Genius Black celebrated GEM CITY— his most ambitious project to date— at SPACE back in November. While preparing for the show, Genius sat down with some of his core collaborators to discuss the sounds of Portland, artistic process, intertwining personal musical histories, and more. Videos and transcripts below.
Genius Black is an artist, entrepreneur and activist based in southern Maine. His 2021 release GEM CITY is not just an album, but a collective musical movement. Live performances, livestreams and bustin’ merch coming in the near future. The GEM CITY movement is currently engaged in a grassroots, cultural campaign to establish “Gem City” as the nickname of Portland, Maine
GEM CITY Album Interview 1: Genius Black, Angelikah Fahray, and Kari Hodgens
GEM CITY Album Interview 2: Genius Black, Suzie Assam, and Shameek the God
GEM CITY conversation #1: Genius Black, Angelikah Fahray, and Kari Hodgens
GB: Hello, my name is Genius Black
AF: I’m Angelikah Fahray
KH: I’m Kari Hodgens
GB: We are collaborators on a project called GEM CITY, It’s a four song album produced by myself, Genius Black. Angelikah is featured with Tinyfoot on She is Real. Kari Hodgens is on Watermelon Tourmaline where she is featured with myself, and it’s all fire. Right now we are at SPACE in Portland, Maine.
When did you start performing music?
KH: I really started performing music when I was a kid, I started in front of my family putting on weird shows in the living room. In front of an audience I think I was in third grade.
AF: My first performance in front of an audience was during high school. I performed Redemption Song by Bob Marley. I was super nervous, it was my first time ever. I don’t like to think about that moment but seeing as I’ve come so far, it’s good to look back at it.
GB: I love that you performed Redemption Song first, no games. Kari, how was your third grade performance?
KH: It was inspired. I sang a James Taylor song that my mom sang to us every night. I went up on stage and the MC asked what I was singing and then he made some comment like “oh that song’s older than me” and I had no idea and I was really embarrassed at first. It was awkward I’m sure, but I bet it was cute. The song was You Can Close Your Eyes, its kind of a lullaby. It was just me and a microphone, no backing track or anything.
GB: I love these stories. Moving forward to adulthood, assuming we are all there- I don’t know if I am- is there a Portland music sound?
AF: I feel like there’s not one sound, It’s kind of a melting pot, or a combination of sounds. You got your rock, your pop, your R&B, folk, jazz, hiphop, classical…I don’t know a bunch of classical performances that are going on, but I’d like to see one.
KH: I wouldn’t say there’s a Portland sound so to speak, but I do think that in the work I’ve done with the Open Mic I’ve met so many different people and I’ve realized how connected people are. They might not know that they are, but then you go to another show and meet this sound guy that knows people in this band. There’s such potential for people to meet real musicians. There’s a whole range of people who are relatively unknown who have never sung in front of anyone ever before and play at an open mic and they’re amazing. And then you have working musicians who gig regularly all the time and are super tight, super clean, amazing, and you can get those two people together, which I think is what this project is a little bit about. Music just happens organically.
GB: Makes sense to me. Part of what we’re working on right now is a project called Gem City, an album I put together with all y’all, but then I was also very much inspired by all y’all. For real for real. It’s a short album but there’s a lot of meat there. What does Gem City mean to you?
KH: I feel like Gem City means opportunity. I am grateful to you for giving me the platform to be like ‘this is my voice’ in a way no one has ever heard it before. It’s a way that my heart and soul has wanted to be heard and seen for a very long time. It’s exciting hearing all of the different voices and people that you brought together and think ‘look what these people can do’ that I’ve never met before.
AF: It’s a big treasure box. When you came up with the Gem City concept and told me about it I was like “oh my god, super awesome”, anybody can come here and it’s literally a gem city, whatever artists you encounter they’re a little gem. They’re valuable, and it’s amazing.
