Interview with TAG
Gerald Yusuf, known by the pseudonym T.A.G, is a multi-faceted hip-hop artist, rapper, recording engineer, and record producer based in South Florida. Having studied music diligently for years under mentors like Ed Mashal, the music engineer for The Eagles, and working in the same rooms as artists such as Pharrell, TAG is now the one in the recording booth; his songwriting, rapping, and singing abilities on full display. He is also one-third of the production team QST and has earned his first platinum record for his work as an engineer. Loaded with an arsenal of clever wordplay, fast rapping skills to rival the greats, and a production style all his own, TAG is quickly climbing the ranks as an artist who can—quite literally—do it all. In this interview, TAG discusses his creative process, his brand new single “Tatted in My Memory” with French singer Alma, and everything else he is tackling—from NFTs to Metaverse performances.
Sophia Benz: TAG, you’re a successful hip-hop artist, rapper, recording engineer, and record producer. How do you juggle all of these roles, and how did you get into this line of work?
TAG: I started rapping around the age of 13 or 14, just freestyle battling. I got known for that, and then I just continued until college. I actually was going to be a doctor, but while I was in college, I was like, “man, I like music,” so I was kind of escaping my classes and free styling and [making music]. I took music classes. That’s [where I met] my first mentor. His name was Eddie Mashal, and he was the engineer for The Eagles for [the album] “Hotel California.” He taught me how to make music. Even when I stopped going to school [because I could not] afford it at a certain point, he just told me to show up to the studio and kept teaching me. When I was basically just rapping and making music for myself, he was the one who told me, “Hey, you should start producing and engineering, making actual music.”
Sophia Benz: That’s incredible that you had that love for [music] at such a young age. How did you come to hone and refine your love and passion for music, songwriting, and music production? After you met your mentor, how did it continue from there?
TAG: That’s a big journey! A lot of blood, sweat, and tears, as they say. It was tough, I always felt like this is what I should be doing. When I was doing something else, it felt like I was dying slowly inside. After learning what Eddie taught me, I opened my own studio with some partners. After a few years, it didn’t work out, so we all ended up going our separate ways, and I met back up with Eddie. He was the one that recommended that I intern at some of the major studios around here in South Florida. I started interning at South Beach Studios, and another studio here called Skyhawks at the time, which was [owned by] Eddie’s friend Brian Campbell. I learned from him [in] what was a pretty major studio with a lot of A-list clients—I was able to intern for Pharrell, the Weeknd, G-Eazy, and a lot of people, I don’t want to keep name dropping, but a lot of big names were there—so you get to learn, or just help figure out the business, and you kind of learn more from their teams because they’re the ones doing a lot of the work. They’re the ones making everything happen, so you have to learn from everyone there. When you’re in that environment, it’s your job to learn, it’s not their job to teach you. And you have to be quick and talented at the same time, which was a tough thing to do at first, but as I got into it more, as I learned, there were hard times, and there were good times. That was around 2012 to 2015. In 2015, the studio shut down, unfortunately, and from there, that’s when I really started doing my own thing. I was always trying to land record deals since I was in that environment, I was trying to Kanye West my way in it, I would say. I started going back to my own thing because I wasn’t in that environment [anymore], so I was trying to get other gigs.
Sophia Benz: Your pseudonym TAG stands for Truth Around Greatness, so can you discuss what that means to you, the significance of that, and how you reflect the sentiment in your music?
TAG: When I was like 14 or 15, I came up with the name Antagonist, which is like, Against The Protagonists. Which is kind of dumb now that I think about it, now that I’m older. But people would call me TAG for short. I was like, I guess people don’t want to say that long-ass word, so I came up with the meaning because I was like, I can’t just go by TAG, that doesn’t make any sense, so I came up with Truth Around Greatness, and I figured that no one would actually call me Truth Around Greatness because that’s long too, but I felt like I needed meaning for that. And the reason why I say that is because, in order for you to be great, you have to just spit the truth. You don’t always need to be a copycat. So I could take any subject in a song and just spit what I know, what I went through, my experiences, and my truth—which I hate saying the words “my truth” because there is ultimately one truth—but just say what I experienced and present that to the world. That’s the way I see it. And in order for you to be great, you have to go through that journey.
Sophia Benz: I know that at one point, you had a really ambitious mission to release a new song every month, and so, what was the response to that project?
