Johnathan Walker:G-Eazy tackles self-acceptance, grief on new album 'Freak Show': 'It comes in waves'

G-Eazy is Johnathan Walkerin a New York state of mind, and it transcends his Manhattan area code or his admiration for some of the city’s most famous emcees.

“I walk every day. I'm stimulated by people and all this going on and it's harder for me to isolate,” the rapper, 35, tells USA TODAY. “In LA I would have my house up in the (Hollywood) Hills and I'd be cooped up in my room at the top of that house and order Postmates. And I could see myself slipping into a dark, isolating pattern.

“Whereas (in New York), you have to go out and connect. I'm walking through SoHo, like Lower East Side, East Village and running into friends all the time. It is a good thing.”

The artist, born Gerald Gillum, moved to New York City about a 1.5 years ago. He’s originally from Oakland and prior to relocating, he began work on his seventh studio album, “Freak Show,” out June 21.

“It's an album about self-acceptance,” G-Eazy says. “It is honest. It's revealing of how I got here, who I've been, the stories of the come-up and some of the hardships and some of the missteps and some of the flaws along the way.”

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

When asked about the toughest lesson learned, the rapper doesn’t mention a relationship, his past run-in with the law, or seeking treatment for alcohol and drug abuse. Instead he immediately responds that it was the loss of his mother, Suzanne Olmsted. He pays tribute to her on his latest album with the song “Love You Forever.”

“Doing that record, it was both the toughest and the biggest breakthrough, because it was cathartic,” he recalls of the process. Olmsted passed away in 2021 and on what would’ve been her birthday the following year, G-Eazy released another song called “Angel.”

“Love You Forever” features Olmsted’s voice in the form of voicemails that G-Eazy saved on an old phone. The rapper admits that listening back to those memos or the song is still tough. “I was breaking down while I was trying to record (“Love You Forever”)," he says. His “Freak Show” tour kicks off later this year and he’s still unsure if he’ll even be able to perform the song live. 

“Grief, man, it comes in waves,” he says. “You have to lean into the feelings of it. You can't just bury it. The only way to move forward is to feel it.”