GB: I can vouch for it. I’m not from Maine, not from Portland, but I’ve lived in this area for awhile, and it continues to blow my mind. I still meet artists- still- where I’m like ‘you’ve been out here? I’ve never heard of you’. And I’ve got y’all that I rock with. So it’s truthfully inspiring and that is very much where the concept came from.
Angelikah, what is it like performing with the Gem City crew?
AF: It’s awesome. Everybody is super cool, the vibes are so supportive and fun and laughter. It’s like we have our own world that we’ve created. It’s so natural. There’s no weird vibes.
GB: Keep it musical I love that. I appreciate that. I remember when we had a rehearsal and Viva came to my studio and I honestly think it was kind of mind blowing. Viva said “this is what it is over here?” and it wasn’t me, the crew was like “oh, you’ve never been to a Genius Black session before?” I felt like a boss, but at the same time, it is the atmosphere we create, it is the trust and the humor and Suzie making fun of me cause she’s good at it. That’s what we do and that’s how we draw some of that honesty and therefore music out of each other. I appreciate that.
What is it like making music with Genius Black?
KH: Over the years I’ve gotten really in my head about music and I psych myself out when someone is “better” than me or has a better knowledge of music theory or whatnot. I remember talking to you about that when we first met and you were listening but then you just changed the subject and said “it’s really not about that at all, none of that. No one cares about that, I don’t care about that” you said to me the process is actually, surprisingly, more fluid than any of that. When I heard you say that it was very much aligned with how my ADHD brain processes things and I felt like we were just able to skip past all that overthinking and you played something on the keyboard, that told me where we were in the space and we just went with it. It was very freeing. It was very fluid.
GB: Once you started making sound out of your mouth I knew to get out of the way and let you be free. If you felt free at that moment, at that moment we were making Watermelon Tourmaline- which is one of my favorite songs I’ve ever made in my entire life- I realized there was a certain level of trust, a certain level of vulnerability. I remember you saying “can you play the keys” and I was like, “uh, I play a little’ so I started making a beat and you were like ”I thought you said you couldn’t play?” We caught a vibe, we caught a vein, there was trust.
What about you Angelikah?
AF: You just believe in us and you want to work with us for a reason, which makes using our abilities and talent more supported. It’s easy to work with you. And you’re super passionate, which makes me feel passionate. And you care about what you’re doing, which makes it easier.
GB: I appreciate it. I feel blessed all the time that y’all think I’m good at this because I’m just going, it’s in my blood, it’s in my family. The level of trust that every person here on the whole album extends to me, I can honestly tell you there are times when life is hard, things feel dark, and this is the thing that brings me to tears and brings me back up and realize that my blessings are all around me.
The process of collaborating on the songs you’re on, what stood out about that to you?
AF: The communication was super easy and the wifi was really good at my house and I know how to use Logic. I have a good microphone, with all of that combined with super awesome people like yourself and Tinyfoot, the process went super smooth. For me it was super quick to record She is Real. So the process of creating She Is Real was smooth, easy, I probably recorded it in thirty minutes. It was very pleasurable.
GB: Wow that’s fire. I have so much to say about that, that’s inspiring. But we’ll move on. What about for you Kari?
KH: The process for me too, the meat of the song, came together pretty quickly, and then it was a lot of fun to talk about what we liked about it and what we wanted to change. Friends of mine have always told me that I speak a little too abstractly, and I feel like you and I go right there and are able to talk about complicated things, or things we want to accomplish on this grandiose scale, but then pull it back to the reality of making music. So we were able to be really free, but also bring it back and with your knowledge of the technical parts that has been really helpful. Like ‘I know exactly what I want to hear and I know how to make that happen, ok here we go’.