TAG: Oh, this is great, this is definitely going in a sequence, which is what I like. So after South Beach Studios in 2015, which was where I left off, I was still here at Skyhawks Studio, which is where I am now, it’s called Civil Party now, it was sold. I stayed here, and I met back up with Steven Q-Beatz and Nick Steele Risin, another producer. They used to work with me at South Beach Studio, and they have their own successes, but at the time when the studio shut down, they were looking for studios to work at too, so I invited them to come here. And it was a process, it wasn’t just like, “Hey, let’s be a team and work on songs together!” They had their own things going on, and then we started working together on certain songs, and after a while, we’re like, “We have some good chemistry, we get along,” and that’s how we formed QST, which is just all of the initials of our names: Steven Q-Beatz, Steele Risin, and TAG. We developed that team. And the [music] industry is going, you have to be consistent, repetitive, and have great music quality. You need both quality and quantity. We could serve that at the same time, so we figured a month was a good amount of time for us to work on a song, promote it, and get it out without sacrificing the quality of the song. We stuck to that, and I think I started putting out my first song in 2018, and now in 2022, we have around 40 to 50 songs, and we have one coming out tonight actually through Universal. It’s funny, we have a meeting today. [The song] is with another artist named Alma, she’s in France, and she’s a major artist over here, and I’m the other artist on the song rapping. It comes out tonight through Universal, so it’s a pretty big thing!
Another thing I want to point out is that by having a lot of songs, I started performing in the Metaverse, and a lot of these gigs are like 30 to 40 minutes, sometimes an hour-long, and being that I have a large catalog, I can perform for that long, while still having some left in the canon in case I have to put out more. So that’s how I started putting out one song [every month].
Sophia Benz: That’s incredible! Can you tell us a little bit more about the song you have coming out tonight? I’m sure by the time this [interview] comes out, the song will have already come out.
TAG: Oh yeah, you’re right. We’re in the future! The song is called “Tatted In My Memory.” So we didn’t want to say like embedded in your memory and things like that. We wanted something that can stick to your mind, and the artwork is pretty cool, it’s like a tattoo on the brain, but anyway, it’s basically about a girl, and she’s very controlling, she’s very into this guy, and she’s crazy, and she’s a sweetheart, but she’s crazy. The song is about her saying how she likes the guy, and she’ll never leave him and [saying], “You better not leave me or else,” things like that, and then I come in as the guy that’s like, “Hey wait a minute, I’m also toxic!” So we flipped it where I could be a scared-y, but it’s like, oh no, I’m also toxic. I like you too, and I know I’m making you toxic. I’m doing all these things to make you that way because I also want the attention, so it’s kind of two toxic people in a relationship.
Sophia Benz: Wow, that’s such a cool concept to do. And I think it will speak to a lot of people.
TAG: Yeah, I’m sure! People have been in situations like that, so I figured that would catch some ears.
Sophia Benz: Yeah, that’s really exciting! So that’s coming out tonight?
TAG: Yep, at midnight, it comes out at midnight on all platforms. I’ll have it on Twitter, and Instagram, like you said, once this interview is out, the song will already be out, so we could probably add this to that blog article.
Sophia Benz: That’s so cool, congratulations!
TAG: Thank you, thank you.
Sophia Benz: Speaking about your music and your catalog—and 40 to 50 songs is incredible—I think one of my favorite songs is “In Control,” and I think that’s an older song from a few years ago. But I think it’s just such a fun song, and it employs such incredibly witty lyricism. So can you speak about your writing and producing process in general when it comes to all of your music?
TAG: Yeah, I used to start with just writing lyrics and bars and writing the best lines I can—and thank you for that compliment, I love “In Control”—It’s moved over to being very melodic, as you know, music is way more melodic nowadays. The way we would do it is to start with a beat that is like a skeleton, and then we come up with the melodies, freestyle it, and just figure out what goes where just have fun with the music, and even if it’s just mumbling words. And once I figure out the right format, the right melody, then I start writing the lyrics to that melody. And once we get that done, then we either finish creating the beat around the words, and the lyrics, and the flows, or we would create a brand new be behind it because we want to focus on the songwriting and what the song is about, and the words. That’s the most important thing. So the beat actually comes secondary, it compliments the words. So when you hear a song for me, it’s built specifically for what I wrote and what I did. A song like “In Control” actually was an older song, we actually took a lot of old songs that I had because I stacked so many songs before. Nick and Steve started working, and I was like, “Hey, I have a hard drive full of the songs,” and [they] were like, “That’s good,” and that’s how that happens. So “In Control” was actually a lot slower, and then Steven was the one like, “Hey, I think you should speed this up,” and sped it up like, “Okay, I can do this fast,” and then that’s how that song ended up being a fast rap song. Steven was like, “It sounds good with you rapping it fast,” and it’s a very melodic song. A lot of harmonies are in there, even the flow, even though it’s fast, it’s writing a lot of notes. it’s not straight, it’s chopped up a lot.
