Germ does his own stunts, no kizzy.

The G*59 RECORD$ (Grey Five Nine) signee is arguably one of Atlanta’s more polished hidden gems with a cult-like following. Before he was cranking in vacant parking lots or penning inward-looking mentions overtop of menacing 808’s, Germ was on a money mission, the perpetual paper chase. “It was just skating and tryna get as much money as I could without having a job.”

Traditionally, skate culture has been indirectly associated with the punk aesthetic by way of perception. However, the Pompano Beach-bred, Atlanta-raised rapper has long solidified his position as a linchpin of Hotlanta’s thriving skate scene.

In terms of historical context, the relationship between hip-hop and skate culture is intrinsic, dating back to the early 90’s — or as Germ states, “Niggas had rap shows at skate shops, like the shit has always gone hand in hand — like a food and drink type thing.” The euphoric sense of liberation that derives from skateboarding is all about empowerment — being your own boss and controlling the vibe, moving at your own pace.

Legend has it, Germ traded in his skateboard for a Hellcat, and the rest is history.

From relationship woes to high-energy compositions that spotlight the Atlantan hitmaker’s wired lifestyle, The Hijinx Tape is an escape from reality. With drug-filled rendezvous that conjure up nostalgic appeal, inked with mixed emotions and walk down anthems, Germ’s latest effort is one hell of a ride. Most recently, the raspy wordsmith delivered the visual for ‘7 Hunna Horses’, a bouncy strain about unlocking your inner horsepower, thematically speaking.

The medley of emotion and subject matter covered throughout The Hijinx Tape champions Germ’s lyrical versatility. He’s a conversationalist by nature, embodying the frenzied energy catalyzed from a quarantined world sent into seclusion.

Dirty Glove Bastard had the chance to speak with Germ about his Haitian lineage, skate culture and its relevance to hip-hop, the last time he was sober and more.

Our conversation, lightly edited for context and clarity, follows below.

What was life like before rap? Preceding the fame and fortune.

Before rap, I was just figuring it out. I ain’t never had no job cuz’ I grew up skating, just tryna get it any way possible, just without a job.

I worked at KFC for like — I worked there for a week, but I only went for like two different days. And I worked at a warehouse for four days. 

It was just skating and tryna get as much money as I could without having a job. Just getting it how I could, ya feel me. 

Have you always lived in Atlanta? 

I was born in Florida, in Pompano Beach, but I’ve been in Atlanta since I was nine years old. So, I’m pretty much from here. 

Atlanta bred me. 

With you being of Haitian descent, what was life like growing up, did that culture have any influence on your childhood/adolescence?

I got a Haitian mom and a Haitian dad, they are old-school, know what I’m saying. My parents came here [America] when they were like twenty or some shit like that. 

We was living with everyone, my whole family, in like a three bedroom house type shit.

My mom and my dad lived in a pool house connected to it, and then the rest of my family — my grandpa, my grandma, two brothers, another aunt and another uncle — it was 7 people in the main house and 3 people in the pool house until my sister was born.

Has hip-hop always played a role in skate culture?

Yeah, fasho. There’s old Supreme stores from the 90’s and shit like that. Niggas had rap shows at skate shops, like the shit has always gone hand in hand — like a food and drink type thing. 

I just always fucked wit it cuz’ it’s such an easy thing to get into. I can do what I want. I’m damn near my own boss, pushing around a skateboard and shit. 

I ain’t feel like I had to change or no shit like that.

With your most recent project, The Hijinx Tape, what made you decide to scale back the number of features this time around?

It wasn’t really no reason. Since I was in quarantine, I wasn’t really talking to nobody at the time, and I’m not about to just randomly hit someone up. I’d rather just do my thing, see what people think. 

I had that track with Shakewell [‘Hellcat’] for like a year, we did that song on tour last year. The bulk of it [The Hijinx Tape] , the last 8 songs, I did within the last three months of some shit, this year, quarantine type shit. 

A lot of songs that didn’t make the tape are old songs, songs that have been recorded and shit.

It was the timing too, because when we recorded that, my crib in LA, me and Shakewell’s crib, was like two separate houses, the police raided em’ for guns and shit. And like three, four months after that we went on tour. It was kind of a suck tour because it’s like damn, I can’t even get in trouble, gotta watch what I do because I had gun charges. 

By the time I was ready to release the tape, I’m still dealing with court and shit. I got a court date next month. 

Talk to me about the cover art, is that a snapshot from the scene of an actual accident?

Yeah, I do my own stunts, ya feel me. I was just buggin out. I think it was November 1st or some shit. I went out, I was out until like 5 or 6 o’clock in the morning, caught traffic, niggas was sleepy and then, ion know, I was gassed — 700 horses and shit, shit crazy. 

