Every city in every state across the U.S. showcase a heavy amount of talented rappers and sometimes a majority of these rappers have the ability, the grind, the appeal, and the utmost talent to make it in an already overflowing industry. Overflowing or not, execs are still out there looking for that next Hip-Hop artist to take the world by storm. When they say Hip-Hop is in a slow decline, they must not have heard the real artists that are out there every day trying to make a name of themselves through local concerts, their grind, and their mixtapes flooding the streets.

It has already been predicted that Miami will be next on top, after a plethora of cities already had their shine; lately this city hasn’t been going unnoticed. And as you are already well aware South Florida is a breeding ground for these exceptionally talented artists, waiting patiently for their moment to shine in the limelight. One such artist has the elements that comprise a real Hip-Hop artist, his ability, his fan appeal, and his grind is impeccable, so much to the point where he has worked with several heavyweights in the game that recognize him as a true artist. I’ve learned over the years working in this industry that being real and saying that you’re real mean two different things and at the same time weigh heavy on your credibility and your music. This artist has always kept it trill to the fullest, in his grind and his music. I formally introduce you to GT 40, motivated and driven by a higher force. This is the exclusive interview that you will only read here on 24hourhiphop.com.

24: Let everyone know who GT 40 really is.

GT 40: I’m currently signed with Grind Mode Entertainment and right now I’m pushing my single called ‘Tonight’ featuring my homeboy Gutta and its produced by Pro aka Proffesir.

24: Before Grind Mode and your single ‘Tonight,’ let’s get into your history, how did everything come be how it is now?

GT 40: It all started with open mics and pushing mixed tapes. Stage of Grind Mode had seen me; told me he liked what I was doing and said when he gets to where he’s going he would holla at me. So that’s why I’m here now.

24: The name GT 40 is very unique. A lot of people say it almost sounds like the model of a car. Can you explain to your fans your definition of GT-40?

GT 40: GT-40 stands for Godspeed. God times 40. There were 40 days & 40 nights of rain and 40 days & 40 nights of people in the wilderness. If you look through the bible 40 was a big number, so that’s why I took the number 40. Some people call me GT and some people call me 40, but mostly I go by GT.

24: With that being said, would you consider yourself very religious?

GT 40: I consider myself to be very deep into religion. My mom and dad are both Christians and the life that I’ve chosen has always strayed me away from church, but it has also always kept me in church, so basically all my endeavors and the things that I have seen in life have put me back in the face of God. So that’s why I go with GT-40.

24: So basically, with in your music you intertwine church and street and then you sum it up and fuse it together. Would you say church is your salvation and the streets are your inspiration?

GT 40: I make it okay to feel like you could still go to church. When you’re shooting dice, selling dope, and robbing niggas, it could be hard to still go to church, but if you look at God’s history he still always loved the thieves and the crooks. God knows that no man is perfect, so I let everybody know that I’ll be the bridge. It’s all right to be feeling like, ‘Damn I can’t go to church today and why I am here?’ I’m here to spit that shit and let you know it’s cool.

24: You mentioned bridge. What’s your definition of bridge?

GT 40: I feel like the community and the people feel there’s no hope, so I try to be that bridge or that crossing, through my music and things I do and say. I try to put people in a better position to see things in a better light so they feel like there’s hope. A lot of rappers just like to talk about cars, jewels, fast life, and fast living, but they don’t tell you the down side. My mother always said the street got to down side, too. You can make a hundred one day and make a grand the next day, but it’s going to catch up to you sometime, someway. If you live fast, you gonna die fast.

24: Would you say a lot of that biblical sense goes into your verses; what do you incorporate into your songs?

GT 40: In my songs I tell you my life story and how I got through it. Everything in life I had to get through God. If it weren’t for God, I wouldn’t be here. When I talk about women, I talk about them in a respectful way. I’m a Gemini, I love women, my mama’s a woman and that’s just letting you realize that women are a beautiful thing. You came from one and you gonna always go back to one (laughing). Your heart came from a woman and another woman gonna take it. Your mama might get jealous, but that’s what mamas do (laughing).