GB: I love hearing that, I go for that but we’ll see if it always happens. For me it turns out there were very different processes in creating She Is Real than creating Watermelon Tourmaline, I think they’re both really impactful songs that really celebrate and contain a lot of feminine energy, in a way that I enjoy, but we over time slowly workshopped that song. I liked that you had the right gear, you had a good mic, you dug the vibe of the song. It’s interesting when I was working with Kari to create Watermelon Tourmaline there was also this genuine reaction from her but I was in a place there creating back and forth, and I was obviously not there creating with you Angelikah, the music was already in place, but I was able to respond to what Kari was doing and as she added more layers it became a thing which is why there’s a lot of layers and where we got the sound for Watermelon Tourmaline from. For me it’s curious when you take a different amount of time to create a song and you have a different workflow it can come out feeling different, although I love both songs. Very much so.
That being said, last question: I’ll start with you Kari, what is next for you in your music?
KH: That’s a very good question. I am planning, hoping to lean more into music, my goal is to prioritize it above most things. And give myself permission to do that and not give in to the negative voices saying ‘there’s no money in it’, ‘it’s not practical’ all those voices. Because the truth is I’m going to do it no matter what so I might as well continue to form friendships, relationships, working partnerships and continue to put shows on and make them happen. I have a lot inside of me that I want to express so I’m looking forward to bringing that out. And again, giving myself permission to lean into it.
GB: Absolutely. Thank you. How about you Angelikah?
AF: Well first I gotta get my music out there, make it available for people to listen to. Ever since I started my music journey I’ve just been performing it, I only have two songs out right now. So we’re gonna first get it out onto the platforms, and then after that we’re gonna try and bring it international some way, somehow. By the grace of God.
GB: Yes! I see that happening. I think that as people with amazing voices and stage presences you can just get caught up in the performance and everything and sometimes we have to remind ourselves that by recording things and putting them out and making them accessible and available to people, is part of how you get more people to come pay attention to you when you perform, right? It can come off as secondary but it’s kind of primary. I appreciate both of y’all letting me know what’s next for y’all so that I can help support that, that’s a big part of what Gem City is about or what it means and why I’m just so inspired by everything going on in Portland, Maine and Greater Portland, Maine area. I also want our audience to understand what y’all are looking to do so they can support and they can be entertained. I appreciate it.
GEM CITY conversation #2: Genius Black, Suzie Assam, and Shameek the God
GB: My name is Genius Black
SA: My name is Suzie Assam
STG: I’m Shameek the God
GB: And we have all collaborated with artists from our Gem City crew to create an album called Gem City. These two amazing humans are together singing and rapping and performing simultaneously on a really groovy ass track produced by myself Genius Black, and George Foisy. Also we got a little bit of guitar action from the homie Dave Gutter, and these two are on Scoliosi, check it out on the album, it’s gonna hypnotize you. And I invite you to be hypnotized.
When did you start performing music?
STG: I had joined a group with my homie Jedi, my boy Ill Christ, and a few others, my man Ghost. We formed a group, this must have been some time in high school. We did our first show at, it was called Center for Cultural Exchange. Originally, we did the first hip hop show there. Now it’s One Longfellow Square. That’s where we did our first show. I remember it was pretty dope, we had a bunch of people in, we had intermission where everybody could get up and freestyle if they wanted to. It was a real hip-hoppy crowd. It was super communal. This must have been my sophomore year in high school I feel like, I must have been like 16 or 17 years old.
GB: I love that cause I started singing choir in middle school, like actual performances and even competitions. So it’s always curious to me when people really started. I’m also curious, you said, Ill the Christ, I know you know the homie Obese the Prophet, super talented producer and artist out here in Maine, and your name is Shameek the God, so what’s good? What do these names come from? I’ve always wondered.
STG: I can’t speak for Ill Christ, that’s my homie, that’s always been his name, his real name is Michael but he goes by Ill Christ, he’s out in Long Island now. Obese the Prophet, that’s my homie, we just put out an album together a couple years ago. It was a short album but I was really happy with the way it came out, hopefully we’re gonna do a part two coming up. Shameek the God, that comes from me, I belonged to the Nation of Gods and Earths at one point, I acknowledge 120, seven and a half months, 120 lessons, I could speak them word for word on command, and that was quite a journey for me, and that’s a big part of my life and who I am now to do this day. I’m not currently active in the Nation but the 120 lessons still lead me in the directions I go and the things I do now. So that’s where Shameek the God comes from. Cause I was actually God body .
