He’s on some of the most popular hip hop outlets radars because of his unique approach to rap music.
Complex and The Fader have both covered Ghoulavelii since Ghoulavelii began his career at 19. His style is different from your average trap artist though, promoting his live performances as punk shows but remaining true to the lyrical nature and sounds of hip hop.
Early years
Before he considered himself a rapper, Ghoulavelii was playing many instruments like the drums and guitar in punk bands at an early age of 14. Many of his peers thought he was the weird black kid in grade school since he wore band t-shirts and was intrigued by heavy metal and punk music. Marilyn Manson was one of his idols because the rock star didn’t care what people thought about him, which Ghoul deeply admired.
“I remember being in middle school and wearing band shirts and nobody was fucking with it,” he said in a Seattle Weekly report. “They called me a weirdo and said I was into some devil shit.”
He was also an avid gamer and was influenced by the music from various bands in his video games. The rapper was inspired to learn how to play the drums by listening to bands like Slayer and Slipknot in his favorite game Tony Hawk.
“I heard Slayer in a Tony Hawk game; when I was a kid I didn’t fuck with anything but games,” he said in a 2016 interview with the Seattle Weekly. “I would listen to Slayer in the game, then I taught myself to play drums listening to Slayer and Slipknot.”
Ghoul’s style
Building a buzz
Signing a record deal
The Seattle rapper created a buzz in short span of time. Record label executives recognized him as an emerging artist and he eventually signed with Alamo Records. After a short stint with the label, Ghoul continues to reinvent himself as an indie rapper and expand his audience by continuing to tour the country.
The 21-year-old has done shows with notable acts like Lil Mosey, Thouxanban Fauni, Asian Doll, Lil Durk and KrimeLife.
There seems to be no limits to his artistry, broadening his audience by collaborating with Kpop superstar Jay Park. It’s not easy to push your music independently but his small team is dedicated and believes in his talent.
New trap music
“Inna Trap” is his latest single accompanied by a visual that debuted on The Fader where he gets personal with his fans in the song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-dB_IHuWB4
In a phone interview with the Fader, Ghoul said “this song is a self-reflection of everything I’ve gone through to get to where I’m at, as well as everything I’m still going through to get to where I want to be. This song is meant to uplift and motivate. Remind everyone that the process can be long, short, smooth, rough, amazing and painful, but the end result will always be worth it.”
