Interview with Gee-Mann, an American rapper, singer, & songwriter

It was 11:30 AM on a summer’s day; I walked from Pershing Square station to Sentral DTLA apartments, excited to meet up with Garon Howard (aka GeeMann) for our photoshoot and interview in Los Angeles. As I was having my iced latte at the lobby, I saw GeeMann and Hauch walk into the building. After a brief greeting, we headed up to the “1873 dispensary” to get to work.

Garon Dione Howard, known professionally as GeeMann, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. GeeMann’s game is hip-hop and emo rapping. Howard began his career as an independent artist in 2017. From there he signed a recording contract with fix entertainment and Djletthemknow, that was back in 2022. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Howard decided to relocate to Long Beach, California, to pursue a music career, to hone his craft and to live on the west coast.

When did you decide to become a musician?

(It) didn’t take much to impact the start of my career. I got kicked out of college for horrible grades and getting into the wrong things. When I got back home doing nothing and being around my big brother, Cuzz Duff, who was also a rapper, it made me want to pick up the mic and start keeping myself busy. I originally started making music in 2018! But not until recently in 2022 Djletthemknow find me and start helping me take my music career seriously.

How do you get inspired to write music?

All the pain and trauma I’ve been through throughout my 21 years of living in Ohio had definitely been a big impact on what a lot of my music about. Some of my music is about recent events, but most of them is from my past incidents.

“Describing my sound or style would be somewhat like comparing me to Trippie Redd or JuiceWRLD.”

How would you describe your musical style(s)?

Describing my sound or style would be somewhat like comparing me to Trippie Redd or JuiceWRLD. But most of the time it’s all Gee-Mann you hear coming into the industry with a new unique sound of my own. The impact I’m looking to make is really just showing people that anyone can let their emotions out through different ways – and not to hold them in and be mad at the world like me. Instead of talking to a specific person, I talk to the whole audience behind my music and tell them how I’m feeling at the time in my music. My favorite things to discuss in my music is my heartbreaks; I love putting my pain in my music. When looking for beats, they have to have a good tempo that make me want to stomp my foot or shake my head. (It) has to have good guitars and some pianos at times. The melodic type beats are definitely my style especially with the right drum on them!

Which artists are your inspirations?

JuiceWRLD and XXXTentacion

How did the opportunity come about to perform at Coachella? 

The Label, my manager @Djletthemknow, and one of the A&Rs for the label Scorpion @bigscor_, came to me with the opportunity to perform at Coachella. I definitely couldn’t say no since it has been a big dream of mine. I surprised a lot of heads in the building! Being able to open for BlueBucksClan, Kalyan.FrFr, Jozzy, OhGeesy and more was a dream come true! We did so well performing that they called the Label and asked me to perform again the next day! God was for sure working his magic. The next goal is definitely rolling loud now!

“I make sure now no matter what I’m going through I always just stay true to myself and express my emotions through my music.”

We know you played football in high school, how come you did not choose that as your career?

Football was a big part of my life as a youth after moving from behavioral school to public school while trying to find an outlet for my anger issues and mental illnesses I was struggling with at the time. I wasn’t the best when it came to keeping my grades up and getting the best scores and paying attention in classes, half the time just skipping. But when it was time to go off to college and play, after I earned my scholarship to further continue my athletic career, my grades became a big part of the reason I was ineligible freshman year of college and had to sit out. I ended up losing focus and tried to make money by selling drugs in the dorms and finally couldn’t come back from academic probation and getting kicked out after not even a full first year of college. Went back home and stayed in my car for almost a year and hung out with my big brother that was already into music and I just followed after his footsteps. 

Would you share a secret of yours with us?

One of my biggest secrets I hardly tell anyone is that I struggle big time with anxiety and depression. Also (I) was diagnosed with ADHD, ADD, bipolar and PTSD and used to take a lot of medications as a kid to even keep my head on straight and have me zombies out in school trying to be someone they wanted to be and never could just be myself. So I make sure now no matter what I’m going through I always just stay true to myself and express my emotions through my music. 

Any advice you would like to offer to all the new musicians?

The advice I would give to anybody else, recording or writing music, is really just keep going no matter what. It doesn’t happen in a blink of an eye, but it can happen overnight. Just takes the right songs at the right time during the right vibes and all your dreams can be yours, just don’t give up.

The Label @letthemknowent

Manager @djletthemknow

Gee-Mann @iamgeemann_

D.ROSE @whynothauch