GB: Thank you. What about you Suzie?
SA: I probably started performing in elementary school. I remember being in the chorus. Personally I probably gave my own little private concerts in my bedroom as a child, cause I’ve been singing for forever. But it was definity a school thing. Which is not to say that it was good, but it happened.
GB: We all gotta start somewhere. I imagine that y’all performances now for everyone here are better than when we first started.
SA: I hope so.
GB: It better be, or we should just give up. I appreciate that.
Is there a Portland music sound?
STG: A Portland music sound. If I were to speak on that I would say as far as hip hop goes, there might be a Portland music sound per se but I feel like everyone that’s a hip hop artist in Portland don’t follow that specific path of sound, and it’s like that with the rock music with the bluegrass, with the country coming out of Portland, with the R&B that comes out of Portland. There’s so many performers it’s absolutely crazy. I couldn’t ask to live or have grown up in a better area for music than I have. This place is kinda crazy. You meet artists everywhere you go. It’s a really artsy city. That’s one of the things that makes Portland great, in my opinion.
GB: It blows my mind, I said it earlier today, and to this day, I still meet artists out here, someone will introduce me, or someone will bring them to my studio, and I’m just like “oh where you from?” “Portland, Lewiston, South Portland”. “What? You from out here?”. Still to this day, not even a month ago I met someone who was like “Wow I didn’t even know you were out here” I know what you’re saying. I think that as people turn their attention towards Portland, Maine, they’re gonna find a treasure trove, like treasure trove, literally, of artists that are polished, that are serious, in different genres, and again that’s why we call this Gem City.
SA: I think it’s definitely an amalgamation of things. I don’t think there’s a specific, like New Orleans Jazz. It’s definitely just a bunch of different things that come together. But what I love is that there are so many people that specialize in so many different things that can still make something sound amazing when they come together, which is part of what I love about working with you and the people that I get to meet through you is that my primary genre isn’t necessarily R&B or hip hop but you find ways to use my voice in a way that fits without stripping away who I am as an artists or who I am as a person. I think that is the coolest thing about being a vocalist here and just being a musician here, is just being able to work with other people and not lose yourself.
GB: We want to highlight the parts of yourself, not lose them, not erase them, not smear them if at all possible. I really appreciate hearing that. That’s real for me.
We’re in Portland right now, we’re at SPACE having a conversation as artists. One of the things that I think about, because we’ve been doing some shows as a group, I call it the Gem City crew, our crew of people. What does it feel like, or how is it performing with the Gem City crew?
STG: Performing with the Gem City crew is amazing. It’s like working with a bunch of professional artists that are gonna push you to do your best but also support you if you don’t, you feel me? Everybody has fun, we all chill, there’s no pressure I feel like. It’s the most freeing kind of performance I’ve done in the area. I work with other people and they’re like *grumbling*`and it’s not like that with the Gem City crew. Everything is chill and lax and we come out with the best possible outcome because of that when we perform together.
SA: I don’t want to be cheesy, but it feels like coming home. I feel like everybody that I’ve worked with through you and with you has been super friendly and welcoming, and there’s this really cool sense of trust. I trust that you’re not gonna put me in a room with someone that I’m not gonna work well with. That is gonna bring harsh vibes to the group, someone that’s not gonna waste everyone’s time. I know that you are bringing together a group of people that can have respect for each other and are going to make not just you look good but the whole crew look good.