It was this park by my house, instead of turning left into my neighborhood I had made a right, because I missed my turn, on some lazy shit. So, I turned near the park and saw this parking lot, so I go crank in the parking lot. On my way out, I hit the gas, there was this curve, it’s wet out and I’m in a fast car, terrible conditions to be driving a car that fast. 

I slid straight into these trees and like, a curb, and the curb just flipped my car. 

At that moment, were you thinking to yourself, “Damn, I gotta get a picture of this”?

I crashed the car and ended up running home, did what I had to do, shit was a lil’ hectic. 

I’m scrambling in a flipped car, looking for shit. I ran to my crib, through the woods and shit, I came back to the scene on a bike and shit, I took the picture and the police got to trippin’, telling me to back up from the scene, but I’m like “that’s my car, I flipped it.”

They gave me a field sobriety test, I got a DUI and reckless driving. 

Damn, that’s a crazy story, I’m just glad you’re alive. Let’s shift focus a bit. Do you feel like your days of being labeled a SoundCloud rapper help define your soundscape?

Not really, I feel like I got way much more to offer. Then, I wasn’t dropping that much music and I was rapping on a lot of $uicideboy$ type beats.

I can rap on anything, might fuck around and rap on some shit that nobody ever heard in 2020. 

It was just a cool time to be around. Learning shit and being around all the different people that I met. Now, I know people from back then and shit like that. 

That era was cool cuz’ I saw all that shit in Atlanta. This was like right before I started rappin’ and shit, ya feel me. I’m seeing all these kids my age, kids I know, like been kickin’ it wit em’ — these niggas don’t got shit going on, in the apartments on the east side big turnt. 

Back then, it was just tight. Around that time is when I met Fat Nick, Pouya and nem. Everybody doing this shit type — and then they went on tour, and I’m like damn, I found myself on tour. 

I’m like fuck it, I’m all the way in now. 

How much of your content is written out, or do you punch in – what’s your method to recording?

Some of these I freestyled, but some of ’em I wrote fasho. I used to write everything with the boys and shit, like, the Suicide Boys, I’m writing all that shit. 

Some of the more slower songs, I be freestyling them shits, just like punching in or whatever, ya know. 

Why Grey Five Nine Records?

Those were the people that fuck with me — I mean, everybody was fucking with me — but they was like, here is a year plan. They were really showing me the way. With other people, it wasn’t like that. 

People were doing their thing, doing the right steps to get to where niggas tryna go. Their plan from like a year, year and a half from now, we wanna drop our albums and get a label deal. We had that talk and it was like, we want you to sign to our shit. When that happens, if that happens, we would like for you to fuck with us. 

That lil time went on, I met with other people and shit. I just wasn’t into meeting with new people and starting over, I wanted to finish what I already had going on, with the homies. Like on some loyalty shit, gon’ head ride this out with my homies, we already talked about it, let’s get this shit done. 

What has been the most rewarding part of your come-up story?

My parents not really, not believing, I wouldn’t say they just was like, shitting on it, but they ain’t think I was really out here doing something. 

My mom would always be like, “are you selling drugs,” but no — that Soundcloud check just hit, what are you talkin’ bout. 

It was real at a point. Soundcloud dropping off twelve bands. I don’t have no job, no shit to do. I’m just around, in the state getting that type of money, from just rapping. I didn’t even have that much music out. 

My mom, she came to my show in Atlanta for Gray Day Tour, with her just seeing me then and knowing, like — alright, he got this — just showing people I wasn’t playing, that’s the tightest part. 

People don’t really give a fuck until it’s lit. Niggas don’t wanna give you shit until you’re too far gone. 

How does Germ feel about the current state of hip-hop, is the future in good hands?

Fasho, like right now, I think it’s a cool time for hip-hop. I feel like in the last 2-3 years, everybody is opening up way more, and I fuck with that. Just like, music being more real than like, gimmicks and shit. 

Like a Rod Wave and shit like that, like, I fuck with that type shit. 

It was a time where it was a lot of weirdos and shit. Like, who the fuck mans is this type shit. 

When’s the last time you were sober and what did you do?

When I asked for the perc man the other day, nobody hit me back, because Atlanta’s kind of sus with that vibe, know what I’m saying. 

I don’t do drugs when I go skate, like I’ll smoke weed and shit but I don’t fuck around when I go skate. Off a perc, I might go to the studio and vibe and shit, but when I’m sober, I kind of do what I need to do, more intricate shit. 

I just keep it cool and stay out the way. Just let me do what I gotta do, and if you don’t like it, don’t fuck with me — and if you fuck with it, fuck with me, and I’m a good dude. 

I ain’t gon’ hoe nobody. If you hoe me, it’s up though.