Chance the Rapper: Reflections Ten Years After Acid Rap

Chance the Rapper, born Chancelor Bennett, debuted his second mixtape,

Acid Rap, nearly ten years ago to the date. For many of us who grew up in Chicagoland, this mixtape was a defining moment in our adolescence or childhood, and personally served as an album I hold near and dear to my heart, as it is tied to some of the best memories of my youth. If you are unfamiliar with this album, you may assume from the title that LSD was involved in the making of the album, and you would be correct, partially. Chance himself said “[There] was a lot of acid involved in Acid Rap… I mean, it wasn't too much -- I'd say it was about 30 to 40 percent acid ... more so 30 percent acid”. This was not the only factor in Chance’s creative process, however, it allowed some creative barriers to be removed. In the creation of this album in particular, Chance was extremely collaborative in the creation of Acid Rap, working with other Chicago artists both big and small, as well as national sensations like Childish Gambino. Even some of his first musical endeavors were collaborative, with a duo that he formed as a freshman in high school named Instrumentality. Chance’s inspirations for his music are numerous, as jazz, gospel, and Michael Jackson were frequently played in his household. He also credits one of his greatest influences as Kanye West, who he collaborated with on his subsequent project, Coloring Book. These numerous inspirations for his music point to intrinsic motivation coming from a genuine inspiration from the significant musical influences in his life. Chance also credits teachers in school, who actually attempted to discourage him from making music. Although it may seem that this discouragement would have made Chance falter on his musical journey, it could have actually created an extrinsic motivation that caused him to want to pursue music more fervently to prove his doubters wrong. 

Acid Rap was the mixtape that put Chance the Rapper, one of the biggest Chicago artists of the 2010s, on the map. His music changed the genre of rap, and it is only fair to acknowledge him as a big-C creative. Undoubtedly, Chance made a significant impact on the adolescence of many Chicago teenagers. I know that I was one of them, and I am sure that at least one person reading this entry was too. 

References:

https://www.mtv.com/news/mb1747/chance-the-rapper-acid-rap-mixtape

https://www.complex.com/music/2013/03/who-is-chance-the-rapper

Ethel Cain, the Woman Behind the Revitalization of Southern Gothic

Hayden Silas Anhedönia, who uses the stage name Ethel Cain, was born in Tallahassee, Florida, on March 24, 1998. She was raised in the Southern Baptist church, where her father was a preacher, and this upbringing still greatly influences her values and music. Anhedönia’s debut album, after three EP’s, is named Preacher’s Daughter, and was re

leased in 2022 to critical acclaim. Although she goes by her stage name Ethel Cain, this persona is separate from Anhedönia, and Cain is the protagonist and main character of Preacher’s Daughter. The album opens with Cain reminiscing over the death of her father and wishing to escape from the small town she lives in. After she escapes with a man named Logan, who she knows is dangerous but doesn’t care, he pulls off a robbery but is killed by police. Finally, Ethel meets a man named Isaiah, and they quickly develop a codependent and toxic relationship. At the climax of the album, the song Ptolemaea, Isaiah becomes possessed and cannibalizes Ethel. She eventually ascends to heaven at the conclusion of the album. When speaking about her creative process, Anhedönia said “For me, the creative process is very much about self-indulgence.It’s about consuming certain types of media that I love and going places and having my little adventures. It’s about giving in”. This description of her process shows that Anhedönia uses convergent processes when creating her music, taking in things around her and creating a product rather than spitting out multiple different ideas like a divergent creative would. Anhedönia can also best be defined as a Pro-C creative, she has made major waves with her debut album, even being featured on Obama’s end-of-year playlist, but she is still fresh on the music scene. I have no doubt that she will become a big-C creative as she creates more music.

References:

https://thecreativeindependent.com/people/singer-songwriter-ethel-cain-on-trusting-your-instincts/#:~:text=For%20me%2C%20the%20creative%20process,%2C%20the%20press%2C%20the%20rollout.

https://sbpress.com/2023/03/the-dark-story-of-ethel-cains-preachers-daughter/

Bill Nye the Creative Science Guy

 I’m sure we have all seen at least a few episodes of Bill Nye the Science Guy at some point in elementary school. For some of us, this show might even be the reason we fell in love with science. Bill Nye and his show made science easy to understand as well as engaging and interesting to the audience.

