Interview: Godly the Ruler at Lollapalooza
SCENES: What does Lollapalooza mean to you? You grew up in Chicago, and you said you’ve never been to one before. Was it always something that you wanted to go to or were you not interested?
GODWILL: Oh no no, I was definitely interested. It's just the way that my wallet is set up, it doesn't really allow me to spend like $100+ on a day ticket. So I was just like you know, I am a college kid doing this, that, and whatever - that money should be going somewhere else. And then I got a call, come play at the Bacardi stage on August 2nd. It was so funny because I had class in 30 minutes and then my agent, his name is Spencer, texted me “Look in your email, there might be something in there you like”. And I was like fuck, I have to leave my apartment right now to make it to class on time, so I look at it really quick and ohhhhh! - well cool, I still have to go to class, I can’t think about this right now. So upon finishing my class and sitting to think about it, it means alot. I grew up here[Chicago], never been here[Lollapalooza] before so the first time to be here to perform is really cool. But besides just me having a moment, it feels very full circle in that way, right. Besides me having that moment, I say this like all the time, it feels like it's a moment that everybody who is a part of my team is sharing. Like our tour manager is here. I keep saying this too, and my best friend. I don't just work with these people, that's my best friend, that's my best friend, that's my best friend. But you know, having Eva back here and having Ehmed and Taylor, my bandmates, playing Lollapalooza too for the first time ever. It's really cool to be sharing that moment with everyone. My managers and my agents are working to make sure I'm booked and busy, it feels like their moment too. And there are people out there who are already Godly the Ruler enjoyers, and enjoy the music and everything about it. They get to see their niche artist and be like “yeah! that's like that's us, we’re hip, we know what's up!”. It's like a cool moment for everybody. So yeah, it's a lot but I'm just chilling forreal.
SCENES: It's super cool if you grow up hearing about this festival and finally being able to perform in it! I was watching older interviews you’ve done and you mention that you saw music, at least at the time, as a hobby. Do you still kind of see music as this one specific part of your life or since then has it merged into a career that you might want to go down?
GODWILL: It's so funny to think of me talking like this is a hobby! It tracks in a way, but I'm just thinking it's so funny because it's like a hobby in a way, I think it's more appropriate to say a passion project, right? But it's just funny to think of the word hobby like this feels like - I'm doing work, this is my job. I have so many invoices in my email and so many excel spreadsheets of dates and tour dates that I need to organize and get in touch with. And I have to plan a trip and book flights and a hotel and I'm gonna have to get a driver and like this is not a hobby, we are working really really hard. But It's a hobby in the way like it's the best, most fun thing ever, like it's a job but the most fun and satisfying job ever.
SCENES: You started out in the DIY scene, right?
GODWILL: Yeah, I was like fully playing in basements.
SCENES: Was there a point where you did a certain event and you were like - this is starting to become work, in a good way?
GODWILL: Probably Summer 2022, I just came back to Chicago and I was coming from Madison Wisconsin. I was doing a bunch of DIY stuff, my house back there was a DIY venue and we played a bunch of great shows out of my basement. You know this is what we do in the Midwest.
SCENES: Did you have a name for the venue?
GODWILL: So we lived on this street called Lathrup, we were just being dumb so we were like lath- ugh its so dumb, it was LaTrap or something. It was a bunch of dumb names but we just needed a place to have shows because we liked playing shows. And then I came to Chicago in 2022 and then started playing shows. I played my first show at the Subterranean, then I was playing in Schubas, and I was playing there like every three weeks. And I was like - Damn, I’m in my emails alot and I was having to answer questions like advances and having to make a stage plot, and not to feel like a job but it feels like we are actually in an ecosystem right now where there is just a lot of things happening at once now and it's not just - Oh next week is Halloween so lets have like a halloween house show.
SCENES: You have really good stage presence, do you feel like you had that early on when you were still doing house shows or did it develop over time?
GODWILL: It developed over time, but I feel like I've alway had this nervous sporadic energy before I knew how to tap into it and harness it in a way that is more excitement than nerves. I just have always been very sporadic and frantic and I can not stand still. I used to do this thing where it was a lot for me, the idea of people looking at me, so I would wear these crazy obscure things to cover my face. Like crazy masks so I didn't have to worry about people seeing my face. And there came a point where I felt fine about showing my mug off and then I did a lot of research in undergrad about mindfulness and meditation. I got my undergrad in Psychology, and there's a lot that I learned within that with mindfulness and meditation, just like psychology and the whole idea of understanding emotional arousal and why people get stage fright. They feel like they are having a panic attack and its just your body is so emotionally aroused and there is a lot of adrenaline. And like your body is like - well 20 minutes ago I was just in my trailer eating and kickin it, and like now my body is sweating and my eyes are really wide, I must be having a panic attack. And people freak out and get really nervous, but it is just adrenaline at the end of the day. I was like doing exams about this and I was like -Oh thats why I feel like this and if I just understand that it's adrenaline and be alright instead of feeling nervous. I want to channel that into excitement. And get jitters in my body and use it to be very mobile, work the stage. My eyes are really wide, just look at everybody and I'm really perceptive of the stage and just using that adrenaline in a way that isn't so counterproductive.
SCENES: Do you use that as well to engage and to use it on the crowd?
GODWILL: Yeah! Sometimes I've been realizing that just paying attention to what everyone is thinking and talking about like - hey, you know this is the song Revenge, this is a diss track! And then playing the sample from the Kendrick Lamar track Not Like Us, which is a Drake diss. It's commentary on the thing that everyone is paying attention to right now. Everyone is so hyper focused on this rap beef with Drake and Kendrick, let me be like- I also have beef and a diss track and then play the sample from the song that everyone is listening to. People clock it and it's such a small thing but it definitely is getting people paying attention to those little clues. There’s a little tag that I have throughout the show that's like - We love you Godly! and it's at really key points in songs and when people hear that it's kind of a rush. Things like that, it's very small.
SCENES: I love when it's seemingly spontaneous things that are very planned out! If playing Lolla and leading up to it, did you feel like you had this stamp of credibility people gave you along with an expectation that they are really good. Do you feel that pressure?
GODWILL: I do, I was thinking about that this morning. If one more person asks me if i'm excited. I am excited but also this is such a fun thing to do and I don't want this pressure on it. Yeah I'm excited, I’m not gonna be like no. But a lot of people were really worked up on it and I'm sure alot of that is really valid but I just didn't place so much on it. I just wanted to have a fun time and I think we accomplished that. And it's definitely a stamp of credibility you can't knock it, and I'm happy to have it.
SCENES: Last question, if you were to recommend some Chicago artists that you think should play next year, who are some people you would recommend?
GODWILL: I’m gonna think on this because I want to give you some solid answers. Amira Jazeera, Angry Black Men, Fraxiom, Jane Remover, Victor Internet, Crash Prez - should play lollapalooza. I’m gonna feel bad if I miss anybody but yeah I'll just leave it at that probably.