Guapdad 4000 chronicles life & career in 1176

Instead of sharing stories about people, Guapdad 4000 simply chronicles his own in his latest album titled 1176, his project with Fil-Am executive producer !LLMIND and Paradise Rising, the sister label of 88rising.

According to the information provided by his team, the album is about the Oakland-based rapper’s life and career, which encompass his Filipino upbringing, humble beginnings and eventual stardom. The “autobiographical” 1176 proves that an artist’s own life is a rich source of materials, to be set in music and shared with listeners.

“I named the album 1176 because it was the address of the house I grew up in,” said the hip-hop sensation in a virtual group interview. “Everything on this album is so honest, it’s so pure. It’s very nostalgic but at the same time, it’s super modern, in the sound.”

1176 is a very personal musical endeavor to Guapdad 4000 as, again, he talks about his roots and the album cover shows him and his lola standing in front of their house. “There’s a Filipino element to this that I speak on and I want to broadcast and tell about my experience growing up as being Black and Filipino,” he added. Guapdad 4000 has found a collaborator in Paradise Rising that highlights Filipino artists globally. The label is in partnership with Globe. Guapdad 4000 considered his decision to be a part of Paradise Rising a “super cool thing.”

Asked what’s his creative process like, Guapdad 4000 said, “It all starts, honestly, with my mood. It depends on how I’m feeling because sometimes I feel reflective, sometimes I just want to make a song. Sometimes I feel sad. Sometimes I don’t know how (I’d) feel. And I kinda let my mood dictate what exactly we’re going to make.”

The artist in him thrives by surrounding himself with producers and musicians, who support his energy and enthusiasm, and inspire him. “They understand the end-result in this whole process of (creating music),” said Guapdad 4000. “It really starts there, and I kinda let the melody drive everything.”

From there, Guapdad 4000 is in for some musical discovery. The artist recalled that he would take the mic, walk around the room and smile to people, “You know, enjoy the moment and just rap… and find something that sounds good, even if there are no words yet and I just mumble.”

As much as artists keep their core intact, they also see the value of and the room for growth in collaboration.

“I’m super all for collaborating,” said Guapdad 4000. “First of all, I think everybody should do it. You’ll love it and the fans will love it. On top of the creative aspect, it’s healthy to just be around with other like-minded people... I can only speak of my experience. Music is very personal for me and I often talk about my real life in my music... So it’s fun to link up with other artists who are also in the similar space because then we can resonate in different ways and I can find different ways to express myself that I wouldn’t have thought of by myself.”

Guapdad 4000 enjoys working with fellow artists as “it is just a way to open up your heart,” he said, “to open up your mental state to another person and combine energies.”

With that, Guapdad 4000 and his music are here to stay and in for the long haul.

(How Many is among the tunes in 1176 and listen to it at http://bit.ly/streamhowmany, and watch the music video at http://bit.ly/howmanymv. For details, stay tuned to Paradise Rising on Facebook at bit.ly/paradiserisingfacebook, Instagram at bit.ly/paradiserisinginstagram, and Twitter at bit.ly/paradiserisingtwitter.)