You can call him Vision, Sivion, or Freeze Master G. Well, maybe not the last one. But, whatever you call him, Gary “Sivion” Watson is just a man. Working a nine-to-five, an avid college football fan (University of Miami is his team), and a husband and father of two, he throws a little rap on the side when he finds the time.
Making the two-hour commute from work back to his Dallas, TX home, Sivion took the opportunity to dialogue with Manhunt.com about his life, his latest project, Spring of the Songbird, and some words of love for Diddy.
Sivion is a man of many trades and talents. From writing rhymes and producing beats, to working a full-time job and being a full-time family man, to ministering to the masses though music, the rapper dabbles in a little of everything in his surprisingly-normal life.
As a consultant for a medical staffing company, Sivion said it is one of the best jobs he has ever had. “I can make some money and still have fun and spread the truth,” he said. “I got a job that pays the bills, and I got enough time to do shows.” A self-proclaimed family man, touring and performing would not fit in with his schedule on a regular basis.
Like any other human being, Sivion is not exempt from the hand of the Lord either. The Texan said that God continues to show him new things through his music and his life. “Just be patient and watch,” Sivion said God has told him. “All these things are happening because God is having me do things that I never would have thought.”
The Hip-Hip business is full of glamour, excessive wealth, and often a disconnect from reality. Sivion’s brand of Hip-Hop takes a slightly different path, with down-to-earth, positive rhymes about relationships, God and the rap business that are refreshing to the music fan longing for the days when lyrics had substance and thought.
His sophomore project Spring of the Songbird is a continuation of the experimentation Sivion expressed in his solo-debut Mood Enhancement. Unlike Mood Enhancement, where he played both roles of producer and emcee, he put his latest project entirely into the hands of producers living in completely different time zones. The rapper is pleased with the final product, giving the credit to a higher power than himself.
“For this guy to do what he did as a mixer was from God,” Sivion said about his mixer, K IV, on Spring of the Songbird.
Taking the beats recorded in other various locations by a myriad of producers including Ohmega Watts, Tony Stone and Dert, Sivion laid down his vocals in a Texas studio and sent them out to be mastered. While a risky undertaking for any artist, Sivion saw this as an opportunity to focus on other gifts.
“Not having any hand in the production, that way people can take a hold of me as an emcee,” he said. “It gave me the chance to focus only on lyrics.”
For fans of both rappers, Sivion’s collaboration with Othello on the track “Let Go” seems like a no-brainer. Unbeknownst to both emcees, a mutual admiration existed for the others work. This song became a theme of sorts for Siv throughout this piece.
“It became a driving force,” Sivion said about the appropriately-titled track, which he said applied to his life, his music and this project. The process of letting go of control and becoming what he described as more vulnerable became necessary as he left the work of producing, mixing and mastering to everyone but himself. The final outcome is a testimony of the power of letting God take control of not only this project, but life in general.
In a dialogue on Hip-Hop, the rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs’ name is almost inevitable. Just a man like himself, Sivion sees big things for Diddy in the Kingdom of God.
“He is in a powerful position, and I truly believe God put him there for a reason,” Sivion said about the Bad Boy Entertainment CEO. “Only [God’s] sheep hear him. Those cats are hearing His voice, and they’re supposed to be working for the Kingdom.”
He compares Diddy to Paul in the Bible, where the conversion of the prominent religious leader to a zealous follower of Christ resulted in a major portion of the New Testament being written and an example for people even today of a life committed to the Lord.
“When he does come around it’s going to be a glorious thing,” Sivion said.
Dialoguing with the man who goes by the name of Sivion makes it apparent where the inspiration for his Spirit-soaked raps originates. No fronts, no image to bust through or false pretenses, Sivion opens his heart in his lyrics and beats by a gift from God to communicate with the listener through encouragement and by pointing to one direction: Christ. The man can hang with any rapper in today’s music scene, but do not expect him to blend in with the crowd when it comes to content and style of his music, or his philosophies on God, life, and rap. Call him what your like, but call him a man whose life is given to glory of God.
More about Sivion: http://www.sivion.net