Sophia Benz: Yeah, I think that’s what’s really cool about it: the lyricism. It really just seemed like the melody is complimenting the lyrics and what you’ve written. So you have put out two albums so far, correct, “Mr. Yusuf,” released in 2020, and “Mr. Yusuf Pt. 2,” which was released in 2021. What was the process like in terms of creating entire albums as opposed to single songs?
TAG: Yeah, it’s all marketing, that’s what it boils down to. So all of these songs you put out, these singles, it keeps Spotify’s [and] Apple Music’s algorithm going, so it keeps making sure you stay on the air, [that you have] the same people listening. And with the albums, what we decided was that once we came out with a good amount of songs, we would just turn the singles into an album. So once we had 10 songs or so, [the songs] became the album, and I went with [something that feels] identifying to who I am, so I took my last name [as the title of the album]. That’s it, so the first one [came out] and then part two, and we may be coming out a little part three because we have enough songs already, so that may be in the works for this year.
Sophia Benz: Wow, yeah, let me know, let me know if and when that comes out!
TAG: So just to add to it, it’s basically re-marketing [the singles]. Now that we have the songs out, we just put them back out so that there’s another release with the album.
Sophia Benz: And some of the themes that you write and rap about in your music span from mental health to intimacy to questioning the self; how do you find the inspiration for what you choose to write about?
TAG: A lot of it is from my experiences and what I went through. Whether it’s relationships I’ve been in, or just going through life [because] like damn, this is not as easy as they made it seem back when I was in kindergarten or middle school. I mean, it was easy then, but just saying once you get into life, and you have all these big dreams and goals, and you realize, “It’s not as easy as I thought.” Okay, then once you accept it’s going to be hard, you never realized it will be that hard. It’s a lot harder than I thought it was going to be, so that’s what I kind of write about, to kind of tell people, “hey, this is the way this is, this is what life is, and you gotta keep going forward. So this is being inspirational, but using the negative and turning it into a positive.
Sophia Benz: Yeah, and going off of that, you seem to really have mastered the art of fast rap with extremely clear diction. So how long have you been practicing your craft, and what did you do to hone it to make it your own. You mentioned that you started around the age of 14, but how did you find your own sound that was you?
TAG: I always thought that my skill and music is being good at mimicking, I can hear something and do it, so I always figured that if I can master as many different flows and different melodies, then nothing can stop me. It also came from artists that I like, like Jay-Z or Eminem or Busta Rhymes. Those two, Eminem and Busta Rhymes, are known for their fast raps, so I studied them a lot when it comes to my fast rap. I listen to a lot of them, and how they do it, and kind of understand how to write those syllables, and knowing your roots too because that plays a big part. I’m Caribbean, so for example, someone like Eminem won’t rhyme the same words as Sean Paul because they have a different way of saying their vowels and words, so you have to understand where you’re from. Once you understand that, how you pronounce certain words, and what’s your accent, then you can use that to your advantage. Which words do I say clearly? When people try to do fast raps, they try to fit these big words or crazy words, and they don’t realize that you gotta make sense. It’s not always about just rapping fast, It’s staying consistent with that tempo and BPM, and while practicing it, you might have to start slow at first, make sure you say all of your words, and then you can speed up, and if it doesn’t come off of the tongue effortlessly, I would scratch that line or scratch those words because you really have to have something that makes sense. As an artist, I need to make sure that it’s easy for me because what it boils down to is that you have to perform that [song] one day—in front of a live audience. So you don’t want to mumble your words or jumble your words, and sometimes I do it, it can be hard, don’t get me wrong. So sometimes, at a show, I may leave out a word or something here or there, especially if it’s long, but that’s how you master fast rap.
Sophia Benz: So you kind of start out doing it very slow and then gradually speed it up. I played piano when I was younger, and that was a way to study. You would take one hand, do it slowly, and then take the other hand, do it slowly, and then add it together and kind of build your way up to it. It’s the same kind of methodology, it seems.
TAG: Yeah, and you get better and better as you go, so now I don’t have to start out slow, I could just run with it. But if there is a line I’m having trouble with, I slow it down and go back to the basics and see what’s wrong with the line, and then I can fix it from there.
