Jahkiem's Journey of "Growth And Stability"
There’s a long list of ways the pandemic has hurt artists and damaged the music scene, but it’s also sparked a renaissance of creativity and urged people to think about their art in a different way. This is one of the motivations behind Athens rapper Jahkiem Ellison launching his clothing brand Growth And Stability (G.A.S.) this past February.
With the idea of “G.A.S.” starting as goofing off in the studio with friends, Jahkiem pieced together the acronym behind it at the end of 2019. Deciding how to make it marketable and relatable, he put the name to merchandise for men and women as COVID hit.
“I know shows were stopping and a lot of things were slowing down, and this is when I was trying to figure out how to provide for myself as an artist. I know that a lot of money is through merch and shows, and I feel like COVID kind of helped me realize that. I didn't really just want to sell shirts with pictures of me on there - there’s nothing wrong with that, but I was like you know what, I should start with G.A.S. It’s meant to be,” said Jahkiem.
More than a brand, G.A.S. is a message that reflects Jahkiem’s own journey to grow and find stability mentally, physically, spiritually, and financially. The mission behind the brand is to promote being the best version of yourself and relating to others on this same journey. In his personal life, Jahkiem has been working to better his mental and physical health after dealing with depression and finding out he has high cholesterol. The extent of this influence is seen in his music as well.
“I’ve been working on an album called A Beautiful Thing, and that title has a whole message behind it,” said Jahkiem. “I feel like I deal with depression, and I feel like I express that on this album. It felt good just being able to say it and feel comfortable to say it. I feel kind of special about this one because I’ve been working on it at the same time I’ve been working on the merchandise.”
Dropping May 2nd on all platforms, A Beautiful Thing is the first album that Jahkiem has worked on alongside another project. Both the album and G.A.S. radiate a refreshing amount of positivity. Jahkiem elaborates on what the spiritual and financial aspects of G.A.S. mean to him to round out good overall health.
“At one point I felt like I was praying for things but my prayers weren’t being answered. I didn’t really feel like there was a God or, if there was, he wasn’t listening to my prayers. Now I feel like I’m on the path where I do believe in God and had to realize the things that I was praying for at that time, I feel like I wasn’t ready to receive the blessings. Some of the stuff that I prayed for is starting to come back around to fruition. That’s a big part of life. It’s building a relationship with whatever you believe in,” said Jahkiem. “I put financially last out of all four because I feel like once you put the other three together, financially it’ll come together as well. Once you figure out how to become stable mentally, physically, and spiritually it’ll trickle down. At least that’s my experience so far.”
Visit Growth And Stability to empower yourself, and follow the brand on Facebook and Instagram.
Follow Jahkiem on Instagram for updates on A Beautiful Thing.