Gerard

The Arc of Gerard

The pivots — what forced Gerard to reinvent.

1. 01

   The Boom-Bap Apprenticeship

   From 'Rising Sun' in 2007 through 'Toni Tell' in 2012, Gerard was finding his footing in a scene that did not quite know what to do with him. He worked with local Austrian underground producers, delivering standard double-time verses and classic sample-heavy beats. You can hear him fighting against the rigid structures of traditional hip-hop, trying to force a more personal, melodic sensibility into a format that was still largely hostile to emotional vulnerability.

2. 02

   The Blausicht Shift

   The release of 'Blausicht' in 2013 changed everything because Gerard finally threw out the traditional rap playbook. He teamed up with producers like Patrick Pulsinger and turned to sparse, melancholic electronic beats that drew more from post-dubstep and indie pop than classic boom-bap. His voice dropped into a hushed, intimate register, dealing with late-night urban isolation and early-twenties anxiety. This record anticipated the moody, synth-heavy wave that would dominate German rap for the next decade.

3. 03

   The Major Label Experiment

   With 'Neue Welt' in 2015 and 'AAA' in 2017, Gerard tried to scale his intimate sound for bigger stages, signing with major-distributor-backed setups. The production got bigger, glossier, and more pop-oriented, incorporating elements of trap and polished future-bass. While it expanded his reach across Austria and Germany, it sacrificed some of the claustrophobic, late-night tension that made his earlier work so compelling.

Influences

• The Streets — Gerard has repeatedly cited Mike Skinner as a massive influence on his narrative songwriting style. You hear this in the conversational, highly detailed lyrical observations of everyday life on the tracks of 'Blausicht.' Skinner proved that you could rap about mundane, melancholy details without needing a tough-guy persona.
• Kid Cudi — The emotional vulnerability and lonely-astronaut aesthetic of Cudi's 'Man on the Moon' era served as a direct template for Gerard's mid-career transition. Gerard adapted that specific brand of melodic hums and introspective, late-night isolation for a German-speaking audience. It shifted his focus from clever punchlines to overall mood.
• Drake — The atmospheric, underwater production style perfected by Noah '40' Shebib for Drake heavily informed the sonic direction of 'Blausicht.' Gerard sought out those same low-pass filtered synthesizers and ambient drum patterns to cushion his vocals. It gave his music a distinct late-night driving vibe.
• Gimma — The Swiss rapper was one of the few artists in the regional alpine scene pushing introspective, unconventional hip-hop in the mid-2000s, leading to direct collaborations with Gerard. Working with Gimma showed Gerard that regional dialects and left-field lyricism could find an audience outside of the dominant German mainstream. It validated his decision to skip the standard battle-rap route.
• James Blake — Gerard frequently mentioned listening to James Blake's self-titled debut during the writing process for his electronic-leaning material. The sparse, vocal-centric arrangements and deep sub-bass frequencies on tracks like 'Neue Welt' mirror Blake's minimalist approach to electronic soul. It helped Gerard move away from busy, crowded instrumental tracks.