a student of music, but he makes it a point to not listen to too many other rap artists’ music for fear that their sound will rub off on him. Though he works tirelessly to create a sound all his own, you can hear influences of some of his favorite artists, which include Al Green, Bobby Womack, Teena Marie, and Nas. He hopes that soon enough his sound will be easily recognizable by his fans, as well as the masses.
While interviewing G-Two, I noticed some tattoos on his arm and inquired about them. He explained that he has seventeen tattoos in total, and all of them tell a pretty cohesive story. He started with explaining the tattoos on his arms, which included a translation of an old Egyptian proverb: “to speak the name of the dead is to give them life again.” This proverb, which is his favorite tattoo, is accompanied by a skull with a rose in the mouth. Also included on his arms is a tattoo of a sacred heart that is half tarnished and half polished, his Grandmother Joanne’s name, and a Samurai on his inner bicep. Next to the Samurai is a Chinese character that means protector or something that is always present. He then went on to describe the tattoos on his chest which included: the name of his Father’s favorite song, My Endless Love by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross, and the dates 5-7-56 to 9-21-92 in roman numerals. These dates signify his father’s date of birth and his untimely death. Also on his chest are both the names of his mother and sister, a cross, the words death before dishonor, his cousin’s birthday, an archer’s arrow, and a skin tear with a steel plate on his torso. G-Two also has a sixteenth note on his ear, cascading stars on the back of his neck, the words “God’s Beloved,” which comes from his belief that only God’s favorites have a hard time in life. And last, but most certainly not least, an Angel on his back.
Everyday G-Two strives to stay focused on his goals and what he needs to do to attain them. In 5 years, he sees himself on a world tour, having released a studio album and creating and performing music that is not only timeless, but that his fans will fall in love with. He also explains that in that amount of time, he will have already become the musical artist he always wanted to be. When asked if he could speak directly to his fans, what would he tell them? G-Two says that he hopes that the dreams and aspirations of everyone reading this article come true within this New Year.
For more information about G-Two and to hear his music, visit his website at mynameisgtwo.com and follow him on Instagram and Twitter at mynameisgtwo and @mynameisgtwo, respectively.
Written by Candace “CandiReign” Gnahoui
Photography & Fashion Styling by Sunshine Harding
