1999’s Rhythm and Poetry was historic for many reasons. Notably, it was the first hip-hop festival ever held in Singapore. But it was also the place where rapper Andy Gus would debut his music career. From his time in local crew Lyrical Jestas, to founding Golden Triangle Records, things were looking up for the rising recording artist.
However, that momentum took a pause when Gus left the entertainment industry for 8 years. But when the MC returned to the fold in 2015, it felt as if Gus was making up for lost time. Over the next few years, the rapper would transform into a hitmaker and entrepreneur by releasing a string of popular singles and becoming the CEO of music and fashion brand SOSA VS.
Now Gus is poised to cement his legacy with his solo debut album, a 13-track statement built with aspiration and motivation. We caught up with the hip-hop mogul to learn more.
Hi Andy! Take us back to your early years. How did you first break into the rap game?
My debut was on 6 June 1999, in Singapore‘s first ever hip-hop festival at Youth Park. During that gig, my group back then, Lyrical Jestas, were the openers, and I was honoured to be the first rapper to bless the mic. What a thrilling moment for me, and moments like this will forever be entrenched in my mind.
What are your memories of your time with Lyrical Jestas in Singapore?
My fondest memories with Lyrical Jestas was having no technology to produce music! We had to bring our instruments to the studio back then, recording one instrument per take. At that time it was old-school, so we had to be very careful with our takes, as it took a lot of time to redo it. Despite the technological and financial challenges, we as a group still managed to somehow practise and produce amazing songs. The evolution of hip-hop music production has made everything much easier now.
You founded Golden Triangle Records in the mid-2000s. What caused you to leave the company, and the entertainment industry for so many years?
I reckon the social pressure in Singapore to establish a corporate career rather than an artist’s career was the main reason for my 8-year hiatus. No doubt during that Golden Triangle Records period, I understood the music business industry better, made some good network industry connections, and also produced amazing songs and videos. Sometimes I would question myself – if I had not stopped, what would my career as an artist have been like? However I believe everything happens for a reason and I believe it’s God’s decree.
One of the factors of me creating the song ‘Chances’ in Legacy The Album was that we don’t have many 2nd chances, and we should therefore appreciate the opportunities while in hand.
What inspired you to return to hip-hop in 2015?
This inspiration actually happened one afternoon when I was on the bed in my Jakarta home, on my MacBook and I came across FL Studio, a music production app online. I was messing with it and that’s how the very first song upon my return ‘SouthEast’ was produced.
I realised the passion within, and that music was always going to be there for me, no matter good or bad times. Hence I produced a song titled ‘Me & You Way Back’ in this new album as a tribute to “her”, meaning music.
You started LaCoca in 2016 and the brand has flourished since then. What was the initial vision, and how have you achieved it in the years since?
The initial vision for LaCoca started as a record label, collaborating and producing for artists in the region. Thereafter we expanded our portfolio to include custom and ready-to-wear merchandise and jewellery. Many of our fans and peers were requesting for us to partake in this journey with them, to build a brand – a unique and niche community to be associated with LaCoca. Music and fashion were always my parallel passion of expression.
Currently, LaCoca as a brand and community has been rebranded to SOSA VS while still under the corporate entity umbrella of LaCoca Group Co. SOSA VS produces luxury timepieces, sartorial street fashion jackets, sweater suits, hoodies, t-shirts, denim works, and will be releasing a puffer jacket for this winter. We also produced custom and ready-to-wear jewellery for both men and women, advising custom jewellery designs to clients and whilst accommodating to most budgets.
Now SOSA VS has also ventured in exploring the Athletes Division since 2020; where we sponsor athletes, assisting and encouraging them to be successful in their sports career.
Previously, we have sponsored a Thai futsal team, a Malaysian skateboarder, a Belgian Triathlete, and currently we are sponsoring a Thai skateboarder/model as well as a young Singaporean track star. We are open to all sorts of sports or para-sports and do contact us should you be keen for a sponsorship collaboration!
You’ve been prolific over the past 8 years, releasing a string of popular singles. Which songs would you say have revitalised Andy Gus since your comeback?
‘SouthEast’ will always be my main anthem as it’s my first comeback song, and despite it being 8 years old, it still resonates with my fans, peers and even myself. The beat, lyrics and chorus are contemporary which compliments the easy melody and sing-along lyrics, making it an easy listening song.
