West Orange, NJ emcee, GDP has been forging his own territory in the hip hop landscape over the past several years.  Developing his own unique voice, he has collaborated and/or toured with such notable hip hop luminaries as Young Zee, Tame One, Hot Sugar, Reef The Lost Cauze, RZA and Wu-Tang Clan.  At the same time he has kept to his punk roots playing shows with and earning the respect of such groups as Trap Them, Loma Prieta and Skeletonwitch.
GDP is set to return this month with a new EP, Holla, with musical accompaniment from The Wrong Address. Taking a step back from the pulsing, futuristic grime of 2011’s LP, Useless Eaters (Run For Cover Records) Holla is a contemplative,break-up album of jazzy samples and cinematic, orchestral interludes.  Peppered with his signature barbed couplets and brash, vulgar sex-and-drugs vignettes, Holla plays as a stream of consciousness running through the loneliness one feels in the absence of another.   
Ghettoblaster caught up with GDP to discuss the record, which drops via Run For Cover, before he kicked off a run of shows.  This is what he said about it…
When did you begin writing the material for your most recent EP?  
Two years ago, me and The Wrong Address started hanging out a bunch and listening to some beats he was working on at the time. This record took a while to come to fruition due to conflicting schedules and what not, but things happen for a reason. 
 
What was the most difficult song to take from the initial writing stage through recording and mixing?  Why was it so troublesome?
The writing process was pretty painless actually. The beats set such a dynamic tone that the songs just kind of wrote themselves. I mixed the record with my good pal Daniel Schlett at Strange Weather Studios who I’ve been working with for years so that was no frills either. Holla was a rather enjoyable experience despite how cloudy some of the subject matter is. 
Which of the songs on the record is most different from your original concept for the song?
“Friends that Fuck” for sure. It’s actually about one person, but I realize the song title and lyrics can easily be misconstrued and I like that. A double meaning is never enough.
Did you have any guest musicians play or sing on the record?
My good friend and old roommate Peschi (aka Jimmy Frankenstein) drank a bottle of Jameson and rambled off some really excellent shit on “The Art of Blowing Glass vs. The Act of Breaking It”. Wiccaphase (aka Adam Mcilwee from Tigers Jaw) sang on “Mascara” and killed it. I’ll be recording his new project this September at my studio in Brooklyn. 
 
Who produced the record?  What input did that person have that changed the face of the record?
Holla was produced solely by The Wrong Address and safe to say this record would not have happened if not for him. I didn’t have much input in his production because by the time the beats got to me I was totally satisfied with them. 
Is there an overarching concept behind your new album that ties the record together?
I think the last song “Placeholder” ties the album together about as thoroughly as I could hope to. My buddy Alan Lapointe shot a video for the song last week and it should be on the internet any day now.  
 
Have you begun playing these songs live and which songs have elicited the strongest reaction from your fans?
I haven’t played any of these songs live yet. This release is a step away (temporary step away I assure you) from my previous work so I wanted to wait ‘til it was out for a few weeks before I start playing it live. The Wrong Address and I will perform Holla live front to back for the first time this Saturday followed by a string of a dozen shows where we’ll be playing the whole record so I’ll let you know!
(Catch GDP and The Wrong Address at the following dates:
8/3 Montclair, NJ @ The Meatlocker  w/ Pistol and Incendiary 
8/6 Altoona, PA @ TBA
8/7 Pittsburgh, PA @ Garfield Art Works
8/9 Lansing, MI @ Mac’s Bar
8/10 Toronto, ON @ TBA
8/14 West Haven, CT @ Crunch House
8/15 Pittsfield, MA @ Chameleons Night Club
8/16 Providence, RI @ McNeils
8/17 Boston, MA @ The Massasoit Elks Lodge
8/21 Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
8/23 Brooklyn, NY @ Silent Barn
8/24 Henderson, NY @ Fishing and Games Club)