Professa Gabel is a upcoming emcee from San Francisco, CA. He has a group with his friend Cyph4 called Curbside. Check him out!
ABM: What is your Rap name? Tell us the story behind your hip-hop name?
Professa Gabel: Individually we are Cyph4 and Professa Gabel. Together we make up CurbSide. Cyph mentioned CurbSide as a name for us in the lab one time and we both liked it. We felt that it was the best way to describe the place where we developed our sound.
ABM: Has anything happened in your life that led to the decision of becoming a musician?
Professa Gabel: When we started, Cyph was already an Emcee doing a lot of cyphers and battles. Professa Gabel was being mentored by Cyph and learning about the culture of graffiti and Hiphop as a whole. Cyph would bring Professa Gabel to battles and cyphers which sparked an interest in rapping for the young Professa Gabel. Over the years Professa Gabel developed as an emcee and began to make his presence known in the local San Francisco Hiphop scene. With both of our styles growing together as the years went on, we decided to make a collaborative album which turned into us becoming a group….CurbSide.
ABM: How did you get your start in the hip hop scene?
Professa Gabel: Individually we have both been in the scene for years doing shows, tours, and dropping our own solo projects. In 2015, a number of our close friends and artists formed Old Soul Kollective, which consists of MCs, DJs, Comedians, Producers, Cinematographers, and Visual Artists. With the great help of Solidarity Records, we were able to use these platforms to release our debut group album, “Uneven Pavement.”
ABM: Where are you from, and what was it like growing up there?
Professa Gabel: We are both born and raised in San Francisco California. Growing up in Frisco was a unique experience. We were very influenced by the deeply rooted culture and history here. In our music we make sure to represent and teach folks who don’t understand what we have been able to learn through that culture and history. We see ourselves as two of the many voices that can tell the story of Frisco in a very real way.
ABM: What do you typically rap about?
Professa Gabel: We mostly rap about the things that we experience. Cyph is more of the underground-type street journalist whereas Professa has an abstract understanding and way of explaining the universe. These two styles combined with our lyrical abilities create content in itself.
ABM: What are your last full length releases people can go check out right now?
Professa Gabel: In April we dropped our debut album “Uneven Pavement”. You can find it on all digital platforms (Apple Music, Spotify, etc.). For physical copies you can purchase them at the merch booths of our live shows, Amoeba Records SF in the Haight, and Dying Breed/Mission Skateboards on 24th and Treat in San Francisco.
ABM: What are you currently working on?
Professa Gabel: We are both working on new solo albums that we plan on dropping next year. But our next project that we are closest to releasing is the Old Soul Kollective (OSK) mixtape. People can follow the progress of that project, such as videos, singles, and many other releases from other OSK artists on our website: www.oldsoulko.com and on all social media platforms with the handle @oldsoulko.
ABM: Whats your last visual release people can check out, tell us about it
Professa Gabel: The last video we dropped is our single from the “Uneven Pavement” album, “Hypodermic,” produced by Max Kane. All of the footage was shot in San Francisco, and we threw a big party for it that turned into a crackin garage show. The video was shot, directed, and edited by Doozey Hamilton. You can find his work on his Instagram, @maineflixzz
ABM: What is your ultimate goal at the end of your career?
Professa Gabel: We live Hiphop and the element of Emceeing as a lifestyle, so we don’t really consider it is as something that ends. But in terms of our impact as people who make music, we want to pay respect to the culture of Hiphop and contribute to its legacy. Also, we want to make timeless music that is original and influential.
ABM: Where can people reach you?
Professa Gabel: People can reach us on instagram @professagabel and @cy4thplanet. You can also reach us for bookings and features at our email: curbsidesfc@gmail.com
