Check Out Brandon Long’s Story

My love for music started at a very early age. On any given day, I could hear blues and jazz from my dad, R&B from my mom, and hip-hop/rap from a brother eleven years older. My affinity for wordplay and vocabulary started early also, by the time I was in 5th grade, I was already reading on a high school level. My mother was also a secretary for many years, so daily correcting of my grammar just in conversation and spelling around the house was normal.

My father was the head bird trainer at Grant’s Farm. Daily he would do the “bird show” which was an educational and entertaining 45-minute show where my father would give the crowd information on each bird; the climate they are normally found, colors you normally see that type of bird in, any special characteristics of the species and then he would perform tricks with the birds. Tricks he himself taught the birds to perform.

One trick may be the bird sitting on his shoulder, he throws a peanut into the air and the bird takes off in flight snatching the peanut out of the air and circling around to land on the opposite shoulder. Things like this would “wow” an audience of kids and adults alike. I grew up watching my dad perform in a sense, for 45 minutes he was on a “stage”.

As a kid, even I was impressed with how one man could control an audience of so many, how he could entertain every set of eyes in the crowd and be the person that delivers something they may have never seen before, and possibly may never see again.

My mother; the secretary with an extensive vocabulary and a stickler for correct grammar, combined with my father; the performer, the entertainer. That equals me… Brandon Long, but you can call me GHO$Tx314, most people do.

Hell no lol This has been a rocky, bumpy JOURNEY, nothing smooth about it lol. I’ve been doing this a long time, so I’m far from a rookie with this. I started out rapping at school during lunch, then house parties, then school talent shows, then in the neighborhood. That love for it and early indicators that I was pretty good at it was growing.

By 14-15, I was skipping school to sell mixtapes on the corner of West Florissant and Lucas/Hunt, the cops used to chase me off the corner because I didn’t have a “peddler’s license”. I ain’t care about a license to sell my CDs, I’m a kid at the time really, hungry, hard-headed, and stubborn, but I could rap. All I cared about was getting my music heard and becoming famous.

As my mixtapes grew, I also started growing in the freestyle battle world and I frequented the HI-POINT café often. Mixtapes grew more, my popularity grew more, and my music catalog was starting to grow as well. I met a woman named GODIVA who had an AM radio show at the time, and she thought I was a dope artist so she took me under her wing as an artist and I would shadow her when she would do the radio show.

After a couple of weeks, I guess my natural personality, she was just like “GHOST, you wanna give the people a lil’ somethin’ to listen to?” So I stepped to the mic with no hesitation and rapped. From then on, I was her co-host. I started learning some small ins and outs of radio, and how I could apply that to being a rapper.

I’ve had numerous songs on the radio some kind of way throughout my career, maybe 12-15 songs total. Whether it be a DJ outright playing it, a mix DJ mixing it in, an intro for a DJ, etc, they got played.

People that know me, know I was incarcerated for quite some time. Those that don’t know me; this is part of who I am, what helped shape, mold, and polish me. That time frame was the toughest stretch of this journey so far, with so many thoughts about music when I got released. Will I be able to jump-start things? Will there be people around to help? What if I can’t do it?

In the middle of all the chaos going on, music, the ability to write and compose words never left. I locked in, I honed in, I sharpened my skills in prison talent shows and music events. I paid more attention to my stage performances and used the prison shows as practice in front of the most unforgiving of crowds and spectators lol.

I devised a plan; who I was going to contact, how I was going to start getting noticed, the kind of songs I would make, and how I planned to push them out. So when I got out, I had to start executing. You can have a BRILLIANT plan, a genius plan, but you got to execute that plan or at least attempt to execute the plan. I’m “sticking to the script”.

I set what I think are realistic goals for myself and one “off the wall” goal every three months, and I do my best to achieve them. I usually fall short on the “off the wall” goal lol, but the goals that are more consistent and keep the ball rolling are the ones I take pride in.