Bill Nye the Science guy was born out of desperation on January 10, 1987. At the time Bill Nye was working as a writer on a Seattle-based sketch comedy TV show called Almost Live! and in fact he was the lowest paid writer on the show as he was only doing freelance work for the program. On the day of January 10, 1987, the guest that was set to appear that night on Almost Live! cancelled and the writers were desperately trying to find a replacement. Bill then spoke up and suggested that he could do an experiment demonstrating what happened when you ate a marshmallow that had been dipped in liquid nitrogen. At first, the rest of the writers were reluctant, however, Bill pushed for it and that night Bill Nye the Science Guy was born.

In collaboration with James McKenna, Erren Gottlieb, and Elizabeth Brock, Nye went on to develop a pilot for a new show, fittingly titled Bill Nye the Science Guy. Nye pitched the show to KCTS-TV in 1993 and it went on to be one of the most-watched educational TV shows in the US until it stopped airing in 1998. Nye’s ability to make science entertaining and accessible is incredibly unique. His further work in the scientific community beyond the entertainment level proves his talent as not only a television writer but also as a scientist and educator. 

When reflecting on the night that Bill Nye the Science Guy was created, Bill Stainton, who was the executive producer of Almost Live!, stated that this character was created because Nye was able to ask a different question than everyone else in the room. The rest of the writers were trying to answer the question of who can we get to be a guest on the show while Nye asked the question of how can we fill the time. By asking a different question, Nye reframed the situation and realized the root of the issue was not the missing guest spot but instead, the empty 12 minutes of show time that needed to be filled. This situation proved Nye’s incredible ability to think divergently and work outside of the rules of the field of television. Furthermore, Nye was an outsider to the writer’s room being the only one working as a freelancer, and therefore his presence made the writer’s room a lower Q situation and he was able to bring newer, more creative ideas.

 

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Nye#:~:text=In%201993%2C%20collaborating%20with%20James,meets%20Pee%2Dwee's%20Playhouse%22.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Nye_the_Science_Guy

https://billstainton.com/tag/bill-nye-the-science-guy/

Sebastien Gabriel: Hero of Your Childhood

Sebastien Gabriel's official role at Google is an individual contributor who is assigned to assist in interface design. He has worked on many meaningful projects over the years. Perhaps the most memorable component of one of his major projects is the Lonely T-rex game developed with the Chrome design team. The game is beloved by millions everywhere with approximately 270 million players every month around the world. We can reflect on the process by which this game and other features of the Chrome browser were developed through the insights that Gabriel provides into his education and creative process.

 

With an initial educational focus on multimedia design, Gabriel later went on to take multimedia management classes only to find that he disliked project design but was "Attracted by the more creative part of the multimedia world." He went on to join a Google design team that worked on developing Chrome and ensuring compatibility with devices produced by other companies. Some of the design choices for the "hybrid" Chrome layout are illustrated below. This hybrid layout demonstrates the subtle changes that interface designers are tasked with. 

On his creative process Gabriel notes that finds "The process of thinking and writing tasks on a weekly basis to be a good way to reduce cognitive load. It’s freeing." He combined this method of organization and load management with a distinct sense of humor to develop the aforementioned Lonely T-rex game. Gabriel claims that the famed Lonely T-rex game was developed in response to the Chrome team's insistence on combating the lonely feeling of being disconnected from the rest of the world. The game's design was inspired by a desire to play on the idea of living in the prehistoric era with no internet, a joke amongst the team's members. The game was expanded upon from its original design with features like "nighttime sky graphics" and a special birthday event that was available for a limited time. 

As a member of a specialized interface design team working under a major company, Gabriel was familiar with the more traditional form of collaboration that we studied rather than more revolutionary forms like adversarial collaboration. Chrome team members commented on this collaborative process for the game stating that game mechanics and stage design were some of the more contested aspects of the project; however, the end result maintained a consistent theme with complementary graphics to deliver an undeniably enjoyable game for those stuck off the internet.

Sources: 

https://www.loversmagazine.com/interviews/sebastien-gabriel

https://blog.google/products/chrome/chrome-dino/

ABBA

    ABBA, the voices behind the soundtrack of Mamma Mia, has a rich and creative history.  In June of 1966, Björn Ulvaeus met future bandmate, Benny Andersson.  Both men had had previous experience in the Swedish music industry.  After a couple of weeks, the two had composed a song together and began a career that would set records worldwide.  It was in spring of 1969 that ABBA gained two more members and became the band that it is known as today.  Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, both solo singers, became acquainted with Ulvaeus and Andersson and decided to join the band.  Ulvaeus and Fältskog married in July 1971, and in October 1978, Andersson and Lyngstad married, as well.

