New Music Review: Underdog
The hard-working, West Michigan rap/hip-hop artist Ty Gonzalez (The Gonz) has a new collection of songs detailing his background and determination to share his message."Underdog" is largely the story of his life. From his upbringing ("Grand Rapids Made") to his busy schedule ("I Don't Sleep") and his life's musical mission ("Passion"), Gonzalez reveals his heart as he lays out his faith-based journey to serve his Savior.
There are tell-tale local references. A radio clip of the West Michigan Whitecaps baseball championship broadcast opens one of the tracks. Baseball was a large part of life for the Comstock Park native, who played the sport in high school and college and spent a chunk of his youth around Fifth Third Ballpark.
"Drive" is the closing track of the project, getting creative even while driving on "96 East" in trying to paint a picture a la "Picasso with a microphone."
The listener picks up lots of local connections – such as York Creek (Apts.), Steelcase, etc. All are part of the artist's story as he determinedly raps: "working on my craft...gotta take my shot."
The Gonz also drops several audio clips from feature films. Part of a motivational speech from "Rocky" heads up "Underdog," the cut which serves as the title track.
In summation, here's one of the artists several declarations of his Christian calling: "I got a purpose...my vision and my mission is to serve a real Christ."
"Underdog" is the follow-up to 2017's "Big League Dreaming." Gonz has no shows scheduled in the near future – he's getting married in June.
The new album is available via several digital outlets, including iTunes and Google Play.
Connect:
Artist: The Gonz
Album: "Underdog"
Connect: https://www.facebook.com/ty.gonzalez.3
