FSG Rell Talks “Gucci, Prada, Fendi,” Big 2021 Plans & More

His 2020 hit “Gucci, Prada, Fendi” made FSG Rell one of the most popular new artists of the year. Now, with the world anticipating his undoubted follow-up, FSG Rell wants us to look at his past to know where he is about to take us with the music. Today, we speak with Rell about his recent hit, collaborations and what he wants to bring to Pennsylvania Hip Hop. Read the complete interview below.

Do you associate yourself with other PA or tri-state artists? If so, who?

At the moment I do not associate with any PA or Tri-state artists at the moment. I like to do songs with others but as I’ve came further and further in this industry I like to keep the songs to a minimum, maximum 2 songs with somebody now. I respect and liked working with all the artists that I have worked with but for now on that’s my thing.

What’s your plans for 2021?

My plans for 2021 is to focus more on singles, relocate to Atlanta and get on Worldstar for the first time. I’m not sure how much getting on Worldstar would do for my music career but that’s one of the things I haven’t done so I need to do that asap.

What’s your plans for the remainder of 2020?

My plans for the remainder of 2020, I want to establish a small relationship with artists that do Spanish music, do a few more promotions before the new year and book a few trips so that in 2021 I will have some cool places to do promo as well as making new videos.

Can you talk to us about FSG The Label? Fill us in on the movement.

FSG The Label is a movement that started out in the streets but as the years went on we decided to get out of that and be legit. We are a record label. We have signed over 5 artists, we’ve had very good reviews. Whatever resources I have I share it with the artist, just as my other partners in the label do.

Gucci, Prada & Fendi is nearing 200k streams on Spotify, quite possibly your biggest record to date. What was the response like with that record? Is this a personal favorite of yours?

The response to Gucci, Prada & Fendi was amazing, to this day I haven’t heard anything negative to be honest. It’s a very flashy, turn up vibe. This song is actually not a personal favorite of mine, I still like it but it’s not a personal favorite of mine.

What was the creative process behind the song “Gucci, Prada & Fendi”?

The creative process for “Gucci, Prada & Fendi” was only a few minutes. I was on my way home from a show I did in Philadelphia, some people in the crowd I could see pointing at my designer sneakers. A producer that I met through a mutual friend sent me the best a couple days before, I put it on while everybody was sleep and I wrote the song in about 15 minutes drawing inspiration from one of my shoes that very night.

“More Than A Rapper” has over 13 strong records, how long did it take for you to create this project? Can we expect more from FSG Rell soon?

It took me a couple of months to create this project due to trying to find the right beats for this project, correcting things as far as the sound having to go back and forth to the studio. This project Mote Than A Rapper was a lot of fun to make, especially since I found a home studio and a home engineer. You can expect more top-notch work to listen to. Most likely less projects but more singles and more videos.

You dropped a project over the Summer titled, “More Than A Rapper”, what was the meaning behind that project?

The meaning behind “More Than a Rapper” was to give people a glimpse into my life, that me being a rapper also still encompasses me going through every day things that everybody else does. This project shows off my lyrical more than any other project of mine. This is an artist at their best, when they’re in full control of what they can put out.

Favorite records off of your last project?

My favorite records off More Than a Rapper are Soul Food, Note 2 Self, Natalie Knight and For You.

You seem to glide across records with some swift bars and thought-provoking messages, do you write your music or tend to freestyle it?

I write out all my music but they all start off as a freestyle. Once I find the beat I like I freestyle it for a hour or two, jotting down phrases and recording rhythms so I don’t forget. That’s how I do all of my songs.

PA has always been a home to hip-hop. With your home state nourished by rappers with talented lyrical ability, would you consider yourself a lyrical rapper?

I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a lyrical rapper, I like to think of myself as a jack of all trades. I can definitely take it to the lyrical route when I choose but most of the time I like to go with the flow. Whatever feels right at the time, I’m all about what feels right. I’d go with what feels right over trying to push a certain agenda or trying to prove a point. Always go with your gut.

What is it like navigating through the music industry for a Pottstown, PA native?

Navigating through the music industry as a Pottstown, PA is very different because it’s not a big name city. Most people are bias to their city meaning it doesn’t matter if you have better music and more marketability, if the other artist is from their city, the city native will get the gig. I’ve struggled with this a bunch of times, it’s very frustrating but I want to stay true to myself and true to my city. Since Pottstown is close to Philadelphia I know a lot of my people from Pottstown say they’re from Philly when they are from Pottstown. I don’t get it, I think it’s foolish to lie but me I say I’m from Pottstown every time.

Has COVID affected your music or growth at all?

COVID has definitely affected my music and growth because shows stopped for a while. I was supposed to go on my first tour in June, but we couldn’t. I get a lot of inspiration from my travels and from the people I meet on my travels but with COVID around I don’t travel or meet as much people as I used to. It stopped a bunch of in-person interviews for those couple months. It’s slowly starting to get better.

What was it like working with lyrical talents such as K-Shine and Leaf Ward?

It was amazing working with K-Shine and Leaf Ward, two great artists but more importantly two great men. They were both thurl, I just tried to soak up any advice from them and tried to study the way they work.

Talk to us about the state of music and hip-hop in PA? Do you like what you see?

The state of hip hop in PA is okay right now to be honest, it’s either a hit or miss. I either like the artist or I don’t. I wish there was a couple more female R&B artists coming out of PA. I do have to say though there is a lot of great artists in PA out right now though that I like but I also hear a lot that aren’t my speed.

You have the ability to take over a beat with bars but you also have the versatility to create some catchy, trap-worthy vibes. Where did this versatility come from? Do you practice this versatility on purpose?

I think this versatility comes from my old lifestyle and new lifestyle now. From being in the streets to now working on other things having different conversations. Being around different environments, different inspirations help me switch between flows. I don’t particularly practice that but I try to freestyle to trappy beats so I don’t lose any momentum I had from before.