    On April 6, 1974, ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest with their hit song, "Waterloo."  It was during this time that they decided on the name "ABBA," an acronym of all of the band members' first names.  After gaining fame throughout Europe and making a name for themselves in America, ABBA produced its second world-famous song, "SOS."  By 1976, ABBA had become a household name around the world and went on to create some of the most well-known songs of all time.

    The creative process is one in which the recording studio was viewed as a laboratory.  The process began with Benny and Björn collaborating with an acoustic guitar and a piano in an effort to write the songs.  This first step in the process was often extensive, as hundreds of lines of melody were created and discarded.  After the melodies were set, the songs would enter the studio for lyrics to be created and combined with.  Something notable about the working (unfinished) lyrics and titles of the songs is the fact that most of the songs were firstly titled with a phrase from the lyrics.  One example of this is the song, "The Winner Takes It All," which was previously titled, "The Story Of My Life."  

    During the recoding process, an instrumental backing track would be paired with the lyrics and melody to create the song.  At this point, it was possible for a song to become a waltz, disco, tango, or rocker.  In order to maintain a neutral stance, Ulvaeus would separate himself from the other bandmates and take on the role of a producer.  The final lyrics for the songs would only be solidified once the instrumental backing was selected and completed.  ABBA noted that the most important part of the groups' sound were the voices of Fältskog and Lyngstad.  Both women were very active in the recording process and chose how they thought they could best contribute to the sound of the songs.

      ABBA's musical fame has allowed them to be remembered forever as a Big-C creative.  This notion is evident in some of the impacts that their music has had on other industries as well.  One example of this is the movie series, Mamma Mia!  The incorporation of ABBA's music into the film allowed for both the movie and music to gain attention throughout the world.  Prior to the movie, Mamma Mia!, ABBA's music had been used for the stage musical, Mamma Mia.  After more than 50 years since its founding, ABBA is still releasing music and being recognized for their impact on the music, film, and theater industry.      

    

Sources:

https://abbasite.com/story/

https://abbasite.com/articles/in-focus-in-the-studio-how-the-abba-songs-were-born/

Lorde's Stylistic Evolution

Most people are familiar with indie pop singer Lorde through her biggest hit, Royals, from 2013. The single is a prime example of her earlier style, gothic and dark with a purely teenage flair for dramatics. As she matured, her music evolved with her personality, and her most recent album, released in August of 2021, highlights her emotional growth during her four year disappearance from the public eye as she reconnected with herself and her home, New Zealand. Her Solar Power album is first and foremost a love letter, with threads of self-assurance and healing running throughout. Its departure from her signature style received skepticism from both critics and Lorde’s fan base; some of whom argued the leap between styles was too large, creating a sense of discord. As startling as the style change may have been, I also think the lack of initial love for the album may have stemmed from how late in summer it was released when it is clearly meant to be a summer listen.

One interesting thing about this style change is that it is clearly reflected in Lorde’s personal style choices when she did choose to attend public events. Her Pure Heroine era around 2015 was rooted in dark tones and “cherry-black lipstick,” which she states in her Solar Power track Oceanic Feeling is “gathering dust in a drawer--I don’t need her anymore.” As she retreated from the public eye and spent time enjoying New Zealand’s beautiful beaches and ocean, her style adapted, shifting toward colorful, flowy pieces. These choices are accentuated by the nature-inspired lyrics of Solar Power and background noises in the form of cicadas and chirping birds. Her music video for Secrets From a Girl (Who’s Seen it All) captures her personal growth through the visual imagery of three distinct styles.

Whether you’re a fan or a critic of her newest album, Lorde’s growth as a creative is unquestionable. Her extrinsic motivation stems from her connections with nature, as well as other influences in her life, such as her dog Pearl, for whom she wrote Big Star. Her reclusive personality benefits her creativity through allowing her to seclude herself in introspection and allow her musical ideas to develop over long incubation periods prior to actualization. Lorde has also called Solar Power her “weed album,” referencing its relevance in the period during which the album was written. My personal favorite track is Secrets From a Girl, included below.

Sources:

https://i-d.vice.com/en/article/g5gnyw/lorde-style-solar-power

The Mystique of Yves Tumor

Most likely raised in Tennessee and maybe named Sean, Yves Tumor (age also unknown) is an experimental musician and producer. Aside from the ambiguity, Tumor has been making music that could only be described as intoxicating, sensual, and menacing since around 2015 (at least under this moniker). As of 2023, they’ve put out numerous projects and albums, the most recent being Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds), released mid-March. 

