Gyalis

Album: single release only (2021)
Charted: 65 38
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Capella Grey is a Bronx rapper and singer of Jamaican heritage. After becoming a local hit in New York City, "Gyalis" earned Grey a deal with Capitol Records. With a major label behind it, the track gained traction throughout the rest of the US, giving him his first Hot 100 hit.
  • A "Gyalis" is a Jamaican term for a womanizer or playa. During this debaucherous but lighthearted track, Grey explains why ladies like to be around him despite his promiscuous ways.
  • Capella Grey produced the track himself, building it around an edited sample of Juvenile's 1999 hit "Back That Azz Up." The Bronx artist blends the New Orleans twerk anthem with his own crooning and dancehall rapping.
  • The song is a collection of different moments with no specific structure. Grey explained to Billboard that when he makes music, he produces like a DJ. "Some people's favorite part is the two and a half bars where I was rapping," he said. "Then it switched into this Caribbean vibe. The lingo switches to whatever. It just sounds like uptown. There are no rules to it. "

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")Song Writing

Director Mark Pellington on Pearl Jam's "Jeremy," and music videos he made for U2, Jon Bon Jovi and Imagine Dragons.

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions Answered

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & PalmerSongwriter Interviews

Greg talks about writing songs of "universal truth" for King Crimson and ELP, and tells us about his most memorable stage moment (it involves fireworks).

Paul Williams

Paul WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

He's a singer and an actor, but as a songwriter Paul helped make Kermit a cultured frog, turned a bank commercial into a huge hit and made love both "exciting and new" and "soft as an easy chair."

Harry Wayne Casey of KC and The Sunshine Band

Harry Wayne Casey of KC and The Sunshine BandSongwriter Interviews

Harry Wayne Casey tells the stories behind KC and The Sunshine Band hits like "Get Down Tonight," "That's The Way (I Like It)," and "Give It Up."

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And Hell

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And HellSongwriter Interviews

Guitarist Tony Iommi on the "Iron Man" riff, the definitive Black Sabbath song, and how Ozzy and Dio compared as songwriters.