24: A lot of rappers say they listen to the beat and vibe to it, the beat tells them what to write, it puts them in the zone, gives them sort of an inspiration. Does that same method go for you or do you have a totally different method?

GT 40: I come with a lot of concepts. With the way I am, I could hear a track and just turn it off. As soon as I hear like the first four bars I already got the song in my head, I already know where I’m going with it; already know what I’m going to say. I would say the hardest thing about the concept of a song is trying to make the hook memorable. I want a hook that’s going to last ten years, not ten months. No one hit wonder shit.

24: So basically you’re very versatile when it comes down to writing hooks and lyrics and putting everything into play.

GT 40: Yeah, I’m a freestyler. It took me like six years to learn how to write. When I was listening to tracks, I had to put myself into a position to write more, because when you write you have a better direction on where you want to go with a song. It’s like a story; you have your introduction, body, and closing.

24: Jay-Z, T.I and Lil Wayne went paperless. Do you think you would go paperless or still write your lyrics on paper?

GT 40: That’s cool what they do, but at the end of the day, I’m not going to work without my shirt and tie, so I’m going with my pen and paper or should I say pencil and paper; I like to erase (laughing). Yeah, I’ll take the pencil and the paper.

24: How did you hook up with Proffesir?

GT 40: Proffesir got a phone call from Grind Mode and said “Hey we’re working on GT-40 and we’re trying to put an album together”, so I stepped into the studio with Proffesir and he let me hear the track. I already had the hook when I heard the first eight bars. From that point on, I put my voice on it and I did a little auto-tune on it, cause you know that T-Pain thing I’ll rep. I’m versatile, but I’m not a singer (laughing), I’ll write a great song, but I’m not going to sing it. I called Gutta, which me and Gutta go back about five years and we always said we got to do something; if an opportunity came about. I called him, he got on it and it is what it is.

24: So would you say Gutta fits the song’s elemental sound?

GT 40: I wouldn’t change anything about the song.

24: You’ve known Stage McKlezie of Grind Mode for a long time. How did the whole getting signed to Grind Mode occur?

GT 40: I got signed about two months after ‘I’m So High’. Stage called me up and said he wanted me to work with him and I was like, “What do you mean work with you?” He said that he wanted me to come work with the team; get down, but I need to come as a solo artist and he put me down with Grind Mode Entertainment. Ever since then I’ve been on the road on an 8 day promo tour.

24: Ever since ‘I’m So High’ became a Billboard smash, you’ve officially become the first artist off of Grind Mode Entertainment. When should we expect an official album from you?

GT 40: Probably early next year.

24: So would you consider ‘Tonight’ your street or commercial single off the new album?

GT 40: I just consider it a good song. To me, whether it’s street or commercial, a song is a song. If it sounds good, you’re going to move to it, dance to it, and they gonna request it.

24: So are you just working on the one single ‘Tonight’ or do you have something coming later on down the line?

GT 40: Right now, I’m pushing ‘Tonight’. It’s nothing for me to start on a new project, but one thing at a time. I want to see how far it will go and I’m pretty sure it will push me the way I want it to. Then I can just holla at Pro when I need a new track!

24: Are there any mixtapes you want to plug right now?

GT 40: I’m on a few features here and there with a couple down south major artists. Right now, Piccalo and I are working on a few things, we might end up doing a T-Wayne; T-Pain type thing.

24: Thank you for providing 24hourhiphop.com with this long overdue interview, any last words for your future and present fans?

GT 40: I’m going to keep doing what it do, cause it’s the only way to do it. I appreciate the love and support and most of all I thank the graces of God, but I’ll tell everybody something someone told me, “If you try, you can make it and that’s just the way it is.” Shout outs to Grind Mode, McKlezie, Chaos, Hunger, the We Loose family, Piccalo, Proffesir, Gutta, and everybody who’s been down with me since day one. Love you Mom!