Today we’d like to introduce you to Go Van Goes.
Hello Go Van Goes, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was born in Philly, Pennsylvania, and I’ve been into music for as long as I can remember. One of my earliest memories is sitting in my car seat listening to Tupac. Before my parents passed away, they used to flip over their records on the record player to the B-side and encourage me to make up my own words, which I think is when I really started writing my own music. Later on, I was a big Weird Al fan and started writing more parody style, food-related songs. I started writing my own non-ironic music when I was in high school and really formed my persona around hip hop music and the culture in general, especially since I had moved to the suburbs after my parents passed and really wanted a way to connect with my identity as a black man in a predominantly white area. Since I graduated, hip hop and rap have been my primary focus, and I consider myself to be a full-time musician now. I’ve visited almost every open mic in Central Florida (shout out to Austin’s Coffee!), did a brief stint battle rapping, and have gotten on stage with some really incredible artists. Every day I wake up and feel motivated to perform better than I did the day before. It’s really rewarding and something I love to do. Right now, my focus has been on improvisational freestyle, which is colloquially known as freestyling “off the top”. Writing music continues to be a central focus of my career, but I have enjoyed really honing my craft of improvisational freestyle and would love to see a more invigorated surge of this style in the future. My goal is and has always been to be the most influential musician of all time.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has most definitely not been a smooth road. Aside from the regular bumps that any artist can anticipate (the heavy financial cost of producing music, organizational issues with shows and performances, good ol’ writer’s block, etc.) the pandemic was really hard as an artist who relied primarily on networking in-person to create connections with other artists, producers, content creators, and supporters. The shutdown especially was crazy because for the first time I not only had to figure out how to utilize social media to connect with everyone else, but navigate essentially an entirely new world when it came to music. How can I perform if not in person? How can I record if I’m not in a studio? So, there were definitely a lot of challenges to overcome.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a hip-hop and rap artist. I specialize in both written rap and improvisational freestyle. What I’m most proud of in regards to music is creating songs that my kids ask me to play on repeat! I do everything for them, so if they are fans of my music then I know I’m doing something right. I think the main thing that sets me apart from others is that I’m not a gimmick. What you see is truly what you get here. I make music that I believe is really the personification of me. Trends in hip hop are temporary and I don’t believe in falling in with the fads. I’m more interested in creating timeless, lasting music that people will still enjoy 10, 20, 30 years down the road. I’m always evolving as an artist but I believe that it’s in a creative and productive way, rather than trying to conform to popularity hip hop culture.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Most people might not know that you could see me on the street, give me any word you can think of, and I could freestyle a rap about it. Literally – any word. If you see me, I genuinely would love if you would do so. Also, I recently recovered from a collapsed lung! I was in the hospital for two weeks and couldn’t rap, but I was writing the whole time! It feels good to be back but don’t call it a comeback!
Contact Info:
- Email: Govangoes@gmail.com
- Website: https://linktr.ee/govangoes
- Instagram: Instagram.com/govangoes
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/YoGoVanGoes/
- Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/govangoes
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCgUKsL6avFQ7pmSjrMVThPw
- SoundCloud: https://m.soundcloud.com/govangoes
Image Credits
Justine Figueroa