With tracks like “Lovely Sewer,” “Parody,” “Echolalia,” and “Fear Evil Like Fire” with their heavy drumming beats and underlying guitar and basslines, Tumor brings in a shoegaze feel while still emphasizing the more sensory aspects of their music on Praise A Lord: the richness of sound, and a begging feeling; Yves Tumor wants to be known. 

Much of Tumor’s artistry comes down to putting on a performance, whether that be through gender expression, sexuality, the line between lust and romance (they’re a sex-god on Heaven to a Tortured Mind), and spirituality, among other things. This performance aspect also ties into the mystery of Yves Tumor as a real-life person and their experience with creativity. In interviews, Tumor has explained that they are self-taught regarding production, guitar, and the keyboard. Growing up, Tumor did what many other noise artists and experimentalists did: use Garageband. “It was pretty nasty,” says Tumor. But, noise seemed to be where Tumor got their start, calling it a “pure” means of gaining notoriety in a pretty intense scene for music. With inspiration coming from a variety of sources, such as 90s grunge, 60s Krautrock, Dean Blunt and ambient soundscapes, Tumor paints a complex figure.

Nowadays, Tumor has decided to explain very little about their personal life. Much of their work is produced in Europe, especially Berlin and Turin, but nothing is ever really confirmed, because for Tumor, it's simply not what matters. The performance, the attitude, and the mystique, is. 

Despite being so private, Tumor is known to collaborate with other artists and prominent producers. On their latest album, Alan Moulder, a titan in the production industry who has worked with the likes of The Jesus and Mary Chain, Nine Inch Nails, and My Bloody Valentine, is the primary mixer; Noah Goldstein, known for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, The Suburbs, and Blonde, also worked as a producer and engineer. One of Tumor’s more famous tracks, “Kerosene!,” features Diana Gordon. Tumor is also featured on “Reanimator” from Joji’s Nectar, and WILLOW features them on “Perfectly Not Close To Me.” 

If you’re interested in Yves Tumor, some of my favorite songs are “Jackie,” “Crushed Velvet,” "Lovely Sewer," “Ebony Eye,” and “Romanticist.”

Satoshi Tajiri - Gotta Catch em All

 Satoshi Tajiri is a Japanese video game designer and is one of the founders (and president) of the video game developer company Game Freak. More importantly, he is also the creator of the legendary Pokemon franchise, which I'm sure was a large part of many of our childhoods (at least it was for me). Tajiri had always been interested in video games. As a child, he would spend a lot of his free time in arcades and would win video game design contests throughout high school. This interest eventually developed into a passion as Tajiri eventually published his first video game, Mendel Palace, in 1987. Two years later, he officially founded the company Game Freak before beginning the design of Pokemon which released in 1996 (and 1998 in North America).

One of the factors that allowed Tajiri to become so successful was his comfortability with failure. Nintendo actually approved the concept and publication of Pokemon Red and Blue in 1990, but the game took six long years to develop with numerous setbacks that pushed the release date back to February of 1996. In an interview with Time, Tajiri explains how he builds ideas off of his previous failures and that he never views failure as the end-means. In fact, he stated that Nintendo didn't expect much from his game and that he felt "like a baseball player who slides into second base even though you know you’re going to be out, but then it turns out you are safe.” This comfortability and familiarity with the 'failure' component of his creative process is what allows him to push through and succeed. 

Given that Tajiri is one of the top creatives in his field and has had a massive impact on people all over the world, it is fair to say that he deserves the title of being a Big-C creative. Game Freak and Pokemon are two examples of how successful this man has been and it is safe to say that he has made eminent contributions to his chosen domain and then some. His company, Game Freak, is worth over 90 billion dollars and his creation, Pokemon, has become the highest grossing entertainment franchise of all time. To top it all off, he accomplished all of this while having high-functioning autism. Tajiri is truly an inspiration to all, and I am personally forever grateful for how he has shaped my childhood.

Sources:

https://the-art-of-autism.com/how-satoshi-tajiris-autism-helped-create-pokemon/

https://venturebeat.com/games/satoshi-tajiri-the-man-who-created-pokemon/

https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Satoshi_Tajiri

The buried creativity of Rosalind Franklin

Rosalind Franklin was a scientist who made a great discovery: the double helix structure of DNA. Watson and Crick, the two men also taking an interest in the project, claimed her work for their own, and she has only recently been credited with the discovery. Watson and Crick eventually won a Nobel Prize for the work, however because Rosalind died of ovarian cancer at age 37, before she was credited for the discovery, she was unable to win a Nobel Prize. Along side her PhD student, Franklin used X-ray technology to photograph DNA, which showed the molecules structure. 

