George Watsky is a 29 year old writer, rapper and performer from San Francisco, but now resides in Los Angeles. His career started with slam poetry, winning many competitions locally in San Francisco and then in his college town, Boston, at Emerson College. Watsky officially released seven rap mixtapes and three full studio albums. He continues to write both poetry and raps and mixes his poetry into his set lists when he performs today.
Why does that name sound familiar?
Watsky first appeared on the final season of Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry in 2007. His fame rose again in 2011 from the video Pale Kid Raps Fast, which I'm sure you can figure out what it entails. Then, still in 2011, he had two performances on the Ellen Show (mentioned in his song "Mrs. Robinson". He's very proud of this). You also might have accidentally seen him perform on tour with Vans Warped Tour in 2012, 2013 and/or 2014.
What makes him different?
George Watsky has an extremely notable sound. First off, his raps and poems are, for the most part, very fast. I seriously do not know how it is humanly possible for a "pale kid" to move his lips that quickly. You may also notice a slight lisp when listening to his material. But, as many have surveyed, “it works for him”. Even then, his poetry just sounds different from his raps. As stated in a Reddit feed, Watsky says he focuses mostly on the metaphors when writing his poetry and focuses more on sound when writing raps. Some of his most notable poems are "S is for Lisp," "If I Were President," "Letter to My 16 Year Old Self," "Tiny Glowing Screens pt 2," and "Nothing Like the First Time."
Watsky’s style range is one to be impressed by. He can be extremely serious, appealing to the array of emotional and social issues his audience faces such as in "Tiny Glowing Screens pt 1," "Seizure Boy," and "Sarajevo." But his music can also be silly and light-hearted, creating a slight smile and a head-shake as you listen or even a booming laugh. Some of these songs are "Strong As an Oak," "Kidnap Your Boyfriend," and "Rich Girl". He can be extremely technical, like in "Whoa Whoa Whoa," or simply heartfelt like in "Dedicated to Christina Li" or "Sloppy Seconds." The difference in sound between the songs and poems in his entire discography is too incredible to be overlooked. It simply cannot be ignored.
But a parental warning: almost all his music is considered explicit (by iTunes). He raps about exactly what he wants and says it how he feels, regardless of swear words or crude topics. That, at least, is worthy of some respect.
Why give him the time of day?
Besides winning numerous awards for his poetry and topping the iTunes Hip Hop charts in the US, Canada, and the UK, he’s also just a decent, down-to-earth person that deserves recognition. He put out two seasons of a YouTube series, first being called “Watsky’s Making An Album” and second being called “Watsky’s Releasing An Album” just because. During the Vans Warped Tour 2013 in London, he jumped from a 40-foot light structure as a way to make his performance as high-energy as possible but unfortunately hurt two fans, breaking one girl's arm... But that's not the point. He stayed at the hospital with the fans until visiting hours were over and returned the next day to check on them. What other performer would do that? Besides having the slight inconvenience of a broken arm and muscle pain, that would've been a pretty sick experience for the fans. He’s also pretty hilarious, relatable, and a joy to follow on Twitter.
Such an adult.
Us college kids can personally relate to getting excited over free stuff.
A noble struggle.
Such a hard separation in one's life.
But it seems he found a quick replacement (3 days later.)
What college kid doesn't do this on a bi-weekly basis?
Just when you thought things couldn't get better, he cares about more than just sriracha sauce. He's a vegetarian.
And cares about the sea turtles!
Although when asked about the bees, he refused to comment. The staff here at the Odyssey Online will keep our readers informed if any updates occur.
But, regardless of how George Watsky feels about the bees, the number one reason you should give him a listen is that you have no excuse not to. His mixtapes are available for a free download on his Bandcamp, which can be reached through his website and his studio released albums are only $9.99 on iTunes!
He just wants to make you proud.
If you find a liking to his music (which you most likely will) and want to spread the word about it, his merchandise can be found on his website as well! It's tempting because who wouldn't want a shirt when it's advertised like this.
So do yourself a favor and check out some of his material now. It'll be a mistake if you don't.