‘So Damn Fly’ was a milestone in my discography as well, as it displayed my artistic form of fusing hip-hop and rock together, which was intended to show that love of music is universal, embracing all genres and sounds. The approach of creating music should be exploratory and open, just like a painter with his canvas using different mediums of expressions.
‘It’s Time Now’ was a classic single that was created with the music video in consideration first. The music video was self-directed and in collaboration with an amazing production team called ATK Productions in Thailand. It took almost 7 months of preparation for the single and MV to be released concurrently. The music video had a mini-movie, Hollywood-esque style with helicopters, actors and scripts. This experience of being on the set of a big production, and as a director was fantastic and further developed my passion for movie production. You will see, as the music videos that accompany the Legacy The Album will showcase this development.
You’ve frequently collaborated with Ray Valentine. Could you describe your partnership with him?
Collaborating with Ray Valentine for the last 8 years has and will always be dynamic, resulting in great success. It has been productive, creating and producing an abundance of milestones in our careers and journey. The travels, conversations and moments will always be cherished.
What was the creative process behind Legacy?
Legacy The Album was actually a solo project I began around 2019-2020. During the Covid times, a lot of ideas for song compositions were created in the studio, collaborating with producers and artists globally. In fact some of the songs on this album were produced during that period. I was full-on focused on this album from December 2023 to July 2024, which was when the work was completed. 32 weeks of focus, going to and fro the studio almost everyday, coordinating and directing the music videos from scratch, reenergizing the motivation almost everyday to achieve this amazing result of leaving my Legacy!
I always had a personal life philosophy that “No One Guarantees You Tomorrow”, hence I always had a knack for being appreciative, productive and efficient on a daily basis. I appreciate the blessings of life and always wondered how I will be remembered if I passed on. Therefore the title Legacy seemed appropriate to me as I would leave this album for my son to tell his sons, and my grandsons to tell their grandsons. This story will forever be etched on my family’s timeline, just like my favourite artists Salvador Dali and Jean Michel Basquiat.
In Legacy The Album, I also paid tribute to my dearest mother, Mas Amah, in the song ‘Dear Mummy’, so she too contributed to this album and did a voiceover in the title track. I also encouraged my son, Tyson Anto, to be involved in this project as he did the chorus and voiceovers on the last song in the album, which is a tribute to him, ‘Young King Ty’.He also acted in the music video of ‘Legacy’, so that he is able to see first-hand the dedication and commitment of music and media work.
I worked with P’Nin, my sound engineer on all the songs in this album and I have been working with him since 2017. He understands my style, crazy pre and post production ideas as well as the techniques and various vocal expressions in this album. I had the opportunity to also work with Tigerboyz, MC Skyway, Kamila and Varudom, who contributed different dynamics and perspectives to various tracks. Do try to decipher my message and story from Track 1 to 13, which was meticulously curated over and over again until I was satisfied that the playlist sequence told my story.
Many of the tracks on the album were produced by Gelert Veliu. How did you get to know him, and what was it like working together?
Gelert was highly recommended to me. He is a producer from the UK, and he just amazes me with his commitment to a track that he is creating. His approach of communication to create and produce is also respectful as he listens to my opinions and vice versa, and after deliberation and evaluation, we would agree on a conclusive result, with the intentions to make the best track possible.
Most producers in the market are self-absorbed and unwilling to listen or take the step to explore, therefore working with Gelert for the last 5 years has been an incredible pleasure.
I have the tendency to work with the same people, as I totally understand that finding the right people for projects is hard to come by, as most times characters clash or disagree due to ego or creative differences. “Appreciate the Circle and Keep It Tight!”
Finally, what is the message that you hope listeners take away from Legacy?
My intention is to inspire the people. I hope to motivate the younger generations to aspire and pursue their dreams and ambitions. I feel that society has been too harsh on kids especially, crucifying their dreams and imaginations, pushing them to be society’s norm of just being workers in corporate jobs. The system has always been biassed against creative work. I want the younger generations to understand that being “different” is actually special, so embrace the uniqueness of your character rather than trying to fit in.
I also would want to motivate the same generation as me, sharing with them that just because we have matured, doesn’t mean that we should not pursue our dreams. Listen to your heart, for your heart knows best! Look at the mature rappers Jay-Z, Kanye West, Fat Joe, Eminem and 50 Cent for example – they are still in the music industry releasing albums, singles or producing younger talents. Leave a legacy in life. As Jay-Z said, “I’d rather die enormous than live dormant”.