GB: That’s why the crew, the people I picked are on purpose. And when I say Gem City you know I mean the whole city, all those talents and genres. But the people I work with are because y’all deliver amazing vocal performances consistently. And good and positive vibes consistently. So that feedback about how it feels for y’all really means the world and I mean that’s what creates that stage and that platform and that space for y’all to not lose yourself, to come and perform your best and see what happens. And know that people aren’t gonna chide you if it wasn’t perfect. Because that’s not what it is. We’ve got more time that we can perform that we’ve got coming up. So to me that really means the world to hear. I’ll say for anyone in the audience, myself Genius Black and my studio and my vibes, I bring a lot of people together to collaborate who have never met each other. I do that consistently and regularly. I curate and I pick the people I know will vibe. So to get on the back end and hear someone say “yeah that actually felt dope” and then to have songs like Scoliosi which is the song that both Shameek and you Suzie perform and feature on, which is really a dope vibey song. I remember when you both came to my studio/apartment/secret location and said “I’m gonna play the track, I want you to sing I want you to rap” and y’all did, I had you did it like 7, 8, 10, 12 times in a row and I told you, cause I was standing between both y’all equidistant that it was hypnotic what I was hearing. Then when we went to the show I was able to confidently tell the audience that I’m about to play some dope shit for y’all, check this out. I remember watching people’s faces and reactions when you were performing the song that I already knew was gonna smack them, and it was smacking them. Right? For me, that level of artistry and then execution, cause in the studio is different from the stage, you feel me? That’s part of what inspires me and why I literally created Gem City with y’all because of the mutual back and forth inspiration. That’s what Gem City is. So, I just talked a little bit about what Gem City means to me and then my question for y’all is, what does Gem City mean to you?
STG: To me? A diamond in the rough. For real, Gem City is a diamond in the rough. This is a city in a state that doesn’t really have much. You’ve got Portland, Maine is known for Portland. Maine is known for being the restaurant capital of the Northeastern seaboard. It’s the brewery capital of the East Coast. We also have music.
GB: Amazing music.
STG: We have amazing music. We have great music here and that’s what Gem City is to me. This city is a gem. It’s a gem. It’s full of gems. Especially out of the East coast. This city is a gem. People come here as a destination spot. There’s a reason for that, in my opinion.
SA: Ditto. But really though, it is a highlight for a lot of people that come here for vacation. But also people who live here. I remember, I grew up in Lewiston, the Dirty Lew, the scourge of central Maine, apparently. Which is not how I feel. But, it was a big deal to go to Portland. It was a to-do to be able to go to the mall and go to the Old Port. And it’s not something that happened very often for me and I know there’s a lot of people in more rural areas of Maine that don’t get to experience anything close to a city vibe. Which is what you get when you come here. Portland is a small city, but there’s so much culture and life in this little space it’s a big deal to be able to be here, so it is a gem.
GB: I agree wholeheartedly, that not only is Portland itself a gem, but it’s really full of gems. And again, like you said, to sound cheesy a little bit I call it a treasure trove, a treasure chest, all that I agree with because I’m from Dallas, Texas. The DFW metroplex is a big metropolitan area, lots of talent, lots of genres, and I can tell you, coming to Maine and seeing the Portland music scene continues to blow my mind and inspire me because there’s talents I’ve encountered here that I haven’t even seen the likes of anywhere else, visiting New Orleans and Dallas, or hearing people I know from Atlanta. There’s so much talent out here. People are gonna wake up to Portland, Maine.
What is it like to create music with Genius Black?
SA: Shameek leaned forward, he definitely has an answer ready.
STG: I don’t know that I have an answer ready but I have a feeling ready. It’s funny I met Jerry kind of on a humbug. I was working with this other producer, he knew Jerry and originally he came and introduced me to Jerry and I went to his apartment. We started creating music together production wise in the beginning. Beginning with production between the two of us, then we got into the lyrics and everything. I feel like the first thing we did together was Peace God and I feel like that might have been after we worked with homie. But I’m not 100% sure. But from that point when Jerry and I met, we clicked and we started vibing. It was a minute before we got back into contact but then I was like ‘yo, lemme hit this dude up’, because I was serious about my music and he was serious about music and we came together on that. We’ve done some production, we’ve done some lyrics, we’ve done a little bit of everything together. Working with Jerry just feels like working with family. Working with a best friend, it’s crazy. But it’s really comfortable. I guess that’s the best way I can put it. Even when he puts me in the room with somebody else, that level of comfort is always gonna be there. As far as I’m concerned anyway.
