Preparing to interview Temple rapper, Gabe Skrilla, I figure I’ll be talking to just a rapper. I’ll ask about afew musical milestones and aspirations, come back, and do a quick Q&A write up. But Gabe Skrilla, aka Gabe Spiller, clearly has another thing in mind.
Very soon, it becomes clear that a lot of things about this conversation will be completely different from what I’d expected. And that unexpectedness is what makes Gabe the rapper, Gabe the student, Gabe the activist and Gabe the intellectual so much more than your average on campus celebrity.
A perfect example of Gabe Skrilla’s multi-dimensionality is the label, more specifically the name(s) of the label, under which his first EP, Reservations: The Last Summer, is released. ETP is the music company Gabe is creating and stands for Every Time Productions. But the acronym is representative of a much more immense life scheme.
“We’re also really trying to spread awareness and start a movement called Empower the People which is like really rooted in ideals behind a collective consciousness and really just looking at life as a whole rather than us as all individuals competing for profit,” Gabe says about the ultimate trajectory of the organization.
He has a lot of surprise ideals like that…a lot of things that make you really stop and think, ‘hmmm….’
The junior, Mt. Airy native is wearing a cranberry button down with a slim tie, a thrifted-looking wind breaker, jeans and sneaks, his signature style.
Gabe fluently introduces developmental-stage, almost mind blowing mission statements for ETP aimed at mobilizing the population to end perpetual systematic inequality and create societal leaders. As he sells me this concept, I can’t help but think his advertising major just makes sense. And the smooth musical styling that is ‘Gabe Skrilla’ is also naturally reflected in the artist’s demeanor.
Gabe’s style is, to me, a modernized throwback to the earlier days of hip-hop. “I don’t wanna seem egotistical by any means,” Gabe says when I ask him about his musical approach, “but what I’ve been told about my style is that it’s a little smoother…I feel like it’s a whole different style than has ever been seen before.”
A lot of tracks from Reservations: The Last Summer are reminiscent of the 90s jazz-infused hip-hop which is known to have a more rhythmic sound (which makes sense since Gabe says jazz is one of his favorite musical genres). One track, “Examples (Keeping Faith),” samples R&B star Faith Evans’ “I Love You” and portrays a more fluid style which Gabe suggests is not typically heard from white rappers, a group for which he says he is “breaking barriers.” Another song on the EP, “Decisions” produced by Saint Los, puts you in the mind of Nate Dogg and Warren G (think “G-funk. Where rhythm is life and life is rhythm”).
And to Mr. Skrilla, life is rhythm. ETP is actually an almost rhythmic theme throughout our conversation. Everything positive, everything perfect—to Gabe and the Empower the People movement, life is all about personal perception.
“How you perceive something,” he says, “really determines your fate.”
The broad and possibly generation shaping concepts behind the ETP movement, such as cyclical oppression of certain groups in America, enlightening people to see that we are all interconnected spiritually and as humanity, and ultimately transforming citizen consciousness to move closer to a progressive positive existence, obviously will require extensive research and time. Probably even a few years, Gabe admits. So music is the primary focus for now.
Inspired by rappers Ab Soul, Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole, Gabe’s aim is to create real music. This involves using music as an instrument rather than entertainment, he explains. Ultimately, Gabe’s musical style is purposeful music using different vernacular, maybe than has ever been heard before.
Though he didn’t mention him once, I can’t help but think of lyricist, Lupe Fiasco, as the spiritual Skrilla describes how he uses reading books and gaining knowledge for lyrical inspiration, and wants to make learning “cool.”
The first step: his newly released EP. Gabe originally planned to create two different tapes, but ultimately chose the 15 best tracks to comprise Reservations. Along the way, Gabe says the process wasn’t always rosy. But keeping true to the ETP (everything positive, everything perfect, every time, progress…take your pick) mindset, Gabe says he learned more about himself than he ever could’ve imagined. Seeing how far he’s come from the days of rapping in his friend’s studio in Johnson and Hardwick residence halls is motivation to continue rapping.
Skrilla, who says his biggest struggles to progressing musically have been from within, clearly does not—cannot—have a typical ultimate goal for his future career in music…and activism, and philosophy and education.
“At this point I could say peace and equality for all of earth but I feel like that’s just way to cliché and a little unrealistic,” Gabe jokes.
Instead, he wants to move beyond the inevitable negatives, and to, “move as far away from these oppressive and distorting and destructive societal bounds and move closer to an accepting, progressive, efficient and positive existence for all…just being born, you have a right to that.”
Bravo, Mr. Skrilla. Bravo.
Listen to Gabe here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmvS0SYfFBI