Tag: Gaspari

  • ALBUM REVIEW: Gaspari – GAS STATION

    ALBUM REVIEW: Gaspari – GAS STATION

    Written by Paolo Elwick

    After a standout 2025 filled with hits like “KODAK BLU” and “SO DIZZY,” Greenhouse Records’ rapper-producer Gaspari entered 2026 with just as much vigor by enlisting O-SIDE Mafia star Costa Cashman for the energetic single “I BE LIKE (DIFG).” But every hot streak eventually begs the question: how much gas does he have left in the tank? 

    If debut album ‘GAS STATION’ is anything to go by, Gaspari seems to have come prepared with a full tank — and maybe enough fuel to actually go the distance. And he wastes no time proving just that. 

    From the very first track, “GUDSHIT,” Gaspari puts his foot on the gas, kicking the album into overdrive with an adrenaline-inducing track bolstered by a barrage of drums, keys in the background, the occasional sound effect, and of course the voices and flows of SCOOP DOGG, HELLMERY, and Gat Puch. “DUMB & DUMBER” with Sica, however, shifts gears with an unexpected beat switch that trades a whistle-assisted instrumental for a more aggressive, almost menacing, combo of kicks, snares, and hi-hats. Then there’s “COUNT 2 10” with HELLMERRY, a raunchy and frustratingly witty track built on the premise of counting to ten before eventually counting back down to one. While it’s HELLMERY who delivers the eventual title drop, Gaspari’s verse has no shortage of simple but enjoyable punchlines like “Eight, para kang dinibdiban ng ape” or “Three, bayaran mo aking talent fee / ‘Lam mo naka killing spree / Suntok ko nalang yung free.” He even gets to shout out his signature 777 with  “777, sabi nga nila ay living legend.”

    But even the smoothest rides are bound to run into a few bumps along the way. While Gaspari is clearly capable of carrying a track on his own, he often sounds at his best when bouncing off a feature or when collaborators are given the green light to bring a much-needed change of pace in delivery, flow, and overall texture. That’s not necessarily a bad thing — knowing how to work with other artists and bringing the best out of each other is a skill in itself. It’s just that, by comparison, solo tracks like “AIN’T WORRIED” and “VIBES GAG*” can feel, at best, underwhelming and, at worst, forgettable when that extra dynamic isn’t there.

    It’s fitting, then, that the album closes with another collaboration. The “I BE LIKE (MECHA KIMOCHI)” remix brings together Japanese emcees MIKADO, T.i.G skysea, and HARKA, to help give Gaspari one last turbocharged chance to step on the gas — and that’s exactly what he does. Their infectious energy and contrasting styles make for a lively finale, sending ‘GAS STATION’ across the finish line with a well-deserved bang.

    Despite its occasional missteps and slow stretches, ‘GAS STATION’ still makes it clear that Gaspari is heading in the right direction. Albeit his best moments come when he’s surrounded by artists who match his energy and push him into different pockets, those very same moments also show just how much potential he actually has to build on. So what else is there to say? There’s plenty left in the tank; the engine is already roaring, and as long as he keeps those wheels of his spinning, then there’s no reason to think that he’ll be slowing down anytime soon.

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  • TRACK REVIEW: Gaspari – KODAK BLU

    TRACK REVIEW: Gaspari – KODAK BLU

    Written by Lex Celera

    Gaspari, (also known as Gaspari 777) of Greenhouse Records has quietly become the go-to producer for GHR artists like Sica, SUPAFLY, and Gat Putch, while also gaining traction in wider hip-hop circles through collaborations with NIO, Yuridope, and Lexus.

    In a 2023 event to promote their upcoming album, Lexus of OWFUCK, hands on his chest, proclaimed Gaspari as one of his top music producers of choice: Then a relative unknown, he produced several track in the rap group’s EP ACIDIC, including the eponymous lead single. By 2024, Gaspari’s name carried more weight, most notably in Gat Putch’s “Crazy” featuring Sica, of which he has production, mixing, and mastering credits. 

    Gaspari’s increased visibility wasn’t as much of a meteoric rise as it was a silent encroachment, racking up credits in some of Philippine hip-hop’s brightest and loudest in the past few years. Upon looking at his discography pre-Greenhouse Records, the Filipino-Italian producer began his career as a rapper as well, with one of his singles from this previous era still publicly available on his YouTube channel. It’s unclear which of the two came first, but 2025 marked his resurgence as a listed emcee with SUPAFLY’s “Puff Me Up,” Buddahbeads’ “Rollin,” and two of Gaspari’s own “BLOCKA FREESTYLE.” This resurgence pushed Gaspari into the limelight, and with it, a unique style that has become emblematic of his recent work: Punchy delivery and simple, catchy rhyme drowned out in a drowsy, effervescent voice. 

    Out of his current discography, Gaspari shines the most in his solo track “KODAK BLU.” Twinkling piano-like melodies layered on a sparse production of synths, 808s, and percussion form a tantalizing instrumental where Gaspari’s viscous flow sticks out. The repetition of the already catchy hook allows “KODAK BLU” to borrow not just from the contemporary hip-hop playbook but also from the so-called algorithm-latching habits of music today. 

    The same delivery, themes, and lyrics can be seen in his short recent discography; Beyond changes in beats and collaborators, his music struggles to offer variety. Maybe it is the hip-hop artist’s role to create and release permutations of its best qualities to see what sticks, and then abide by it until it wears itself off. By these ends, “KODAK BLU” emerges as the stickiest and most compelling out of Gaspari’s recent verses.

    But what’s most interesting about “KODAK BLU” is its title: a nod to Atlanta rapper Kodak Black. In mentioning his name in the title, Gaspari drives the connection between his own body of work and Kodak Black’s apparent. “KODAK BLU” is not an attempt to adapt Kodak Black’s persona to tell a story. There are kernels within the formula he works with that can feel uniquely his, especially as he tries out different flows in the second verse.

    Is Gaspari innovating or just borrowing? Both can be true. Hip-hop has always been a genre that thrives on its references, either through interpolation, sampling, or borrowing lines. And if Cardi B can make “No Flockin” into her very own “Bodak Yellow,” there’s space for Gaspari to conjure up the same formula and make it his own. Time will tell if he will wear out his welcome under the trappings he has made for himself in past months. “KODAK BLU,” meanwhile, is his foot in the door to possibly bigger and greater things – granted that he choose to mutate, instead of just permutate.

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