What Inspires Us: Musician Billy Gatt from San Francisco
Even though he has broken boundaries with his hip-hop music, he is also very creative in dance and bass music. Outside of music, Billy has also been an inspiration in the fashion industry. If you ever need any tips or tricks in the music or fashion industry, Billy is your guy!
We sat down with Billy recently and asked him a few burning questions. Check it out below!
R8: Where are you from and where do you live currently?
BG: I grew up in San Mateo, California. It’s a city about fifteen minutes South of San Francisco. I have spent the past year living in San Francisco though. My Dad and his four siblings all grew up in San Francisco so this is where my roots are and a lot of my music and fashion inspiration comes from.
R8: What was the first pair of sneakers you ever had?
BG: That is a tough question to recall, but I think the first pair of sneakers I had was a pair of Stealth 3’s that my Mom got me when I was like 10. It wasn’t until I copped my Olympic 7’s which was the first pair of actual sneakers I got with the idea of wanting to collect and have kept clean. I got the pair of Olympic 7’s when I was a sophomore in high school and I have worn them probably once to this day.
R8: What got you into sneakers?
BG: When I was still in Elementary School I used to be hella into watching people unbox designer belts for some reason and I would watch Youtube videos all day on people unboxing and reviewing designer belts, especially the Louis V ones, and from then on my mind was just completely intrigued by fashion and sneakers. It was my older cousins, especially my cousin Weston, who looking back at it impacted me and my style; but they were always into clothes and making sure they looked good in their own ways. The idea of being able to look at someone else, to then take inspiration from them, and be able to use that inspiration in my own way just forever stuck with me. Growing up and even now I struggle with expressing myself with my words and being able to articulate what's on my mind. I really just don't let things out; but with my sneakers and my clothes I am able to express myself without having to say anything. It takes my mind off of what I am thinking about and I can express myself and am able to capture certain feelings through what I chose to wear.
R8: What is the most you spent on a sneaker?
BG: No comment, haha. But on a serious note I am not sure. Sneakers to me are something that brings me genuine happiness. It is a way for me to express myself. I am someone who deals with mental health issues amongst other things and when I find something I like I don’t care what anyone thinks of it, I have never been one to look to other people for validation. I don't really look at prices like that. But if I had to take a solid guess I would say the most I spent on sneakers was for a pair of Golden Gooses. I am a really big Golden Goose fan.
R8: What is the dirtiest shoe you own?
BG: The dirtiest pair of shoes I own has to be a pair of Air Force 1’s. I have designated a pair to just skate in or throw on when I know I will be doing some walking. I hate when my shoes are dirty, but I have to have a pair that can get thrashed.
R8: What sneaker brand is your favorite and why?
BG: That is a hella tough question. I have so much appreciation for so many brands and designers that stick out to me or have a certain story for me. Like I said, tough question, but I have to go with Golden Goose. I used to see friends of friends or these certain groups of kids rocking Golden Gooses, but I could never afford them but I always thought they were so wet. To me they were just some of the coolest shoes I had ever seen and I told myself once I could afford them like that I had to buy the pairs I wanted. One of those things I told myself I would do and went out and did it.
R8: What's is your favorite "youtube/IG" to follow?
BG: Instagram wise I am a big Pythia Clothing fan. You can tell the brand embodies genuine hard work and there is nothing fake about it; which are ideas that I too stand for as an artist so for sure, shout out to Pythia. Youtube wise I am a big Notgeeks fan. I make a lot of the beats they use for their videos and their stuff goes hella hard. I am hella into pranks on Youtube too. For some reason jokes that are so dumb that you cant even take seriously I find to be hella funny. I would say that the whole Nelk team is super funny and they are entertaining. They also seem like good people, so I try to keep up with their Youtube posts as well.
R8: Any upcoming events, collaborations coming up that you want the people to know about?
BG: Event wise, I wish I had live events to talk about as I had a ton of shows planned for 2020. Obviously, due to Covid it has been hard to schedule future events as well. I am a huge believer in controlling what I can control and doing my part to help the scene grow, but in this instance the only things I can truly control are what I do and say. With that being said I do not feel any forcing any type of live shows with crowds is the right thing to be doing right now. I do not imagine having a change of heart until a vaccine is found or there is a way to realistically combat the spread of the virus. I am super excited to share though that music wise I am finishing up my debut EP! Collaboration wise I have been working with vocalists for my EP and I have been making a ton of rap beats. I am working on getting those beats to rappers I want to work with so yee expect more collaborations by the end of this year.
R8: What is your favorite Reshoevn8r product and why?
My favorite Reshoevn8r product has to be the Essential Shoe Cleaning Kit. Like I said I hate dirty sneakers, so I tend to clean my shoes quite often and the Essential Shoe Cleaning Kit has everything I need to get a quick and thorough clean in. The kit also travels well so I can bring it with me on the road to make sure my sneakers look good no matter where I am.
Make sure you check out Billy’s music! He has a variety of different styles of tunes that are made for everyone! Also, be sure to check out his Instagram and Twitter accounts to stay up to date on all things Billy Gatt!