Trap/hip hop artist Gisto is on his way to releasing his sophomore album OMW, exactly one year after his Orbitz EP blasted his career higher than his clientele. Stemming from critical acclaim even before his 2012 debut album dropped, Gisto’s hustling nature and dope beats have scored him stage time with some of the most notable names of rap and reggae, not to mention a 2010 Winter Olympics performance in his hometown of Vancouver. Now five years after his first full-length album, This Is It, Gisto is ready to double down with OMW out December 1st off Slammin Media.
OMW combines trap mentality, synthesizers and dancehall backbeats for the dreadlocked gangsters and dirty moneymakers in all of us.
OMW combines trap mentality, synthesizers and dancehall backbeats for the dreadlocked gangsters and dirty moneymakers in all of us. Don’t believe yourself to be in either category? Your opinion is subject to change after tuning in. The album starts off with the title track: a ‘devil be damned’ trap track with vocal manipulation, a simple beat and a slight dubstep edge. After a hard day’s hustle, Gisto relishes in his reaping, for “no one can judge me, but God above”. And, speaking of deities, the track’s ethereal tonality provides the listener with an almost floating feeling, which plays into Gisto’s justifications for doing what he does – floating to the goddamn top. Following the same mindset comes track two, “DFWMF”; if ‘YOLO’ could ever be sassier, Gisto has found a way with this ‘I do what I want’ trap anthem (trapthem?). The album continues in this spoken word meets reverb fashion with songs like “All By Myself” and “Flip Em”, illuminating an almost stream of consciousness account of Canadian drug dealing. But, then, a twist! Gisto leads his listeners down a Xanny-bar rabbit hole only to hit them with… FEELINGS?? This plot point happens twice in the rundown: once at track five “Feelin Right Now”, and two at the end with track 10 and 11. Just when you’re comfortably numb, numb, na-numb too… Love ballads aside, Gisto also has a soft spot for momma, claiming that with all the trips, toys, champagne and women he’s going to have one day in “Billionaire”, he would first put in a celebratory call to mom. Coming from nothing takes a toll on people, especially when you crack the code with easy money. Would a hustler do it all again years down the line? Hindsight isn’t always 20/20, as Gisto proffers in “One More Time”, even though regret is not particularly in his vocabulary either. Don’t believe him? He has a “Haters” track just for you.
OMW drops December 1st via Believe Distribution Services, and is already available for pre-order on iTunes. With a few shows booked for late January, fans can be sure Gisto will surface more often in 2018. He has to, right? You can’t contain champagne bubbles once the bottle’s popped. For more information, visit www.gistomusic.com.
Pre-order OMW album:
Track listing:
- OMW
- DMWMF (feat. D3)
- All By Myself
- Flip Em
- Feelin Right Now
- Haters (feat. Espliff)
- One More Time
- Billionaire
- Pure Energy
- One Of Us
- Whistler
Official “OMW” music video:
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Disclaimer: All views presented in this album review are those of the reviewer and not necessarily those of Top Shelf Music.
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