G-Eazy - Hard life on Eazy St

Gerald Gillum, or G-Eazy, is known as the James Dean of hip-hop.

Instead of partying at college, rapper G-Eazy locked himself away to work on his rhyme skills. He tells Chris Schulz he doesn't regret that decision for a second.

The slicked back hair. The leather jacket. The model looks. Gerald Gillum doesn't look like a rapper, and down the phone from Seattle he doesn't sound like one either.

"When I meet people for the first time, they think I play in some indie band, with my tight black jeans and leather jacket," he chuckles.

"I wear the clothes I like to wear, and I make the music I like to make."

That attitude has seen Gillum labelled the "James Dean of hip-hop" and his lanky frame and chiselled looks have helped him land modelling contracts, including with premium US fashion label William Rast.

But behind the moody black and white press snaps, Gillum admits there's been plenty of hard work to get to where he is today.

Last year's acclaimed debut These Things Happen - a masterclass of slurred Bay area beats, Gillum's laidback but studious flow, and guest spots including Gillum's childhood hero E-40 - comes after years of what he calls "building the foundations".

That includes hustling early mixtapes to strangers in Los Angeles and skipping college parties in New Orleans to annoy his neighbours by honing his rapping and producing skills.

"I basically spent all my time in my dorm room where my studio was set up, writing and recording music and putting out mix tapes," he says.

"I'd go to class when I had to and I did enough to pass but I spent all my time with my door locked, just working.

"I had neighbours who'd pound on the wall and tell me to turn it down. I can imagine I was a pretty obnoxious neighbour to live next to, but that's where I was putting in my ground work.

"I knew it wouldn't happen overnight and it was going to take years of work to get where I wanted to be."

It seems to have paid off: These Things Happen debuted at No3 in the US and has sold more than 130,000 copies. As a result, he was on tour most of last year, a trend continuing with his first New Zealand show planned next Wednesday.

He's taken his work ethic on the road, working during the day in a studio on his tour bus, then getting into "party mode" for his shows by drinking whisky.

But he admits his success came just at the right time: Gillum believed in These Things Happen so much he took a gamble and sold nearly everything he owned just before its release.

"I just committed," he says. "I got rid of my apartment, I sold all my stuff, I stripped my whole life down to a suitcase full of clothes and my laptop and microphone. I put the album first and gave it 100 per cent of my energy and attention. That stuff didn't matter, it was a distraction."

And although he's happy to have reached the level he has, he believes he has a long way yet togo.

"As much as it feels like it's all coming together now, after all these years of preparation, last year was my first of playing in the major league. It's just starting. This is where it gets fun."

In other words, G-Eazy might look like a rebel, but he's one that comes with a cause.

Who: G-Eazy
Where and when: The Studio, February 11
Also: Third album These Things Happen, out now

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