The Origin Story
The Origin Story
A debut project 23 years in the making, Rehab is a hip-hop album produced and recorded independently by A.G. Filled with jazz, funk, blues, and electronic influences, his beats add an atmosphere to his rhymes that feel reminiscent of the rappers he grew up idolizing, but A.G. makes it clear on his opening track "Chill Out" that he's looking for his own lane, not trying to fill someone else's.
Born in Charlotte, growing up in the suburbs of Indianapolis, and raised on sports, music and politics, he went to Indiana University in the fall of 2014 looking for the way that he could make a difference in the world. Maybe by changing broken rules to help more people, or through going into politics and hoping to inspire people. Over the course of a few years, he came to the conclusion that inspiring people to be better was the ultimate goal. The method was what had changed. Politics is run by money, and no amount of facts or numbers can change the answers each party are looking for. A true democratic space though, like music, or YouTube, had room for new inspiration, originality and honest personality.
However, A.G. didn't start writing or producing with the intent to make a record until after he was hospitalized for a bout of drug-induced psychosis in April of 2019. After a rough semester of college and repeated denials that he had a problem with marijuana and psychedelics, he had unwittingly smoked laced weed, and claims he was still tripping well after 24 hours in the detox tank in Monroe County.
A trip to rehab was in order, and he began a months-long journey to repair his brain and his relationships with his family, who put him back on his feet, and with the girl he loved, who he had called the cops on in his paranoid stupor. This album is the soundtrack of that journey; of a young man trying to find himself again. Establishing what he believes is worth living for besides money, drugs and girls. After a thorough listening of the album, his answer seems to be true love, family, faith, forgiveness, and chasing your dreams.
The artists who influenced and inspired him range from greats like Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, Jay-Z, and Kanye West to newer artists who pushed the boundaries of what rap and hip-hop really were and could be. Artists like Big Sean, Drake, Mac Miller, Chance the Rapper, Wiz Khalifa, J. Cole, G-Eazy, Logic, Wale, Run the Jewels, Macklemore and Childish Gambino all had influences in pushing him past his preconceptions on the limits of beat selection, song structure, lyricism, vulnerability, and messages in their music.
Still hustling the open mic circuit, A.G. is already deep into his second and third projects, Sports and Step One, and hopes to build himself enough cred to tour in the near future. With one full-length release out and another two in the works, he believes he is well on his way.
Rehab Available on the Following Platforms
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/0o0JyePi71rmHQ5g0sgeVU?si=s5kbDikHQRSz9eUWTqGAgA Music:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/rehab/1486619463iTunes:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/rehab/1486619463SoundCloud:
https://soundcloud.com/user-902125306-3131362/sets/rehabYouTube Music:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_ngMdfz4AhokAD-SQqeMrDtpMkv34d_3y0