GB: That means a lot to me to hear.
SA: The word organic comes to mind. You and I have talked about this before, especially with Kevin, Kev Coast.
SA: There are people that you can create with where it almost doesn’t even feel like you’re doing anything. It just feels so effortless and so natural. I think you do a really wonderful job of creating a space where people can let go of everything. What Kari mentioned earlier was amazing because I don’t even think I realized that there was a moment where that imposter syndrome just went away. It was as natural as writing your name down, it felt like it just came. I think what you’re talking about with comfort is just another layer of that trust. Like, I trust that no matter what you’re going to keep my artistry, my integrity and my identity intact when we’re working together. That’s a really big deal. It’s not about creating a specific sort of sound because we’re trying to make money or sell things to people or win awards. You’re doing it because you’re passionate about it and you love it and you’re working with people who are also passionate about their craft and their artistry. That’s huge.
GB: I sure appreciate it. Thank you for sharing. Last question: what is next for you and for your music?
STG: I have been focusing on production, I’ve also been focusing on learning to- this is kind of on the low, nobody knows about this yet- I’ve been taking lessons to sing, and I’ve been working with a few other musicians and I’ve been doing a little bit of blues music and I kind of enjoy that. But I’m also working on my own hip hop album right now. There’s a couple producers I’m hoping to work with, especially Genius Black of course. Where that Genius/God album at? I’m expanding and I’m doing things I never thought I could do in the past. For me that’s kind of amazing because I never thought of myself as a singer but with me sticking my foot in the water with singing I kind of enjoy it.
GB: Your voice is amazing bro. I can say that, I have a good voice.
STG: Thank you. Word. Ok.
GB: How about you, what’s next Suzie?
SA: I still really would like to put out an EP in the next year or so. It’s been hard obviously with COVID and my desire to work with other musicians and not put them at risk. I know that people have been bothering me about it for a long time, but I also feel like it’s important for me to do. Performing live is great and I love it, but I think being able to have it be more accessible and reach more people and be out there, because as I mentioned in our conversation earlier, my commitment is to making people feel less alone in what they’re feeling and what they’re going through. That’s really important to me. That is the next thing to look toward for me.
GB: I always feel that in your music, especially the original songs you play, even when you first started coming through out in Biddeford, hanging with me, bringing your guitar, playing until your hands physically get tired and presenting songs to me just to share and see what we could do. You draw energy from real life, real raw life. Good, bad, everything in between. For me I think that’s why your impact will be felt. So what I hear both of y’all saying is that you’re striving to kind- not kind of, excuse me- what I hear you both saying is that you’re striving to do bigger and better and more things with your music. Not bigger in the corny sense, but just bigger platforms, get it out to more people, complete more projects. For me, I feel inspired by y’all, and you know you can tap me, as long as I’m available. I think that Suzie if me and you made music people will like what you come up with, I think they will like what we come up with and think we should move forward with that. And Shameek, you already know, I sent you some beats, I got more beats you haven’t even heard the last couple. Those things being said, I really do feel inspired, I’m really excited for the shows we have coming up, particularly the show we have at SPACE. That’s in the middle of Portland, that’s gonna draw people out that really deserve to see what we’re doing and what we’ve put together. I’m also just excited for the recordings we can do and we can allow people to stream in Australia and Africa and England because that’s what happens and we have a sound here that we’re creating that people all over the world do and will continue to appreciate. It is an authentic and honest sound. I appreciate it, and thank y’all.
Follow GEM CITY on Instagram and YouTube, and check out the newest video My American Dream.
These interviews were recorded October 29th, 2021 at SPACE in Portland, Maine. Videos produced and edited by Ryan Marshall.