Gentry Fox Drops 3rd Full-Length Album - 'The View From Nowhere'

Gentry Fox is a 29 year old from Rock Springs, Wyoming. Because of his young age and Midwestern roots, most people wouldn't think he would be a rapper & hip-hop recording artist, record producer, actor & director, designer, label executive, and visionary entrepreneur. But Mr. Fox is carving out his own block as the President, CEO, & Founder of the Rocky Mountain based hip-hop recording label and artistic collective known as SUB|ROK Records, through which he just released a new 16 track album entitled The View From Nowhere.

This project is evidence of Fox's discipline and respect for the craft; he's no newcomer. Gentry Fox has been writing and producing beats since he was only 11-years-old. His unique style is nostalgic of a conscious and poetic small-town storyteller fused with an almost aggressive street smart mentality similar to that of the early 90's golden age & gangster rap eras. 

The View From Nowhere is an introspective journey of perspective and self reflection during the 2020 pandemic crisis, studying the psychological output of a starving artist during an unprecedented period of political and socioeconomic division, social isolation, & personal growth. The whole project was written, produced, arranged, recorded, and engineered by the multifaceted Gentry Fox over the course of exactly one year. The album is mad chill. I really vibe with the track,"Chi" which also features Burnell Washburn; it looks at life and what it all means. 

"Who will remember me when I'm gone? How many people will play my song?" 

Fusing elements of rap, jazz, neo-soul, blues, and lo-fi hip-hop, Fox takes the listener on an ethereal journey through the land of “nowhere”, a place he describes in familiarity with the baron Rocky Mountain region from which he was raised, but also as the metaphorical embodiment of detachment, indifference, and alienation. 

Fox uses this perspective to help explore topics such as mental health, depression, anxiety, loneliness, displacement, empowerment, & more.  If you want some recommendations, listen to "Someday". It's an emotional confessional that talks about life's low points, "I hope someday that I will find my way." 

I also liked "Jaded" feat. T00M3R... The lyrics are relatable, and the song touches on hard times, like giving out $50 features and his survival mechanisms... "slip away until we jaded" liberating the starving artist's soul. "Distant" is a dope track that is so 2020. "I much rather sit alone than leave the conversation empty." "Outlier" has a trippy quality and a simple, melodic chorus that makes it easier to digest the song's deep lyrics. The most soulful track on the album is "Hindsight". You definitely want to add this song to your Chillhop playlist. 

"Disinfect all the hatred, pull the plug and disconnect." 

At what age did you discover rap music? How?
I believe I had to be around 6 or 7 years old, 1998 I’m pretty sure. The first shit that caught me was the Will Smith music video that played after the credits on the Men In Black VHS tape. I immediately convinced my Dad to buy me Big Willie Style and then I went down to rabbit hole from there. Quickly began to discover artists like 2Pac, Biggie, Snoop, N.W.A., Wu-Tang, so many. Eminem exploded in 1999 too, perfect timing to make an impression an an angsty little white kid in rural America.

What artist(s) have had the biggest influence on your sound?
Probably too many to name. I had access to the internet at a relatively early age compared to most around that time, so I was exposed to a mad influx of old school and underground hip-hop that definitely paved the way for a young aspiring emcee such as myself. I’d definitely have to credit artists like Atmosphere, Eyedea & Abilities, Gang Starr, Murs, Immortal Technique, CunninLynguists, Apathy, Brother Ali, A Tribe Called Quest, MF DOOM, those are just a few off the top of my head. I think my style is just a combination of the thousands of artists that have dug themselves into my brain and lived there the longest.

How do your life experiences play out in your lyrics?
When you listen to my albums from start to finish, you’ll notice that my music is very auto biographical and narrative driven, they each play out like a movie from beginning to end and I like to think of each one as a chapter of my life story. I always speak from a place of honesty and experience in my music, unless I’m just trying to talk shit or show off then you’ll likely hear me drawing from a place that’s sarcastic and absurd. You’ll probably never hear me make a song about selling kilos of dope and popping champagne in the club because that’s not representative of my history or my lifestyle. I try to write about shit that will speak to the average high school kid in middle America and I try to do it from a place that’s as authentic as possible. 

What do you say to the haters who wanna know why we should be rocking a 19 year old white dude from Wyoming?
First, I’d probably wave my index finger in their face and tell them that I’m 29, then I’d argue that I have more love and compassion for hip-hop in a single toenail then them and all of their friends and loved ones combined. I’d also point out that 19-year old kid from Wyoming has a unique perspective that has gone unshared for far too long and that he deserves to have a voice just as much as anyone. I might also ask them to name a single rapper that does everything completely independent and arguably does it all extremely well - music, videos, artwork, marketing, management, all of it. If my music isn’t for you, that’s totally cool, but if you’ve already made up your mind before even giving it a chance, then fuck you too.

What do you think of trap music?
Trap is dope, I can respect all sub genres of hip-hop to some extent. I am kinda nit picky with it though I guess; I prefer trap that has dense lyrical content that can compete with the beat. I feel there’s a vast over saturation of rappers that use trap beats to distract the listener from their lyrical content or abilities, hence the creation of “mumble rap”. If you’re gonna bar out on some trap beats, do that shit right.

Whats your dream collab?
I don’t have a single one specifically, but If I could have the opportunity to work with any of my idols that I listened to growing up, that would really mean a lot to me. Producer wise, I’d love to work with DJ Premiere, Kno (of CunninLynguists), Ant (of Atmosphere), Alchemist, Pete Rock, Dr. Dre, too many to name honestly. I’d also kind of like to start a band someday, some kind of shit squad infused with the DNA of Rage Against The Machine + Metallica + Sublime + Linkin Park. Fuck yeah.

SOCIAL + STREAMING INFO:

(Gentry Fox)
http://www.gentryfox.com
gentryfox@subrokrecords.com
http://www.facebook.com/gentryfox
http://www.twitter.com/gentryfox
http://www.instagram.com/gentryfox
http://www.youtube.com/gentryfox307
http://www.soundcloud.com/gentryfox
http://www.gentryfox.bandcamp.com

(SUB|ROK Records)
http://www.subrokrecords.com
info@subrokrecords.com
http://www.facebook.com/subrokrecords
http://www.twitter.com/subrokrecords
http://www.instagram.com/subrokrecords
http://www.youtube.com/subrokrecords
http://www.soundcloud.com/subrokrecords