His stage name, Geolier, comes from a French word meaning “jailer”. In Naples, however, the jailer is not the prison guard, but an inhabitant of Secondigliano, the neighborhood where Emanuele Palumbo, aka Geolier, was born and raised, taking off towards a musical career capable of making him reach the Olympus of the great and to collaborate, among others, with artists such as Marracash, Sfera Ebbasta and Gemitaiz. Now, after collecting several platinum records and having exported his music well outside Naples, developing a clear and recognizable stylistic code, Geolier is ready to throw himself into another form of art: that of fashion.
The rapper, just twenty years old, has, in fact, just launched thereto GTWO Fall / Winter 2022-2023 collection, designed by the creative director Raffaele Morlando. A collection presented at the Salone Margherita, a historic and prestigious place in the city of Naples, with a fashion show that was able to count on the artistic direction of Alessio Menna. The CEO and Founder GTWO is Gaetano Palumbo, brother of Geolier, a fundamental person for his life and training. On the catwalk, sweatpants and cargo pants, American college model jackets, long and short sleeve shirts, polo shirts, sweatshirts with and without hoods, with writings and drawings. All elements that reflect the soul of this young artist with the hope that fans of him, who he considers like a big family, will follow him (also) in this adventure.
From music to fashion: when did the desire to throw yourself into this new world born?
«Fashion is as much a part of the rap scene as music. It has been since the 1970s, when the hip hop artistic and cultural movement was born and established itself in the New York neighborhood of the Bronx. With GTWO I take a new step in the construction of my artistic life, and the desire is to strengthen the bond between me and the boys and girls who listen to me, who are a fundamental part of my success and who from today can also wear the my same college jacket, my same pants. They can be more and more a part of my life, which is also wonderful thanks to them ».
Today’s world – but above all that of rappers – is very attentive to appearance, to the signature, to how it presents itself to others: how much does your way of dressing represent what it is?
“No one is comfortable in the clothes that do not belong to him. My way of dressing is exactly what I am, it completely expresses my way of thinking, living, interacting with others ».
Before clothes, the first passion is, of course, music: when was it born?
«Music is a passion. Making music, working with music is a matter of DNA. An artist is born with a destiny already written and has only to wait for the moment when this destiny becomes a concrete reality. By studying you can surely learn technique, breathing, reading the notes. Nobody can teach you free style. It belongs to you from birth. “
What child was he?
«A suburban urchin who enjoyed free style. Mom and Dad kept a video: I was 6 and I was putting words on the bars. Sure not like today, but I enjoyed watching that video again. Parents are surprising and full of love ».
What did you want to be when you grew up?
“As a child, I didn’t think about what I wanted to do when I grew up. If you are born on the outskirts of a big city like Naples, live your days one at a time, with a family that teaches you to cultivate healthy values: love, friendship, respect. I had no plans as a child. “
I read that she worked in a factory with her brother: did you like that life?
«Working in a factory is not easy. The working hours and shifts are tiring. But work is sacred and this is another teaching from my parents, who, when my life changed, did not immediately understand what I was doing. Dad only understood this when he came to one of my first lives. He came incognito, with the complicity of Christian, my personal manager and understood what my world is ».
He said that, at least initially, he was ashamed to publish his pieces: where did this fear come from?
«To write is to give a part of oneself, and revealing the most intimate part of oneself is never an easy step. I feared the judgment of others. Then the rhymes were easy for me and I wanted to try. The rest of the story is known to all. For me, the boys and girls who listen to me are not fans, but family and energy ».
After the boom of the first single, his life changed: he said it was difficult to deal with people’s attention, with the fact that he was suddenly at the center of the world: how did he get through that phase?
«From an unknown suburban free styler to a multi-platinum artist: it wasn’t a project. It all happened spontaneously. But nothing would have happened if I hadn’t met people on my way, today brothers of life from whom I can hardly part, who pushed me to sing without fear of judgments ».
Despite so many years have passed, Secondigliano continues to represent a difficult reality for the collective imagination: how much can music do to change this reputation?
«Secondigliano is and will remain a difficult reality as long as the institutions continue to be absent in the area. So it is not a vision of the collective imagination: it is just like that. There is nothing there. There is a lack of trivial but very important things, such as children’s parks for example. Music cannot change the reputation of a place if that place doesn’t change ».
Does he still live there?
“No, but I go back often. That neighborhood belongs to me. It’s in my DNA like music, and if you forget your origins or even deny them you don’t go that far. Whatever you want to be or do in life, the past gives you indispensable roots and points of reference ».
What would you like to achieve for your future? In addition to your career, is there maybe even the idea, one day, of starting a family?
«Today there is a great love, Valeria, and love for an artist is a fundamental feeling. I’ve never planned anything in music, and I certainly won’t do it in love. I am only 20 years old. Let’s see what happens. I am here to wait and to live, also ready to surprise me ».
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Source: Vanity Fair
