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This week, Capella Grey - one of New York City’s most exciting and unique stars-in-the-making - released the highly anticipated music video for “Gyalis”, the unlikely smash hit that caught fire this summer and landed on the Billboard Hot 100 (currently at #71 and climbing).
Uptown, NYC’s newest rising star brought the whole city out to shoot the music video for his unprecedented breakout hit and undeniable Song of the Summer, “Gyalis”. After much anticipation, and a small stutter step in its release, Capella delivered a fun, well-executed music video with hundreds and hundreds of extras - perfectly matching the frenzy surrounding this song. The video was shot in Capella’s Uptown stomping grounds the 241 St Station, a well-known Bronx landmark. During the video, we see Capella directing traffic, celebrating his newfound notoriety, and wading through a sea of excited fans, supporters… and gyals.
Even after the stutter step in the video’s release, it ran the numbers right back up - RE-hitting 1 million views in just 1 day.
The song itself is an incredibly catchy, hook-less, self-produced West Indian flip of an iconic sample that sounded like the Song of the Summer from the first listen. Between the classic sample, effortless bars, and infectious Caribbean-by-way-of-Uptown swag, “Gyalis” is already a must play at any summer gathering. Already sporting countless celebrity cosigns, Billboard Hot 100 entries, over 11M Spotify Streams, remixes from A Boogie, Kranium (and literally everyone), and becoming one of the most Shazam’ed tracks of the last 4 months - it’s safe to say that Capella Grey has got one.
What “Gyalis” lacks in a hook, verse, bridge, or really any traditional structure of any kind - it makes up for in sheer confidence, originality, and undeniable star power. The summer smash is built around the instantly recognizable, beloved sample from Juvenile’s, Mannie Fresh-produced 1999 classic hit “Back That Azz Up” - and famously reinvigorated by Drake’s slowed-down sampling of the song’s classic production on his 2011 fan favorite, “Practice” with an R&B feel. Another 10 years later, Capella Grey has done it again with “Gyalis” - combining his effortless flow, relatable (and at times, savage) songwriting, and intricate NYC-Caribbean hybrid lingo to create an instant classic that feels both familiar and incredibly fresh at the same time.
Capella’s seamless, Bronx-native usage of NY lingo (see: “clipped”, ”jack”, “dragging it” and so many more) combined with his Caribbean roots not only oozes confidence, but feels incredibly relatable and down to earth - despite his outrageous antics. “Gyalis” is a Jamaican/West Indian term for player/ladies’ man/etc. - although you could probably guess that from the song’s lyrics outlining Capella’s struggle to keep the dates, schedules, and even names of the ladies in his life straight. This theme is echoed in the track’s unofficial cover art which depicts every 00’s Nickelodeon kid’s favorite cartoon heartthrob, Chip Skylark (from The Fairly Odd Parents).
As if Capella’s performance wasn’t enough, you’ll be even more impressed to learn that he produced the record himself - making him a triple threat: artist, songwriter, and producer. As he mentioned on Power 105.1’s On The Radar with Gabe, Capella not only produces many of his own beats, including “Gyalis” - he’s been an active songwriter for a while now and has already been the architect behind a few bangers that people would recognize - although for now is keeping quiet on exactly what he’s had his hand in. Not to mention that the iconic Juvenile sample is notoriously hard-to-get, and only adds to the mystery surrounding the young songwriter-turned-artist.
What is known about the mysterious Capella Grey is that he has been a seasoned songwriter, producer, and creative for years, but hadn’t really dedicated himself fully to being an artist behind the mic until quarantine in 2020. His refreshing, smooth sound started catching eyes with the projects Yea Nah I’m Out and QuaranTape Vibe 1 - where you can hear the development of his confident sound and relationship-driven subject matter on tracks like “Dashout” ‘Boffum” and “Breathe (NFS)” - the latter featuring the hard-to-forget “Oh my god, you’re so annoying” hook. In 2021, he also dropped very well executed singles in “SAS Crise” and “ONE More Chance”.
Going forward, the sky is the limit for Capella Grey. He’s already dropped several promising snippets of unreleased songs that have the hard job of following up “Gyalis” - but if anyone can achieve the impossible it’s the Uptown dread head who’s already done it twice.
Watch the highly anticipated music video for what is easily the Song of the Summer, Capella Grey’s “Gyalis” below.
