Casablanca The Gawd: «We want to make grown men Rap»

Today, thanks to Griselda and the Buffalo Bills, all eyes are on Buffalo. But your story in the streets started way before the hype around the city. At 15, you were already out there, going through tough times where survival wasn’t guaranteed. How did those scars and that urgency make it shape your music? Can you take us deeper into the streets of Buffalo and share what your life was really like, along with the specific events that made you who you are?

I started early, at 15 as you mentioned, in the streets. Broken home, single parent. Still, mom was strong enough, just wasn’t enough of her; there would’ve had to be two of her to keep me out the streets, where the dealers was the MVPs. They had the jewelry, cars, and women. If you came from the inner city, the hood, who didn’t wanna be a hustler?

Back then I was thinking: make money to trick on chicks, so I was destined to do it. Too much money changing hands, I’m thinking I need parts. So I moved with my grandma, because after a couple of knocks late night at my mom’s, she tossed me and the coke out. So I started trapping out the vacant house across the street from my grandma’s house until she moved, and I trapped out of that when she did. Downtown, Smith St. to be exact.

Do you remember the exact moment you penned your first bar or gripped a mic? What was the catalyst—that specific switch—when you realized rap was no longer just an outlet for the streets, but a legitimate hustle and a craft you needed to take seriously?

The Battle of the 64 Emcees—I remember it like yesterday. I won it three times, two of them straight back-to-back. You see, I always wrote rhymes, but I wrote them the way a battle rapper would. That’s how I started. I wanted to out-bar anybody I came around, because cyphers were huge in Buffalo at the time. Basically, I wrote rhymes just to destroy cyphers. After winning a couple of times, my producer and partner, Doc Martin, told me: ‘You gotta elevate this. You have a thing and it needs to be heard.’ That’s when I switched gears to being the artist Casablanca the Gawd.

How did you come up with “Casablanca”? And does “The Gawd” stem from the Five-Percent Nation influence? If it does..How did you connect with the Nation of Gods and Earths?

I was born into an already established Muslim family. My father taught lessons. My mom turned Christian halfway through, but when they split, he taught me Islam and how to do the knowledge for and of self. I studied the 5% Nation on my own because I wanted to seek further knowledge of self; you can hear it at times in my music.

I got the name studying Africa—it’s one of the holy cities in Morocco. I started out as Casablanca The Don early on, but as I progressed lyrically I grew into, or should I say I was Born into, Casablanca The Gawd.

Looking back at your catalog, what were the very first projects you consider true milestones for your journey? The ones where you felt you finally locked into your identity and your signature sound?

Book of Niggalations Vol.2 was unique because it was mostly old material that Doc still wanted to put out which made me realize the worth behind the work… These were old but near and dear to me.

The “Book of Niggalations” series is the core of your catalog and sounds like a raw street gospel, inspired by the Book of Revelations. What “revelations” or life lessons were you trying to drop in these chapters? When and how was it born?

Not gonna hold you, my life story is a movie. With the things I’ve been through, to still be here is a blessing. The Book of Niggalations series actually began as a one-off—it is literally the gospel of Casablanca.

I wanted to give the listener an up-close and personal experience with the music, creating it exactly as I lived it. So, a lot of it was old material that narrates the very beginning of the story of Casablanca. Grown Man Music shit.

 

Today you’re pushing your music independently through your own label, Compass 120 Entertainment. We all know the industry is cutthroat, especially for an artist who refuses to compromise. How tough is it to navigate this game on your own, and what are the biggest day-to-day challenges a true independent artist has to face?

This game is not for the weak, [laughs]. But I’m fortunate to have my guy, who I started this whole thing with, helping and guiding me through this, so it makes the blow a little softer, so to speak. His experience and knowledge alone is a breath of fresh air. He’s my cheat code. Shout out Doc Martin.

You often define your style as “Grown Man Music.” In a market obsessed with fleeting trends and social media gimmicks, what does it mean to you to make music that actually requires a certain level of maturity to be fully understood?

We wanted to create a lane for the music and sound we established. Really, it’s all forms of hip hop. We wanted something that adults don’t have to hide or feel embarrassed about—they still have a cool side.

We made this culture, we were birthed into it, so we just wanted to give that listener a specific lane.

Throughout your journey, you’ve locked in with underground heavyweights like Eto (on Where You From), V-Don and Che Noir (on Readings on the Wall). How did those connections come about, and how important is it for you to join forces with artists who share your exact same drive and dedication to raw lyricism?

It’s a ‘reach out and touch’ system. A lot of back-door politics, for sure. I had a connection with Che through mutual friends. We had another project together, but that got pushed back, so we reached out again to make it happen. Thankfully, she was with it—shout out to Che Noir, the Upstate Queen. With V-Don, it was basically a ‘business is business’ approach. I really wanted something from him, so Doc made it happen. I think collabs are important for an artist to grow his or her audience; it can put your music in ears that otherwise wouldn’t have heard of you.

What can we expect next from Casablanca the Gawd? Are there any new official projects or upcoming collaborations on the horizon you can hook us up with?

Of course. Aug 20th we are dropping my first album, You’re Now About To Witness. It’s gonna be special: all new music, crazy production. This project is a special one we are bringing to the people. 1st single, ‘Greatest Weapon’ prod by Scottzilla, dropping on all DSPs soon, so be on the lookout. Also tour with Onyx in October, and a host of events before that. Check the Casablanca the Gawd page for all info; the page is loaded and you can see where we will be next. And thank you for the look.