Gagan Chada (Gee) is an up-and-coming artist out of New York with big goals and dreams. From a young age, Gagan has been expressing himself through the arts and those years of experience are serving him well now. As we turn to the second half of 2021, he and his group “Double O”, are building their name in the industry and building a movement.
With the latest single ‘Leading the Wave’ out now on Spotify, we took the time to catch up with him and learn more about where he came from and what is next. We came away with huge appreciation and respect for Gagan and the “Double O” movement, and we’re honored to bring that story to you.
In our recent conversation, we wanted to get the heart of Gagan’s background and start at the origin of his story. We asked him about where he got his start, and here is what he told us.
“It started with just writing poems when I was around the age of 7 or 8. From there it went to having beatboxing competitions with my boy Jalen which then turned into me and him producing beats when we were around 13 years old. I guess that’s when the love for music really started kicking in. So it’s true when they say you attract what you put out into the universe because when I went to college I met two of the best producers in Jash and Dave, who are my two main producers that I cook up with til this day. It’s funny how it all comes full circle, I went from poetry to beatboxing to producing beats to now writing songs and rapping.”
This diversified learning experience helped Gagan build a background that is intimate with the entire music creation process. Along that same thread, we wanted to know what inspired him as an artist when it comes to creating music. Here’s what he told us about his inspirations.
“My inspiration comes from my life, my family, the people around me, and the experiences that I’ve dealt with. When I create music I draw from my emotions and it really depends on my mood that day in the studio. Based on that it could be an upbeat track or a slow track. I also draw from things I’ve seen or faced in my childhood growing up in the Bronx.”
One of our favorite things about musicians is learning how their past and their upbringing shaped their world perspective and sound. Our environments introduce us to a way of life, attitudes, arts and culture, food, etc. In getting to chat with Gagan, he referenced the Bronx to us and its impact on him a few times.
“Growing up in the Bronx as a kid I learned early on if I was to make a name for myself, in any way shape, or form, I would have to overcome any and all obstacles in my way.”
In a fiercely competitive industry like music, that’s a mindset and attitude that will serve you well over time. In all, a big takeaway for us was not just the music here but Gagan’s vision and goals for himself. But, before we get too far down that path, let’s take a look at a couple of tracks.
‘Leading the Wave’ is a classic hip-hop track featuring Gee, Ja$h, and Jalen Brandon. The three artists weave in and out of each other over a beat that thumps hard enough to vibrate the headphones that go over your ears. The hook is catchy and has a statement/anthem feel to it with the line “I cannot lose, I paid my dues, so I’m running around cashing checks, shot-calling now.” Add this song to your summer 2021 playlist, roll down the windows, and slow cruise to this one.
This song goes hard from beat one and much like its name indicates, it shows no capacity to let up. Gee & Ja$h feed off each other effortlessly on a track that comes off as tough as it does as cool as the other side of the pillow (shout out to the late Stuart Scott). The East Coast, New York specifically, the sound is evident on this track. It’s moody, the melody is engaging but simple, and at the forefront of it all, are two artists showing off their lyrical and flowing prowess.
Check Out The Video Here:
With two songs out of this quality, Gagan and the “Double O” crew are setting themselves up for a successful future. In our work with artists, we have found that the future goals vary widely from artist to artist. Knowing how ambitious he is we asked Gagan what his goals were as a musician and he didn’t pull any punches.
“To build a catalog and resume as strong as Hov, Kendrick, Kanye, and Drake. In doing that I want to become the best to do it or at least have my name mentioned in the discussion of who was the best to do it. “
See, we told you he was ambitious. But if that wasn’t enough, he also had big plans for the business side of the industry.
“I want to own the rights of all of my music. I plan on doing that by building my credibility and fanbase up as an independent artist. That way when an offer does get presented to me I can negotiate the terms my way rather than entering into a situation where I have no control or ownership over my music.”
That spirit is the spirit of the independent artist and hearing that from Gagan put a smile on our collective faces. It was hard to not come away from this whole experience not thoroughly impressed with this man, artist, and group. Making it in the music industry is not easy and it takes a lot of work and dedication. What we know at this point is Gagan Chadha and “Double O” have a great foundation, big dreams, and the right stuff to start making those dreams come true.
Be sure to keep up with Gagan with the links below.
The box office for Wicked hits a significant milestone worldwide as it gets ready to surpass Godzilla x Kong and Kung Fu Panda 4.
Wicked is still doing well despite recent box office releases that have caused significant disappointment. The most recent Wizard of Oz musical was too good for the Spider-Man villain and the Tolkien adaption to compete with Kraven the Hunter and The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim in the same week. Wicked has already exceeded its $145 million budget following a record-breaking first weekend that raked in over $160 million globally.
It has achieved even more success this past weekend. Variety said that after making $359 million domestically, the musical adaption made over $524 million internationally. It is currently on track to surpass Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire and Kung Fu Panda 4, which brought in $547.6 million and $571.1 million, respectively. Having significantly outperformed Grease’s $188.62 million total, it is also officially the highest-grossing Broadway adaption in domestic box office history.
