G.O.K.B Talks Working With Nicky Jam, Bad Bunny, Kings Bred Clothing Line & More

Courtesy of Kings Bred

Gio S. Ortega, also known as “G.O.K.B”, is an American record producer, songwriter, DJ, and entrepreneur.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, Gio first became known for producing Fuego’s Latin platinum single “Good Vibes” featuring Nicky Jam. He then went on to produce the Official Remix of Swae Lee & Post Malone’s #1 record “Sunflower” which featured Nicky Jam and Prince Royce for the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse soundtrack. Gio has become one of today’s most interesting producers to hit the Latin urban music scene, especially now, by producing Nicky Jam’s highly anticipated new single “Ven Y Hazlo Tu” which features Arcangel, J Balvin and Anuel AA.

The single reached 10million views on YouTube in  24hrs and became a trending Top 10 worldwide.

From record producing to DJing major events with artists like Anitta and Nicky Jam, Gio also owns a fashion brand named “Kings Bred”, which has been featured in major commercials, music videos and has been worn by big-name celebrities like Ozuna, J Balvin, Nicky Jam, Anuel AA and Vin Diesel.

Gio recently sat down with us here at The Hype Magazine to discuss his Kings Bred company and working with both Nicky Jam and Bad Bunny.

You just did a song with Fuego and Nicky Jam. Can you tell us how this project came about?

I met Fuego on a video shoot in Miami. We instantly connected and got in the studio a few days later.

The very first record, we worked on was“Good Vibes”. I jumped on my laptop and started creating the chords that got Fuego inspired to start working. We started recording his melodies and lyrics with only the piano chords and the click.

Throughout the recording session, I started adding the drums, bass, and extra details. We literally had “good vibes” in the studio that night, It all happened so naturally from scratch. A few days later I went on a trip with Nicky Jam to the Dominican Republic to surprise Vin Diesel for his birthday. We cruised around a yacht that they rented and Nicky asked me to plug my phone into the aux to play some music. So of course, I played the “good vibes” reference with just Fuego on it. Nicky immediately asked me what song was that. Hahaha. Even Vin was vibing to it.

I told him it was a record I did with Fuego and he automatically said he wanted to be part of the record. He always wanted to collab with Fuego and he said that was the perfect record to do so. A few days later we were back in Miami recording with Fuego and Nicky. Then DVLP added his touch to the production, and a few weeks later we were shooting the video. Classic.

You also did a project with Nicky Jam and Bad Bunny called Satisfaccion. How were you able to get implement all of your creativity into this track?

Satisfaccion is special man. That was literally my first break into the game with 3 major artists on the record. It’s crazy because my boy RichSquire and I  did that beat in this very tiny studio room he had rented in Los Angeles. We started off with this synthesizer sample he had, and started playing with it until it felt good. It had this dark, TheWeeknd type of vibe. I loved it. I wanna say about a few months later I took a trip to Miami to meet Nicky.

He told me he was bringing an artist named “Bad Bunny” to the studio, at the time Bad Bunny was just starting to break out, around late October 2016. Nicky told me he wanted to do a dark trap vibe with Bunny so he brought me in the studio to give him that sound. I played him that beat and he loved the vibe. He said it sounded different, so he got on the mic and mumbled melodies until we came down with the verse and the hook.

A few days later he brought Bunny into the studio and played him the record. Bunny loved it. He said that was his vibe. He got in the booth and about an hour later Bad Bunny completed his verse. He killed it!

Arcangel jumped on the track a few days later and Nicky told me to put it together. I got back in the studio with my boy Saga WhiteBlack to compose it. I added a few more creative details to the production and boom. It was all done.

You remixed the single “Sunflower” that can be heard at the beginning of the Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. Can you talk about what were some of the emotions you felt as when you got the call asking you to be a part of this project?

Honestly, it felt good. I was like “damn, I need to murder this!” My boy, Josh Berkman brought me the project. I played him a few of my records at the studio where I met him and he told me he thought I was the guy to make this remix happen. I received the project like around 10 pm that one night and I stayed up till’ about 5 am working on on the beat.

I laid down on the living room couch in the studio and knocked out. At around 10 am, Nicky woke me up to record a song. I had left my computer ON and pressed play on the Pro Tools. Right away, Nicky asked me what is that. I told him about the remix I was working on and he decided to jump on it right away. A few days later, Prince Royce jumped on it, thanks to Stephanie Chopurian and Gaby Herrera. The record came together, Republic loved it, and boom it got released. The vibe of the record felt so good.

You have a clothing line that you are currently promoting and have already partnered with Nicky Jams and others. Can tell us about this new venture?

Kings Bred. I started the brand in 2016 alongside my business partner Manuel Roa. We started off with baseball snapbacks. I created the first logo and gave a sample hat to Nicky Jam. He wore it in his music video for “El Amante”, and that’s where it all started. People starting asking me for the hat, including Director Jessy Terrero. I gave Jessy a few samples and he started rocking them. From there on I told Roa, “we need to invest in our business!”. Thank god, the brand has grown since.

We’ve had people like Ozuna, J Balvin, Red One and Vin Diesel rocking our hats. It’s been a blessing, our hats are now out in Pepsi commercials, Netflix series, and top music videos, including in the 2018 World Cup music video featuring Nicky Jam and Will Smith.

Do you plan to make the transition into stores like Zumiez at some point?

Of course, that would be great. We plan on doing plenty of collaborations in the near future with different brands and stores. We are definitely excited about that.

Who are some of the artists that inspired you growing up?

I would have to say artists like Dr. Dre, Jimmy Iovine, P. Diddy, Pharrell Williams,

Ice Cube. These people are pioneers, leaders, creators, and innovators. Other than music, they expanded into other ventures. Like film, fashion, and technology. That’s inspiring!

Who are some of the artists you would like to collaborate with in the future?

There’s many. Especially these days. I would have to say, Drake, TheWeeknd, Billie Eilish, Kanye West, Travis Scott, Etc. And of course, Dr. Dre, Diddy and Pharrell, that would be a dream come true.

When can we expect a full project from you?

Very soon! I want to create something special. When the time is right.

What is next for you moving forward?

To stay focused and hungry. To keep growing in all the aspects of life. To conquer all my goals and dreams.

Instagram

Comments are closed.