G-Eazy Facts: 13 Things You Need To Know About The 'You Don't Own Me' Rapper

1. Where is G-Eazy from?

G-Eazy was actually born and raised in Oakland California, before moving to New Orleans to go to college and pursue his dreams of being a rapper.

2. G-Eazy once toured with Drake but was forced to come home by his school teacher.

He told Respect Mag: "I had to negotiate with my teachers on how to miss about two weeks of classes and to be able to just send in my homework and try to stay on top of everything while I was on the road... [But] then one of them told me if I missed another class that I would fail. So, we had to play the show then drive straight back to New Orleans to get back to that stupid class."

3. What is G-Eazy's real name?

Its Gerald! His full name is Gerald Earl Gillum. He is of Ukranian decent.

4. He sold most of his belongings to fund his rap career.

After graduating from University in 2012, he went on a 40-date America's Most Wanted Music Festival with Lil Wayne, TI and 2 Chainz without technically having a "home" or many possessions. He told Rolling Stone: "What costs the world to you as a working kid fresh out of college, costs nothing to you as a successful musician… I felt like the idea, the creative content, was so much more valuable than any physical content. Like if this works, I could buy 100 couches."

5. Gerald's style is inspired by Johnny Cash.

Speaking to Hip Hop DX about his unique look, he said: "My mom would play all these old Johnny Cash records and stuff, and my grandpa was real big on it. I grew up with my grandparents—my mom, aunts, uncles in this big house. I was just raised around that kind of music. I always thought he was cool, just being a rebel, dressing in all black, and not wanting to always conform."

6. How did he get his big break?

G-Eazy got his big break when he released his mixtape 'The Endless Summer' in 2011, which earned him the chance to go on tour with Drake and Lil Wayne. From there Gerald wrote, recorded, and produced his first full-length album 'Must Be Nice' completely independently - and earned the No. 3 spot on the iTunes Hip-Hop Chart.

7. He describes his music as '50s culture with contemporary rap.

"I was just raised around that kind of music," he told Hip Hop DX. "I’m all about pulling together totally different styles of music, different genres, different cultures and combining the two. So you have this idea of this late ‘50s early ‘60s kinda culture blended with contemporary Rap."

8. When did G-Eazy's debut album drop?

Gerald's first album 'These Things Happen' was actually released in 2014 and reached #3 on the US Billboard charts. Speaking to Billboard, he described the project as "me in my 20s on a wild roller coaster surrounded by parties, tours and temptations." The album featured A$AP Ferg, E-40, Danny Seth, and more.

9. G-Eazy loves to bring his mum on tour with him.

G-Eazy is very close to his mother and loves to bring her to his shows. He even once invited her on stage to smoke with him!

10. He has over 1 million Instagram followers!

As well as releasing music, G-Eazy is also very active on social media. He currently has over one million followers on Instagram and loves to post creative and interesting photos.

11. He had a difficult upbringing.

Gerald's mother left his father when he was young and began dating another woman, which left him confused without a father figure in his life. He initially disliked the relationship but slowly grew to accept the situation. However his mother's partner became depressed and fatally overdosed. G-Eazy tells the story of how he found her dead body in his basement in his song 'Everything Will Be OK'.

12. G-Eazy's latest album 'When Its Dark Out' outsold Rick Ross' Black Market.

According to Hits Daily Double, G-Eazy's long-awaited second album 'When Its Dark Out' sold around 110k in its first week in comparison to Rick Ross' new album 'Black Market', which sold around 65k - despite being released in the same week.

13. G-Eazy dropped a huge freestyle on Tim Westwood's Capital XTRA show.

While G-Eazy was in the UK promoting his new album 'When Its Dark Out', he dropped into Tim Westwood's Saturday night show on Capital XTRA to deliver a big freestyle. "Moved to a big ass crib on 20 acres, just met Angelina and Brad, they're friendly neighbours" he rapped. "Ain't too many real ones left there's plenty fakers, look at all these rappers there's plenty of indicators."

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