In a divey bar in Williamsburg, 24-year-old Chicago vocalist James King, aka the GTW (“Greater Than Wealth”), folds himself carefully into a booth across from me. He looks exhausted—he’s on a whirlwind tour of New York, hoping for a break—and he’s already regretting the effect that the $5 fries he ordered for lunch will have on his budget for the trip. Two nights ago he played to a small but enthusiastic crowd at the Glasslands Gallery, a nearby launching pad for up-and-coming underground talent. Later tonight, after our interview, he’s scheduled to perform at Baby’s All Right, another buzzy Williamsburg venue. In between there have been interviews, radio appearances, and all sorts of networking—with the associated stresses. It’s a pretty typical promotional jaunt, though he’s revealing himself to be anything but a typical artist.
“We’re getting street sounds and making them pop,” he explains. “When Rihanna first came out with ‘If It’s Lovin’ That You Want‘ when I was a kid, that really helped me with, ‘OK, I can take my culture and put it into what I do.’ She was from Barbados doing that stuff and it was pop. So I look at Rihanna as a role model.
