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Big Gemini | History in the Making
Gemini / Photo courtesy of Edgar Hoill
Just call this man the mouth of the south, in more ways than one. A Texas native, Big Gemini is a double threat to the music industry. Combining skills of lyricism and singing, Gemini is truly, a two-sided talent. With extensive experience, proven pavement pounding and a record of making high-quality hip-hop and R&B tracks, Big Gemini is set to release his third album, the boldly and aptly titled History in the Making.
Born in Dallas, Texas Big Gemini was brought up in a proud, hard working Mexican-American family. The rapper/singer lived a relatively normal southern life as the second born son. Not particularly rich and not distressfully poor, Gemini�s family fell comfortably in to the working class category. �It was a cool upbringing. I�m not going to sit here and construct a fabricated story that I came from some bad environment,� Gemini offers. �My parents were good parents and they were able to get us out of the hood but like everyone else we still had hard times.� Gemini is very humble and honest about his legacy and that same truth comes across in his music. �I�m not going to bring glory to anything bad I may have done, that�s not my style but know I�ve experienced a lot throughout the years.� What is Gemini�s style is drawing on the myriad of real life tales he�s undergone and creatively incorporating them into the music.
Prior to recording his newest album History in the Making, Big Gemini released two CDs. His debut was titled 6:16 The Genesis (2001). �That was just me coming out as a young kid, angry and raw, very raw,� Gemini explains. �I kept it real and true to how I felt back then,� he adds. �When I listen to that album now, I know exactly where I was then.� Two years later, Gemini put out Product of Pain (2003), which featured the hit single �Crazy For You.� �I knew a little but more then, more about making hit records as opposed to just spitting,� says Gemini. �That�s why we did �Crazy For You.�� But it is his latest effort that shines the brightest. �This one, History in the Making, I know what it takes to make hits without sacrificing the music. Before there were a lot of influences on me, but on this album it�s 100% me,� Gemini boasts with pride.
The third time is the charm for this Gemini. With History in the Making, Gemini has finally come out about his dual abilities. �For the longest I tried to hide it,� Gemini says of his moonlighting as a singer while letting his rapping abilities stand in the spotlight. �I have always been writing raps and singing songs but I wasn�t ready to put it out there and release my whole arsenal.� So when he was told that he had to choose between the talents, Gemini never revealed that he could sing as well as he could rap. �I used to sing on some of the background tracks for my songs but I would tell people it was my partner for Austin, Texas,� Gemini laughs. But with this new album, Gemini is stepping out. �I write, rap, sing and do it all�� and he�s not afraid to show it.
Hooking up with his longtime producer Ace-1, Gemini recorded the single �Hypnotize,� a melodic, rhythmic, mid-tempo, hip-hop and R&B groove. �It was probably like around 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning and I just got in and I said to Ace I want to make something,� Gemini recalls the recording session. �It was really something going on that night because like in 30-45 minutes it was done.� A party banger, �Hypnotize� is all about being mesmerized by that night club knock-out under that spinning globe.
Meanwhile, �Time to Stack a Million� is the official bravado boosting track. With its slight drudge pacing, the percussion banging track is perfect for the SUV booming system or the surround sound club system. �That�s what I�m on right now,� Gemini asserts. �I went through so much previously and now I�m here. This is what it is and that song is just on some hustle, go get it, mentality.�
And to further show his duality, Big Gemini has the song �The Light� on this album, which he recorded a few years back. One of his favorite songs, Gemini says it was inspired by a life changing experience he had of feeling the Holy Ghost at 17 or 18 years old. �I did this song before Kanye West did �Jesus Walks� when people were still saying that you couldn�t talk about religion or spirituality.� As a previously released track, Gemini received tons of fan mail thanking him for helping others through tough times. With that in mind, Gemini is putting �The Light� on History in the Making so that more people will hear the meaningful song.
In conjunction with the Texas-based independent record label powerhouse, Upstairs Records, Big Gemini is set to release History in the Making. �This record is really all about strong family values and everyday life in the streets, the struggle of pain and the love of joy,� Gemini explains the dichotomy throughout the album. �My music is universal,� the rapper and singer proclaims, �I�m just trying to touch the masses.� And there�s no better way to do it than with History in the Making.
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