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Growing up, GIL-T had tremendous musical influences. The first being his mother,
the late Laura Nyro. Laura Nyro was a singer and songwriter who wrote hits for
the Fifth Dimension, Barbara Streisand, Melissa Manchester and many others. He
was also intrigued with the artists appearing on MTV like the Fat Boys, Run DMC
and NWA. On any given morning he would wake up to the sounds of his mother
playing her piano and writing songs. He followed in her footsteps and started
writing poems and songs of his own. He let a few people hear the rhymes he wrote
and they encouraged him to continue. Although he was exposed to many forms of
music his passion was for hip-hop. Constantly on the road with his mother he
moved from State to State eventually ending up in Danbury Connecticut where his
mother owned a beautiful house over looking a pond. He didnt have any siblings
and never met his biological father but his mother provided him with a healthy
and happy home.
At the age of 15 he got into trouble with the law and received 5 years
probation. After violating probation he was sent to live with his godparents in
Colorado, but this would be short lived. His godparents didnt approve of the
music he listened to. When he refused to give up his music he was asked to
leave. As a result he ended up back in Danbury where he was faced with all the
trouble he had left behind. After violating probation several times he was given
one of two choices, an alternative to incarceration program in Upstate New York
or Jail. The obvious choice was the program. He entered the program with a chip
on his shoulder and a lot on his mind. During this time he learned that his
beloved mother had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. This was an especially
difficult time for him. Needless to say, as hard as he tried he just couldnt
keep himself out of trouble. After 3 months he was kicked out of the program for
fighting. His mother then pulled a few strings and got him placed in a facility
in Queens New York where he spent most of his time writing rhymes and perfecting
his craft. Just when everything seemed to be going well, two counselors at the
facility sat him down and told him that his mother had passed away. Devastated
he instantly felt a loss that was indescribable. He would cry for what seemed
like an eternity. He was allowed to go to his mothers estate to attend a private
memorial. In the weeks to follow GIL-T, filled with despair sunk into a deep
depression. There was little in the world that he cared about. His best friend
was gone. Four months later he left the facility and went to live with close
friends of his mothers in Manhattan. During this time he met and starting dating
a girl from the seedy lower east Side. At this point, life seemed senseless.
Desmond Child, a Laura Nyro fan and famous song writer who wrote hit songs for
many artists like Ricky Martin, Bon Jovi, Cher and many others stepped in and
tried to turn things around for GIL-T by sending him to College in Florida.
No matter where he went though trouble always seemed to follow. He got in
trouble for smoking weed in his room at school, which caused him to be cut off
from his funding. When his girl friend came to visit he decided to move back to
the lower east side with her. Back in New York with no money he had to find a
way to survive. He tried working 9 to 5 but was never able to hold down a job
for long. His other alternative was a life of drugs and fast money. During this
time he hooked up with a friend in Alphabet City and started selling dope and
encountering lots of trouble along the way. Shortly afterwards his relationship
ended and he was left without a place to stay. He then went to live with a
friend in Jefferson Projects in East Harlem. This was good and bad because now,
he had a stable place to live amongst people who cared about him but he was also
surrounded by a lot of negativity. As time went on he turned to a life of crime.
He developed a callused mentality, which led to a stint on Rikers Island. During
his incarceration he kept in touch with a very close friend of his mothers whom
he called his nana. He was very close to her and when he was released he went to
live with her. He tried to stay away from Harlem and the trouble that came with
being there but the streets were calling and he ended up there once again. After
violating his probation yet another time he was sent back to Rikers Island but
this time when he came home he picked up a legal trade as a barber in Harlem. On
down time, he would sit outside of the shop and write rhymes. He joined many
cyphers where he showed off his talent as a rapper and as usual people were
feeling his style. He decided it was time to lay it down. He started saving his
money and was able to go to the studio and record two tracks a month. A year
later he had completed an entire album.
Since then he hasnt looked back. Now with his third album Ghetto Poetry under
his belt he is focused and ready to take on the world.
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