On a cloudy Sunday evening in Fort Lauderdale, Alkaline (born Earlan Bartley) lights a spliff in his secluded studio. The earthy smell of smoke and lighthearted banter between him and his engineer commingle, escaping the room and drifting down the hall.
Entering the private studio, Alkaline has already started digging into his archives to begin recording new music. He opens a matte-black door to reveal a quaint booth with a lone microphone in the middle.
“This is where the magic happens,” he says.
In person, he’s tall but not intimidating, charming but not cocky. He chooses to keep his shades on because with a cameraman present he can’t be caught embodying anything less than “cool.” He flashes a pearly grin, sits back on his couch, and clarifies, “I’m ready when you are.”
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There s also Jelani Cameron, 27, who spoke with
New Times over the phone. Intuitive and ambitious, Cameron pauses briefly before responding with a conscientious sometimes abstract disposition.
“I have this theory, and I’m a firm believer that love is unconditional,” he says, explaining GPC s ethos. “The opposite of love, which is hate, is conditional. So hate is something that we’re taught. I think that’s why people resonate with us. [Love] is rooted within us especially as Black people.”
His answer was more than just a theory it’s the cornerstone of GPC s designs.
“I think with the times we’re living in right now, a lot of people can relate to it,” Wint elaborates. “It gives people a voice without speaking. Some people are afraid to voice how they feel because they don’t want to be looked at in a different light, so our pieces help translate that.”
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