My Eyes Your World: Break down the U.k. Hip hop scene vs the the Hip- Hop scene in the states?

Gia: UK Hip Hop is a huge mash up of numerous styles of music. Mostly underground with a small portion being commercial. The sounds mainly being European, US, Caribbean and African, interesting at times and very different at others. 

 My Eyes Your World: Where did  your love for Hip-Hop music come from and how did it affect you?

Gia: My love for Hip Hop came from my Mother. A creative woman who makes clothes, is a painter and loves music. Playing Sugar Hill Gang, LL Cool J, and Salt N Pepa was the norm, along with playing many other styles of music. When my mum would come home from college, she would sometimes say: "hey check out this new album", and it would be rapper like KRS or Del La Soul on a cassette  tap.

My Eyes Your World: Did it affect you not being able to be a part of the music you love in the states as you were growing up?

Gia: Having so much love for Hip Hop and being that the Hip Hop I listened to was American, as I got older, I felt disconnected from UK music and more in-tune to the music I was raised on. This became an issue once becoming a rapper.

 My Eyes Your World: What was it like watching hip hop from the U.K. grow into the monster that it is now?

Gia: Watching how hip hop has changed into what it no longer stands for, it is not only sad, but a sign of how society has fallen apart. We constantly use words that were not created by us in the first place, and brush under the rug the real women who are needed in the foundation. 

My Eyes Your World: I've been trying to figure this out for a while and maybe you can help with the next question. Why has the States accepted rock, r&b, and electronic music from all over the world and the U.K. but has not accepted European and international rap and hip- hop acts?

Gia: The States has not accepted European hip hop because the sound can be confusing to the ear. The dynamics of the European lyrical content cannot always be Internationally understood (it's not in the realm of the universal music code). Our accents and Ebonics are very different. We also have a duty to our-selves to stand out.  

My Eyes Your World:  Even though this a common question,what is it like being a female on the International hip-hop and rap scene? Because it's hard for the women back home in the States to get on, I know shit has to be crazy there in the U.K.

Gia: There are a large number of female rappers in the U.K., they're just not seen or noticed. The women in the UK are just as frustrated as the women in the States. I spent many years wrecking my brain wondering what happened after rappers like MC Lyte, Lady of Rage, Queen Latifah, Lauryn Hill, Jean Grae, Rah Digga, and Queen Pen, those before Roxanne Shante, and those after. Many still active but unnoticed.

My Eyes Your World: When was the moment that you knew hip-hop music was going to be the biggest portion of your life, and how much of your time does it truly consume?

Gia: I first discovered that hip hop was going to be a major part of my life when I became a ran at the age of ten. Even though I had been listening to hip hop in my household all my life, with all the nonsense going on in my neighborhood, hip hop was the only thing that made any sense. A large portion of my time is given to music being that it is a part of my everyday work. 

My Eyes Your World: How hard is it for you to find a producer that knows and understands what you need?

Gia: In my early days of being an artist, producers were hard to come by, but as technology grew, DJs I knew worked alongside musicians and they were able to produce their own beats. As time has gone on I have built a strong relationship with those around me being able to produce the right music. 

My Eyes Your World: Where does your creativity come from with your music writing process?

Gia: Not many people know this about me, but I am also an illustrator and have been for many years. My written material comes from my other creative abilities and the stories of those around me including my own.  

 My Eyes Your World: It's amazing that everywhere else in the world rap/hip-hop is taken seriously but motherfuckers in the States are in a sense making a joke out of it nowadays. Seeing and knowing that, how does that make you feel? And do you believe it hurts the genre?

Gia: The world moves in cycles, when one foundation is built, another is broken down and destroyed. Hip Hop has become a victim of that because this is now happening in the US. As time goes by it will at some point shift or evolve into something else, but never the less frustrates me as hell.

My Eyes Your World: Well thank you for having me over in your studio. I can't wait to get you over in New York, where we will have more time to talk.

Gia: Thank you