What the Box Office Success of Wicked Means
Musicals and animated blockbusters are regaining their position at the box office after ten years of action film supremacy. Inside Out 2 and Despicable Me 4 have taken first and third place for the entire year, while Moana 2 and Wicked are the top films this weekend. With a $1.3 billion box office total, Deadpool & Wolverine is still in second place, but it’s probably the only action film to stay in the top five globally. Dune: Part Two may lose its position when Mufasa: The Lion King is released the following week:
Title
Domestic
Worldwide
Inside Out 2
$653 million
$1.7 billion
Deadpool & Wolverine
$637 million
$1.3 billion
Despicable Me 4
$360 million
$970 million
Moana 2
$338 million
$717 million
Dune: Part Two
$282 million
$714 million
This pattern is probably due to the fact that, other from Deadpool & Wolverine, neither DC nor Marvel have released any successful films this year. With Joker: Folie à Deux, DC tried to duplicate its $1 billion triumph, but it only made $200 million globally. With the exception of Wicked, every film in the top 10 global releases for 2024 has been a sequel, creating a distinct market. Based on a Broadway musical and The Wizard of Oz, Wicked is not a completely original film, but its box office performance does demonstrate that non-sequels may be successful in theaters in today IP-driven landscape.
Todd Haynes was planning to cast Danny Ramirez and Joaquin Phoenix in a gay romance movie. However, Phoenix left the untitled production five days before Guadalajara, Mexico, filming got underway.
At the Academy Museum Gala on Saturday night in Los Angeles, Ramirez told Variety’s Marc Malkin, “It’s definitely disappointing.” “If anything,” he continued, “If anything, it just gave me more inspiration to keep driving, keep pushing, and knowing that I’m on the right path and approaching the work the right way. So that’s what I’m excited about.”
The movie, which depended on Phoenix’s casting, was in danger after it was revealed in August that he had quit the production, according to sources. Two guys in love in the 1930s who escape Los Angeles and travel to Mexico were the main subject of the NC-17-rated movie.
“It’s definitely a very complicated situation,” Ramirez stated. “The audition process was extensive, and so what I walked away with that was just the artistic validation of throwing down opposite of [Phoenix] in this chemistry read… There was a moment that I was like, ‘Oh, I’ve arrived as a performer.’”
“The most recent update is ‘hopefully.’” Ramirez said in response to a question about whether the movie is still in development with filmmaker Haynes.
Although David Schwimmer admits his “career would have taken a very different trajectory” if he had been the lead in the 1997 movie, he doesn’t regret declining Men in Black.
The actor said, “That’s not why I turned it down,” in response to a question on a recent episode of the podcast Origins With Cush Jumbo regarding whether he rejected down the successful franchise because it conflicted with his Friends filming schedule. Rather, he decided to become a feature film director.
Schwimmer said, “[It] was a brutal decision.” the actor chuckles. “I had just finished filming The Pallbearer, my first film with Gwyneth Paltrow, and there were high expectations of that, which didn’t come true (Laughs). It was kind of a bomb, but there were high expectations, and the studio, which was Miramax, wanted to lock me into a three-picture deal at a fixed price, and I said I would do that if I got to direct my first movie.”
After months of talks, the intelligence actor said that they had come to an agreement whereby he “would act in three more movies for them” in exchange for allowing him to “direct my entire theater company in the first film,” Since You’ve Been Gone from 1998. The film was told through the perspective of a doctor who was severely beaten up by a fellow graduate on graduation day, humiliating him and setting the stage for a ten-year class reunion.
“All these unknown actors but I was going to put them on the map, basically. I was going to let everyone discover the talent of this amazing company,” Schwimmer said, “We found this amazing script, and we were developing it. We started pre-production. All my best friends in the world in my theater company quit their jobs so they could be in this film over the summer, which was going to be a six-week shoot in Chicago.”
However, Schwimmer had to make a tough decision about his career because the production for his directing debut happened to coincide with the filming of Men in Black.
The Six Days Seven Nights actor recalls, “We’re in pre-production, hired the whole crew, everything’s going and that’s when I was offered Men in Black.” “It was a direct conflict with this. My summer window from Friends was four months. I had a four-month hiatus and Men in Black was going to shoot exactly when I was going to direct this film with my company. And of course, it was an amazing opportunity. However, my theater company and that relationship with all those people would probably have ended. I don’t think it would have recovered.”
Schwimmer stated that he is unsure if “he made the right choice,” but he firmly feels that in these kinds of circumstances “you have to follow your gut, you have to follow your heart.”
“Look, I’m really aware, whatever 20 years later maybe more, [Men in Black] would have made me a movie star,” he continued. “If you look at the success of that film and that franchise, my career would have taken a very different trajectory.”
In the end, Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith played the key parts in the Men in Black franchise.