While this is her most famous discovery, Rosalind used her creativity to research coal and viruses, alongside DNA. Among her creative research, was also her creative approaches to thinking. Her work focused on practical innovations, things that people could actually put to use and not just exist in a scientific journal. Her research on coal allowed British troops to estimate fuel performance in their vehicles, and increase the effectiveness of soldier’s gas masks during WWII.

Rosalind Franklin also understood the importance of sharing her work with people around the world, a concept that was foreign to many scientists at the time, especially during WWII. She shared her work at international scientific conferences. A final aspect of Franklin’s creativity is the interdisciplinary nature of her discoveries. She not only worked within biology, but also chemistry, physics, and emphasized the importance of her hobbies, such as sewing, playing sports, and traveling. 

As stated in Stuart Firestein’s Ted talk which we watched for class, creativity “occurs through forming links between seemingly unrelated phenomena to create something novel.” This something novel for Rosalind Franklin was knowledge. She combined aspects from science and technology in a way that had never been done before, which lead to a discovery that was foundational for our current studies on DNA and genomics. 

Rosalind would be said to have intrinsic motivation. In a letter she wrote to her father, Rosalind explains that “science and everyday life cannot and should not be separated. Science, for [her], gives a partial explanation of life.” She did her work first to better understand the world around her, and second to expand this knowledge across the world. 

Sources: 

https://nesslabs.com/rosalind-franklin

https://medium.com/@naomistekelenburg/rosalind-franklin-creativity-and-the-discovery-of-dna-6d5d0b991630 

Good News: How Mac Miller Left His Legacy

 On September 7, 2018, the music community was rocked when it was announced that Malcolm James McCormick, more widely known as Mac Miller, had been found dead. Even though he was just 26 when he died, he had already released 6 studio albums, 2 live albums, 63 music videos, 2 EPs, 44 singles, 13 mixtapes, and a posthumous Grammy nomination. He was a prolific artist.

Mac Miller was born on January 19, 1992, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Mac Miller began to rap when he was 14 years old but had been playing instruments since he was six years old. He taught himself how to play instruments such as piano, guitar, drums, and bass. When he was 15 years old in 2007, he doubled down on his rap career and released his first mixtape But My Mackin’ Ain’t Easy. In 2009, he began to go by Mac Miller and released two separate mixtapes. 

In 2010, Mac Miller signed with Rostrum Records. He chose this because it was close to his home and had ties to rapper Wiz Khalifa. It was there that he recorded and released his album K.I.D.S. Over the next few years, he continued to climb the charts and make history as a very young artist. He even used several aliases and released music under other names, such as Larry Lovestein & the Velvet Revival, and Larry Fisherman. His welcoming personality made it easy for other artists to collaborate with him. He worked with other artists both creating music, such as Ariana Grande with My Favorite Part, and producing music, such as his production of Sza’s album, Z.

At the beginning of his career, Mac Miller’s work was deemed ‘frat rap’ because it was mainly about sex, drugs, and money. Especially in his album K.I.D.S. and Best Day Ever, there are recurring themes of partying. But his work heavily matured over time. He experimented with jazz and funk over his career, and The Divine Feminine and Swimming are referred to commonly as ‘jazz rap’. He credited Lauryn Hill, Outkast, and Wiz Khalifa as some of his biggest influences. He even had a friendship with Khalifa, who he met during his early years at Rostrum.

Mac Miller’s music discussed every topic imaginable, from drugs to love to mental health. The relatability of the topics is what makes him appealing to many of his fans. His work was fun, boppy, and simple while simultaneously delivering intense messages. The development of his music from frat rap to a more mature style reflects the way his audience grows up overtime.

​​

Throughout his career, Mac Miller struggled with drug use and depression. It was this drug use that lead to his death in 2018, as he accidentally overdosed on a combination of fentanyl and cocaine while also using alcohol. Many creatives like Miller struggle with mental illness and substance abuse, such as Demi Lovato.

https://pentucketnews.com/11951/featurearticle/the-impact-of-mac-millers-music/#:~:text=Miller's%20music%20was%20universal.,in%20the%20hip%2Dhop%20scene.

https://ew.com/music/2018/09/09/why-everyone-loved-mac-miller/ https://nationaltoday.com/birthday/mac-miller/

The College Freshmen Who Might Change the World

 

Over years of being on the Internet, I've come across plenty of young child prodigies who blow everyone away with their savant-like skills or knowledge. There are stories of preteens ready to graduate college or children who memorized the capitals of every country in the world. However, it's hard for me to remember a story that has me more interested and excited than that of Soham Joshi and Raaghav Malik.

