EST Gee joins Zane Lowe on New Music Daily on Apple Music 1 to discuss collaborating with Jack Harlow on the track ‘Backstage Passes’ from his new album ‘I Never Felt Nun’. He tells Apple Music about the origin of the collaboration, working with Machine Gun Kelly, the themes on the project, his approach to selecting features, the burgeoning Louisville scene, and more.

VIDEO | EST Gee: New Album, Carrying Kentucky’s Legacy, and Collaborating with MGK | Apple Music

EST Gee tells Apple Music about the origin of ‘Backstage Passes’ with Jack Harlow

I put it on for Jack at the studio and he had his part done already. I told him to go in the booth with me, we just reached there back and forth. And then when I finished my last bars, I just did the verse and then that was it. 30 minutes. About 30 minutes.He knew. But when I came in he had his verse done, he was geek. I don’t know when he’d be excited about something, that it’s… You know what I’m saying? It’s real.

EST Gee tells Apple Music about the themes of his new album ‘I Never Felt Nun’

I don’t want to put my beliefs, my feelings off on other people, but just, you got to stay motivated. ‘Cause a lot of time it don’t seem like it get better. You know what I’m saying? But you got to make it better. So that feeling of not feeling nothing… You know what I’m saying? That shit’s basically just keep going through it, don’t let it affect you. Before I knew to tell myself, that’s how I really was. You know what I’m saying? So that’s just what that album’s about. It’s the third installment of this type of, I don’t feel nothing serious. I don’t think it’s a fresh start, but it’s just like a… I’m leaving out all the problems I’ve been having and all the stuff I’ve been going through behind. So it ain’t like the door’s open, I’m just finally walking through it. You know what I’m saying?

EST Gee tells Apple Music about working with Machine Gun Kelly on the project

He reached out to me. He was here at a show, he was trying to get me to come out. I was doing something, I couldn’t make it. And then he was just like, “Man, I’m trying to work with you.” You know what I’m saying? He was just telling me that he liked my stuff, you know what I’m saying? And I was surprised. And he was like, “Man, send me some music that’s your vibe.” I’m like, “Oh”, you know what I’m saying? I just sent him the stuff and then he sent that back a couple days later… I ain’t think he was going to do it ’cause he was on tour, I knew he was busy. And he had sent it through. I think I had called him, you know what I’m saying? He had sent it right through.

EST Gee tells Apple Music how he approaches features

I just be letting it happen naturally. I don’t be trying to force nobody on it. I only reached out to a few people since I’ve been rapping to get on my stuff. Whether they did or didn’t, you know you what I’m saying? But I think that just make me feel like I don’t need too many people on my stuff. You know what I mean? You know what I’m saying? So whenever I do get somebody on I just want it to be natural. I ain’t looking for nothing. I don’t feel like I’m missing nothing. You know what I’m saying? So it ain’t just that I need another sound, it’s just whatever happened naturally, it sound good. If I’m feeling your vibe we’re going to do it.

EST Gee tells Apple Music about the Louisville scene

It’s where I’m from. I don’t know nothing else. There wasn’t no music scene before, you know what I’m saying? Before Jack and Bryson, I think it was the first people that made it, you know what I’m saying? And then me, it was just totally different than… You know what I’m saying? Different type of music, different type of fan demographic. So we created the vibe where we from. And I don’t know how it feel, I don’t know the effect that Louisville got on me. I guess musically ’cause I ain’t never been from nowhere else. You feel? That’s just what it is. We ain’t have no voice. I feel like I made us one. Feels like I was supposed to, you know what I’m saying? I know it’s creating opportunity and I know the good outweigh the bad. So I’m cool with that.