g-eazy and blackbear collab hate the way
[Photo by: Dan Prakopcyk]

Here’s how Warped Tour led to G-Eazy and blackbear’s “Hate The Way”

Longtime friends and collaborators G-Eazy and blackbear have teamed up for the new single “Hate The Way.” 

Along with the release of a cinematic video for the song, the duo has also revealed how they met on Warped Tour back in 2012.

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G-Eazy and blackbear are no strangers to collaborating with each other. The duo have joined forces for various songs over the years. In 2014, they dropped “Remember You,” off of G-Eazy’s These Things Happen. G-Eazy is also featured on “90210” which appears on blackbear’s 2015 album deadroses.

Now, blackbear and G-Eazy have released their new collaboration “Hate The Way.” Due to coronavirus quarantine, the duo was unable to record the new track together. However, they tell E! that their chemistry and past work made them want to record the new song anyway.

“Because there’s a history and a creative chemistry we already share,” G-Eazy shares. “But more than that, it’s just always fun to work with your homies and share experiences like this through songs.”

“Hate The Way” includes some personal lyrics for both blackbear and G-Eazy and also some popular culture references including Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love. Although G-Eazy tells Entertainment Tonight that he tries to make his music not “too autobiographical,” it is still an outlet for him to express his thoughts and experiences.

“I’ve experienced love in my life,” he shares. “I’ve experienced heartbreak in my life and caused heartbreak in my life and received heartbreak in my life. The power of music is to express and capture the human experience. We live and we experience things. Music for us is an outlet, a way to channel the things we go through and put into a tangible forum.”

Along with releasing “Hate The Way,” which blackbear shares took “two to three hours” to make, the duo also revealed how they met on Vans Warped Tour. G-Eazy performed on the tour in 2012 where the artists eventually ended up crossing paths. 

After becoming fast friends that summer, the two ended up working together on G-Eazy’s major label debut These Things Happen. blackbear produced the album’s title track and their collaboration “Remember You.”

“It was on one of the first tours I ever went on,” he says. “It was Vans Warped Tour, like nine years ago, I think. We met backstage and just clicked. Then, after that, we worked together on my first album.”

As for blackbear, he shares that he had a very wrong first impression of G-Eazy when they met.

“I was visiting friends on Warped Tour and ran into G,” he says. “This is almost 10 years ago. And I remember being skeptical, like, ‘You’re a handsome rapper? You can’t be that good…’ And, man, was I wrong.”

G-Eazy and blackbear will be performing “Hate The Way” together during blackbear’s upcoming virtual concert. The livestream begins Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. PT/ 9 p.m. ET and blackbear is taking over the iconic The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles. Tickets for the event are available here.

As well, the duo has unveiled a cinematic video for the new single that took three days to shoot. Directed by Kat Webber, The Florida Project actress Bria Vinaite appears alongside G-Eazy and blackbear.

“Hate The Way” gives fans a taste of G-Eazy’s highly-anticipated studio album These Things Happen Too which is due out soon.

Fans can also generate their own Polaroid-themed image inspired by the track at hatethewayimiss.com. Stream “Hate The Way” below. 

What are your thoughts on blackbear and G-Eazy’s new collaboration? Let us know in the comments below.