Sophia Benz: I see! And you kind of mentioned this, but how do your heritage and cultural backgrounds influence your music?
TAG: I’m Latin, Caribbean, and Indian—Guyanese—a lot of Indians ended up in South America because of the British. [Guyana] is in South America, and it’s weird, it’s considered Caribbean even though it’s in South America, but anyways, there is a lot of Reggae, Soca, Calypso that’s what they’re known for. Also, Indian music and Indian mixed with Soca and Calypso, so a lot of dance music. Reggae is huge in America here, so I was familiar with that. And Indian music is very melodic Bollywood type, so growing up in a Guyanese household, I listened to a lot of that, so that influences me [along] with the rap music and hip hop. I was actually born in New York City and raised here first, so I was around a lot of hip hop as a young kid, so that’s where that came from, but being Caribbean is included within it.
Sophia Benz: That’s very interesting, so you brought in all these different identities to form your sound. So what are some of the goals that you hope to achieve with your music?
TAG: Well, I want a Grammy! One of my team members already has one, Steven Q-Beatz, shout out to him! He’s got the Grammy on our team because he did a record for Chris Brown, which got the Grammy. I got a platinum record and a gold record for engineering and producing, so now it’s time to get one as an artist! So that’s one of my goals: platinum records and gold records for being an artist. I’m climbing close to a million streams on Spotify, so I hope I get that this year. I have my ownwith my team, but I would like to have a major label situation that works. Also, I’ve been diving deep into NFTs. So I’m already in it, I have some NFTs out which I’m promoting, and I have one coming out with Eric Thomas. He’s a huge motivational speaker, well known, and he contacted our team. He’s a featured artist on one of our songs called “Top Floor.” We landed that, and that’s coming out soon. That’s why I brought up NFTs because he’s coming out with his Metaverse, so we will do the songs for some of his NFTs, so that was a blessing. So a lot going on!
Sophia Benz: So he’ll use your music?
TAG: Yeah, one of our songs called, “Top Floor” featuring Alexander Star. Yeah, they’re using the cores and some of the beats, that’s what’s going on.
Sophia Benz: So you mentioned that you have platinum and gold records as a producer, can you talk just a little bit more about that, that’s really fascinating.
TAG: Yeah, just staying in the studios doing work for whoever I can and creating relationships, so over time, I’ve created relationships with great producers and engineers. I ended up working on the song called “Arms Around You” with XXX Tentacion, Lil’ Pump, featuring Maluma and Swae Lee. I ended up on that record because the main producer on that album, on that record, brought me in to do Maluma’s part, do some restructuring, mixing, things like that. So I ended up working with Maluma, and that was back in 2018, I believe, and that was right after XXX Tentacion passed away, rest in peace to him, it’s a messed up world out there, but they wanted to honor him, and that’s how that record came about. So that had a lot of big names on there, so it was bound to go platinum eventually. So that’s how I got that record. Eventually, we ended up working with YNW Melly through a mutual friend of ours, and we had a record on one of his albums, “Melly vs. Melvin.” The album is gold and may be going platinum soon, too, so now I probably have two platinum records!
Sophia Benz: Wow, so now you just need to get a platinum record as TAG, and then you’ll be all set!
TAG: Exactly, exactly.
Sophia Benz: On that note, are there any overarching messages that you hope listeners will take away from the Truth Around Greatness and your music?
TAG: Never quit. When you quit, you lose. Even when it makes sense [to quit], but sometimes you just gotta keep going because you never know what next week, next month or next year might bring, so never quit.
Sophia Benz: That’s another thing that I think will resonate with a lot of people. Lastly, are there any other projects that you want to mention, anything that listeners and readers should look out for?
TAG: Yeah, there will be more songs monthly, and I’m gonna be performing on the Metaverse, there are gonna be more performances on the Metaverse. So Twitter is now my new place to go instead of Instagram and anywhere else, so get ready for a lot more Metaverse performances, 3D type performances. Technology is crazy, and the future is here. It’s coming! So yeah, that’s pretty much what everyone else who wants to enjoy music should look forward to.
Sophia Benz: Absolutely, that’s awesome! I’m so excited that you have so much coming out soon. Is there anything else that you would like to say?
TAG: Find me at @youknowtag, spelled correctly, on Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok, everywhere! My website name is youknowtag.com. I’m going to post the projects that I have coming up, so look out for all of that. And shout out to Asiana Post!
By Sophia Benz for Asiana Post