People are also different; everybody moves the way they like to move. I only align myself with certain people because I’m conscious of the fact that the wrong people, vibes, energy, or spirits around can block your blessings or bring darkness where it shouldn’t be. It’s people that scam and hustle on this music stuff taking advantage of inexperienced artists or just artists who don’t know any aspect of the business. That happens ALOT, so you got to really watch that too.

I pray daily, I meditate daily and I grind daily with just a lil’ more gusto than the day before lol. I don’t hate on other artists, I pop my shit when I need to and each show I try to make better than the one before it. As an artist on the grind, you hit a certain “rhythm”, it’s like you clicking on all cylinders. When you hit a pocket like that it’s smooth for the most part, you just do your best to find them smooth parts.

I am an artist, a creator, a strategist, a writer, an author, a performer, an entertainer. GHO$Tx314 is all these things and more. Some may say my specialty is music, I’m known to be a lyricist and wordsmith, I spit bars!! Right now my single “Work” is going crazy so I’m kind of known for that at the moment too lol. I’m known to be a grinder, a hustler, I get after this rap shit point blank period.

I’m most proud of my grind itself; the way I grind. I get it out of the mud simple and plain. I don’t have a “team” I don’t have investors, just a bunch of mental chess moves, networking, phone calls, and emails. I DO have a bunch of people that love me, want me to win, and want the best for me though, so to me, that trumps a lot of other things. I’m known for never quitting, going hard, staying focused, disciplined, and on point. I’m known for being about my business with this rap. Now I’ll be known for the VOYAGES STL interview lol.

A few things that set me apart from other artists is my content first off. Certain things I won’t rap about because I’ve done them in real life, and I’m more than creative enough to come with stuff other than killing, dope dealing, gang shit, etc. I rather make people dance, and feel good. I talk my shit and tell my story but also under MY objective which is to be a mainstream entertainer, so I also want to make music that can be for lack of a better term “accepted”.

I’ve heard my voice itself also sets me apart and my adlibs. I have a tagline that’s kind of like a growl “UuuGggHhh” lol, so when people hear that they know it’s me lol. My level of discipline, outside box thinking help set me apart also.

I spent almost 10 years in prison in Kansas for armed robbery and kidnapping. Although I was never a true menace to society, I played in the streets. That ended me in a Kansas prison, I was released on Feb. 26, 2019… so this Feb that just passed, I literally celebrated 3 years free. Part of my story that I inspire people at least what I’m told often, is where I came from with this music and what I’ve done in a fairly short time.

People know me to GRIND, and to know I do that grind and I was just sitting in a cell not long ago is big. I came home, used extreme discipline, focus, and ability to adapt to get life back on track, and music. It so happens to be working. Since I’ve been home it’s music, movies, family, my city (further evidenced by a cardinal bird and 314 haircuts), the kids in the hood that got a shot to get out.

I’ve been in a movie called MIC CHECK, it’s on YouTube now, and talks with ROKU are in the mix, it premiered at the galleria mall.

I wrote two books while away called GOOD INTENTIONS and I’m currently working with a local publisher and fellow writer H.D. Campbell to get the books in print and circulation. I’ve had several songs on the radio lately, most recently was the intro for DJ krisstyle at HOT104.

My single WORK is going crazy in clubs and streets, I have just been added to BADASS SAVAGE LIFE 2 mixtape with Boosie and Webbie with a different song called “OKAY?!” And the legendary DJ SNO is working on a mixtape now called COLD BOY WINTER that I’m also a part of.

I believe the music industry is going to come full circle.

Music is part of an overall culture that constantly has new trends, fashion, and sounds. Lyricists are coming back around, mumble rappers are all but gone, but at one point “mumble rap” was a thing.

I think far as music, true lyrics, real wordplay, metaphors, and the TECHNICAL part of rap is coming back. People who are considered lyricists are going to thrive. I will be one of the artists in that grouping, my time is coming.