COLOSSIUM: You worked with
Damian Marley
COMMISSIONER GORDON:
Yeah, I worked with him in
the past. We worked on the
Welcome to Jamrock album. I
met him through Lauryn.
CLS: You worked with Lauryn
Hill as well?
CG: Yeah, on her Miseducation
album.
CLS: How was the experience
working with her?
CG: It was crazy…that’s all I
have to say.
CLS: You have a list of
legends in your portfolio…
you’ve worked with Quincy
Jones, Diana Ross…
CG: Here’s what’s
interesting…I will say I have
about 3 different lifetimes. I
think I’m getting ready to start
my fourth one. It’s like time
period where there is a whole
bunch of artistes in the period
I will never get to work with
again but during that time
period it was almost like a life
in itself…like the Diana Ross
and the Baby Face time. By the
time we got to like; Will Smith
then it’s a whole different set
of artistes…we have Nas and
KRS-One…then that time also
passed. Then we have a whole
different time again with
Amy Winehouse and that’s
like a different Jazz sound. It’s
interesting when I look back.
It feels like just yesterday but
also a long time too.
CLS: And you started off as a
DJ?
CG: Yeah
50 | Colossium . September 2019
CLS: Tell me about that
CG: I was about 17 when I
started off as a DJ and it was
a different set of people and
experiences then too. I’m just
grateful I’m still relevant and
able to do music.
CLS: Tell me about the time
KRS One named you the
“Commissioner”
CG: I worked with him and
his crew back in the days.
I grew up in Bronx and we
related to each other because
we kind of grew up doing the
same thing. I never liked the
“Commissioner” thing because
it’s like an old white man’s
name. But now I have a new
name…
CLS: What’s that?
CG: Kofi!
CLS: Interesting. You’re a
Friday born. Who gave that to
you?
CG: A friend of the family.
I actually didn’t know that
there’s a name for the day one
is born.
CLS: Have you done your
ancestor tracing too?
CG: No, I haven’t. I don’t
know if I believe those things.
Spiritually I think I know
where I’m from.
CLS: Where do you think
you’re from, Ghana or Nigeria?
CG: Hahaha I don’t want to
start any troubles between
these beautiful countries.
I think I’m somewhere in
between, I feel it.
CLS: Let’s talk about Motown.
CG: Ok, Motown Records was
my first and major record
deal. At that time I was an
artiste. I actually started from
a group; I never wanted to do
it but I ended up in it. What
happened was, my partner
and I produced a song and we
wanted it out there but the
guy at that time who owned
a record label and could push
us got us performing the song
as a group. I was 17 at that
time. We did the song and
it became a hit. The group
ended up splitting apart, I got
a production deal at Motown
and the other two guys got a
deal somewhere else.
CLS: Tell me about you leaving
university to study at a media
school.
CG: That was before my deal
at Motown Records. The
school was for recording so I
left university to attend that
school.
CLS: Why did you leave
university to that school?
CG: From childhood, I have
always believed I will do
music. So when I found out
about that school, I thought
that’s where my path lies. Back
then it was the first school
that offered that engineering
program and one of the guys
who was in the same group
with me had graduated from
that school so he told me about
it.
CLS: How was growing up
for you back in the days like
amidst all the shooting that
was going on?
CG: Bronx at that time was
probably like any other inner