Today we’d like to introduce you to GVE Mike.
GVE, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
As far back as I can remember, music has always been a part of my life. My father was adopted by another family who worked at Elektra Records. Obviously, being a small child, I didn’t understand the influence this would have on me until later, but we had a lot of music in my house growing up. My family was always listening to Sade, Ice Cube, Gang Star, and many others, so I naturally fell in love with sounds. As I got older, I started realizing certain songs would trigger certain feelings and emotions that I liked, and in my head, I would hear melodies and start beatboxing percussion, or what I thought was beatboxing.
It wasn’t until much later that I wanted to actually create music and understand how the business of music worked. The first time I knew I wanted to make music was when I watched the Busta Rhymes – Woo Hah!! Got you all in check music video. I was up early getting ready for school, and my cousin was watching MTV, but he forgot to turn the TV off when he left the house. Naturally, I went to watch cartoons, but I was intrigued by this colorful and loud artist, jumping in and out of frame yelling. My grandparents caught me watching this video, and I got in trouble, but the funny thing is, I get on the bus for school and the bus driver always had the radio on, the same song was playing on the radio. I knew at that point I wanted to be apart of this world. Also, shout out to Busta! The coming was the first album I ever bought (or parents let me buy) and got me through a few boring family road trips!!
Fast forward to 2019, I now help select music for a video game soundtrack (NBA2K) and I produce music. I try to make a few beats a day just to keep growing and learning. I also love getting in the studio and creating music with other producers. I feel like I become friends with people on a deeper level when we create amazing music together. I also have a playlist where I feature new musicians and established ones. I like discovering new music and helping other people discover. Some notable people I have produced for are Dribble2Much, Ye Ali, Eric Bellinger. I also have a podcast that will be dropping over the coming weeks and Im putting myself out there as an artist. I only have one song out now, but I am working on dropping one song a month. Follow me on Insta @Gve_Mike for beats and if you want to co-produce! Peace and Love! Good Vibez Forever!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Has it been a smooth road? Not at all. Life happens! There was a lot of good times in my early years, but as I got older, my family split up, and I had to really understand life. There was a point in time where my family was homeless, and we were living in a shelter. That was a time in life where I had to watch everyone else enjoy life, and I really got to observe how people treat one another. I was about nine during this time, and I could remember just wanting to listen to my CD player so I could hear certain beats I really liked or listen to Sade sing… she always had a way with her melodies that would put me in a trance.
Another obstacle was my own mind!! Much of the time, I struggled to pick up a drum machine or keyboard… I always thought I would be laughed at or wouldn’t be taken seriously, but once I just believed in myself and took a leap… everything seemed to work out. Obviously, I had to learn a lot, but much of being successful in anything is just having confidence in your self.
My Newest challenge is writing and performing on my own beats. Again im having to start over and begin trusting my abilities to write and tell the story of my life over music. Some things I do to help are performing my song in front of my friends so I can ask for their advice. I might even send them reference audio and see what they think. Im really influenced by Busta and Nas so Im trying to find an in-between but just getting past your own mental blocks can open more doors you never knew existed.
Please tell us about Good Vibez Over Everything.
Good Vibez Over Everything is about following your instincts and your heart! Passion should be at the forefront of what we do. I think it’s very easy to get lost in numbers and stats, but we love doing things in life because of the feelings we get from living and creating. I like to provide positive vibes for people with my music and art! I have a passion for creating music so much of my time, im producing and writing. I also have a passion for playlisting to help people discover music. I have a playlist on Spotify which you can follow on my IG!
I am super proud of getting an album placement even though that shouldn’t be your main focus if you are a producer. Dribble2Much took a chance and gave me an opportunity to produce for him. We ended up making Sauce which is on his album Locker Room. We are working Locker Room 2 right now so watch out for that. I really appreciate being able to produce for Ye Ali as well. The guy is super talented, and I will forever be thankful to be in the same room as him and cook up records. He has worked with Chris Brown, Eric Bellinger He got some fire music on the way so go follow both those guys right now on IG!
What sets me apart is I like to make something that really touches my soul or creates a feeling that I can’t forget. When I select songs for soundtracks, I want people to walk away from that project asking themselves “why didn’t they know” about a certain artist on that project, “how can they find more” from that artist… Same when I make beats, I try to create a feeling or a vibe. I want to help the listener to start building melodies and verses in their head about REAL situations or emotions. I want everyone to feel what I feel when I listen to music and when I create!
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I would have stared over with the knowledge, I have now… I would have got an NPC at the earliest I could afford one… I would have taken choir class more serious, and I would have tried to really put pen to paper and write about my life. I’m doing many of this now, but if I had started earlier, I would be able to have saved myself time and stress. I also believe things happen for a reason, and we move along in life at the time we are supposed to. Just remember to be patient, if you are working hard and learning how things work and perfecting your craft, you will get noticed. Marketing yourself using the resources you have and be a student of your art until you get your big break!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gve_mike/

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