A few years ago, rap star G-Eazy was just another student at Loyola in New Orleans, dreaming of the big time.
During his time at the University, G-Eazy earned his BA in Music Industry Studies and started his production career, that included releasing his own mixtapes and peddling them on campus.
 |
| G-Eazy – Photo by: Aneil Lutchman – CC BY-SA 2.0 |
Upon graduation, G-Eazy proceeded on with his profession as a rapper. He beat the road up as early as 2012 earning a fan base on The Vans Warped Tour. A few years later, G-Eazy was finally able to drop his major label debut These Things Happen.
His years of hard work and toil paid off. These Things Happen was a breakthrough, landing at #1 on Billboard’s Hip-Hop/R&B charts.
But the release that thrust G-Eazy into the mainstream was his radio-friendly single, “Me, Myself and I” from his most recent album When It’s Dark Out.
G-Eazy’s resolution has motivated other students at Loyola, who are trying to make strides in the music and entertainment business. The rapper returned to Loyola and he articulated the ups and downs of the music industry while urging those in the crowd to never give up.
“Always go hard, never go weak. In all things you do, be a beast. The work you’re doing today, you might feel the benefit from, like six months to a year from now.” G-Eazy to Loyola students
G-Eazy would know.
His achievements are quite striking since his days at Loyola. These Things Happen went as high as #3 Billboard’s Top 200. The follow-up, When It’s Dark Out, sold 100,000 copies in its first week.
Add on a bustling tour schedule that has included stops around the country and at major festivals like Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza, and it’s easy to recognize that G-Eazy has racked up loads of in a short period of time.
“He was engaged in each student’s question. G-Eazy connected much of his success to lessons the faculty stress, like working with people who share the same values,” said Sammy Odell of Loyola’s Maroon. “His accomplishments became tangible with notes we have seen from PowerPoint slides.”
And even though the rapper writes about the ups and downs of stardom on his single “Me, Myself and I,” G-Eazy informed students their goals to make it in the music industry were reachable, but has to be regarded as “real” work.
“He stressed that to make it in the industry, what you do has to wake you up every morning,” Odell recounted. “His words resonated with many of the audience members, reminding Loyola’s students that their dreams are not unreachable.”