In 2021, while still high school seniors, Joshi and Malik made headlines when they won best in show and first place for their age category at the Invention Convention Globals event. One out of only 10 American winners, they presented what they call a Specialized Easy-to-use Novel Sign-language Expert, or S.E.N.S.E. for short.

Essentially, Joshi and Malik invented a robotic hand programmed to assist people in learning sign language. According to Joshi, the glove is also meant to facilitate communication between hearing people and those who are deaf and/or blind. S.E.N.S.E. works by moving the user's hands into the correct positions. Since the number of individuals who are deaf and/or blind is disproportionately larger than the number of trained ASL speakers, S.E.N.S.E. could help bridge that much-too-large gap. The glove represents another development in the use of communication technology, and I have to say I was blown away that its inventors are barely in college now, 18 months later.

When asked about their creative process, Joshi described it as going through a cycle of constant improvement, learning from the many times they fail until finding something that functions properly. He said it was rewarding to go through that. Malik additionally mentioned the concept of creating something which does not yet exist and employing it to help others as motivation for their work.

Joshi and Malik seem to utilize both divergent thinking (what else if they came up with a robotic glove?) as well as convergent thinking to find solutions for technical problems in their design. 

These two inventors give me hope for the future, especially with their motivation to find solutions to difficult, real-world issues. I hope the world sees more form them in the future, because S.E.N.S.E. may very well change it for the better.

Sources: https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/communities/olentangy-valley/2021/10/06/invention-convention-globals-soham-joshi-raaghav-malik-of-ohio-invent-glove-teaches-sign-language/5939710001/

https://www.yahoo.com/video/ohio-high-school-students-win-145609002.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFfr3_q6s0z99wziKmA50j1eQWRZdF3G0JSaBNVo4PWTJljnOz--DN1BbP2VEVhy5dClTDpcKyABjnVMTxtWS9xtzIYxQX5NSfvkp7sL7AJ8qG_ok_Gbq_DeDGtc29VUTt5Cq2WTPeVsKc-dJUsfWe9qkHQ4x-quNok_rBuly4g8

100 Gecs: The Face of Hyperpop

    100 Gecs is an American indie band, started in 2015, that has been stirring up the alternative, indie scene through their new and creative music. The band consists of only two members, Dylan Brady, and Laura Les, from St. Louis, and have released three albums and a self-titled EP since they began collaborating. Their music has a very chaotic yet creative sound and is unlike any music I’ve heard in the past by combining various styles and redefining popular pop tropes. 

The two’s creative process for creating and producing music is very collaborative between the two artists and they don’t often take themselves too seriously when working; they’ve been quoted saying “We started out doing the goofiest shit… and we’re still just two friends having fun” which I believe gives a lot of insight to the personalities behind the duo. How 100 Gecs makes their music is through a back-and-forth process, where Dylan and Laura will continuously send each other the audio files of a song until they believe it to be done, putting their own mark and impression each time. 

    Although the band is just two members, they will frequently collaborate with outside artists, such as Chalie XCX, Rico Nasty, and others, which takes them from a very high Q coefficient to medium Q. This helps them stay creative through the cycle of new ideas with new creators but also efficient through their history of working together. I also believe that their creative process follows the Geneplore Model, in which the two work both as divergent and convergent creative. They generate new ideas for music and send them back and forth with each other and analyze the output. The two have said that the process is like an improv mentality where they "try to have fun and write songs that we would want to listen to". 100 Gecs also is greatly influenced by the music scene and pop culture, taking inspiration from Breathe Carolina and I See Stars.

    As a whole, 100 Gecs is the conglomeration of several different music styles and genres, putting out never before heard music and redefining the hyperpop scene. I recommend checking out their first album, 1000 Gccs, and their most recent album, 10,000 Gecs. 

Sources:

https://www.kerrang.com/100-gecs-laura-les-dylan-brady-10000-gecs-album-hyperpop-mememe-interview-cover-story

https://www.gq.com/story/gecs-gecs-gecs-gecs-gecs-gecs-gecs-gecs-gecs

https://pitchfork.com/features/cover-story/100-gecs-interview-new-album-10000-gecs/