G.Vani ‘Gio’ Lopez has forever been apart of the Kush Groove family since Day 1. G, as most of us know him, has been apart of numerous Kush Groove model campaigns, and has always been a staple performer at most Kush Groove music events.
Boston born and raised, and proudly Dorchester based, G. has been releasing music since 2010. During his musical career he’s dropped timeless love songs and singles that bang in the club with ya peoples or in the car, riding with your boo.
True to his musical and community roots, G. took some time off from developing music to establish and launch his non-profit organization BTO, Beat The Odds…
This week, G.Vani just released a new project, Better Later Than Never, and we got up with him to learn more about the project, what he’s going on in life and how he’s dealing with the corona virus quarantine.
Let’s check in with G…
Kush Groove: G., Lets get right into it. Top 3 songs on the project?
G. Vani: I love all of the records on the project. I feel like each song on there serves a certain purpose or mood. But to answer your question I would say Fight For Love, Writing on the wall, and Nothin’ But Love in no particular order.
Kush Groove: Where does the name in the title come from?
G. Vani: You guys been rocking with me for a long time so yall know better then most that I’ve been sitting on an archive of music. Over the years I would get in my own way, trying to become a perfectionist, where it got to the point that I wouldn’t release anything. So during this quarantine I decided to release an EP and call it Better Late Than Never, due to the fact that I left the people waiting for way to long. The release was very late but it still happened though haha
Kush Groove: Word on the street is you have a non-profit up and running. Tell us about BTO?
G. Vani: Yes, Beat The Odds is something that I’m very proud of starting. After Nipsey passed last year, I realized all the great work he did in his community. He might have not been the most popular artist out but he was definitely loved by the masses. With that being said I felt like there was more that we could do to help the inner city youth in Boston. I decided to partner up with some of my close and talented friends and start BTO. Which is a creative youth development program that’s dedicated to addressing mental health awareness and financial literacy through music and arts. I wanted to help create a unique music program that I wish I had access to growing up, while also helping to break the stigma behind mental health awareness. The journey has been great, I discovered some really talented kids. They’re definitely responsible for motivating me to drop this album.
Kush Groove: Where can listeners find the music?
G. Vani: The album is available on all digital platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Amazon Music, etc Make sure you search for G.Vani but don’t forget the dot.
Kush Groove: Your social media?
G. Vani: @gvanimusic
Instagram.com/gvanimusic
Facebook.com/gvanimusic
Twitter.com/gvanimusic
YouTube.com/gvanimusic
Kush Groove: Although you’re the artist, what are you listening to during the quarantine?
G. Vani: To be honest I haven’t been listening to too much music lately, I usually do that when I’m in the car. But since I’m not driving much these days I’ve utilized my time to focus on learning and educating myself on things that I usually wouldn’t have the time for. However I have enjoyed the IG Live battles, I think that’s been something to look forward to.
Kush Groove: Anything else you want to leave your fans with?
G. Vani: I appreciate all the support over the years, you guys have always showed out and made me look good.
You can listen to the entire album here: https://hypeddit.com/link/ftzver
