With swagger, soul, and adrenaline to spare, Gabriel Jacoby delivers an unforgettable introduction on ‘gutta child,’ an autobiographical debut EP that turns his Southern heritage, lived truth, and pure musical charisma into eight bold tracks bursting with heart, heat, and history. Here, he takes us track-by-track through the record, tracing how each song took shape and revealing the intentions, choices, and experiences that give ‘gutta child’ its unmistakable and irresistible pulse.

Stream: “gutta child” – Gabriel Jacoby

I’m not the bootleg version of any artist – I’m the first and only version of me.

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To be a gutta child is to come from the margins and carry that truth with pride – to be shaped by scarcity without being defined by it, to survive the hardest parts of your upbringing and still find room for love, levity, and hope.

27-year-old Gabriel Jacoby grew up in the ghettos of South Carolina and Tampa, in neighborhoods where struggle was woven into the fabric of everyday life, but so were community, creativity, and an unshakable sense of self. A gutta child is someone who’s seen the darkest corners and still chooses color; someone who turns hardship into heartbeat; someone who refuses to be a “bootleg” version of anything, because authenticity is the only currency they’ve ever had. It’s an identity built from family, from loss, from pride, from blues and funk and dirty-south storytelling, from the conviction that even if you come from the roughest place imaginable, you can still walk out shining. That’s the world Jacoby opens on his debut EP – bold, raw, alive, and unmistakably his.

Gabriel Jacoby steps into his debut with the kind of swagger you can’t fake – the kind that comes from knowing exactly who you are, where you’re from, and what it took to get here. gutta child is his origin story in motion, steeped in Florida heat and Southern grit, full of charm, bravado, and a voice that can shift from honeyed seduction to aching vulnerability in a heartbeat. It’s a record built on the tension between youthful bluster and emerging maturity, capturing a young man grounding himself in truth while refusing to be a “bootleg” version of anyone else. Jacoby isn’t borrowing from anyone’s legacy; he’s building his own – sturdy, soulful, and unmistakably his, brick by brick, beat by beat.

Released November 14, 2025 via PULSE Records, gutta child marks a defining moment in Gabriel Jacoby’s rise – the culmination of a decade spent sharpening his craft and shaping a sound that is as authentic and pure as it is entirely his own. A self-taught multi-instrumentalist from the American South (and recent Atwood Editor’s Pick), Jacoby writes, produces, records, mixes, and masters his own music, pulling from blues, funk, R&B, ‘dirty-south hip-hop,’ and the timeless storytelling he grew up around. His journey to this debut has been anything but linear – early SoundCloud traction, a harrowing stint behind bars, a steady run of singles, and a slow-burning grassroots following that has carried him from viral acoustic videos to opening slots for DWLLRS, Dizzy Fae, and most recently, Khamari’s To Dry a Tear tour. gutta child isn’t just the next chapter; it’s the first time Jacoby has been able to introduce himself entirely on his own terms – concept-first, story-driven, and rooted in the places and people that made him.

“For my first ever body of work, I wanted to introduce myself both with honesty and with sonics that felt like a refreshing culmination of the music I love,” Jacoby tells Atwood Magazine. “I always knew that whatever I would do, it was going to be purely me and my sound, so my real focus was putting the care into writing about such intimate and impactful moments of my life. The vision never really changed, it just grew stronger.”

For Jacoby, making gutta child meant stepping into his story with both intention and conviction.

He didn’t want a loose collection of ideas or a playlist of songs pieced together over time; he wanted a fully realized beginning-to-end narrative that mirrored the real arc of his life. “I don’t believe in just putting a bunch of random songs together and making a playlist-like project,” he says. “From start to finish, it needs to mean something.”

And gutta child means everything to him. That sense of purpose shaped every corner of Jacoby’s creative process. Rather than write from abstraction, he grounded the EP in lived experience – the places he grew up, the people who raised him, the mistakes he made, the perspective he earned. “It’s who I am,” he says of the title. “I wanted the world to hear this body of work and know who I am as a person: A proud southerner who has been raised in the ghettos of South Carolina and Tampa, and a lover of music who has insistently pursued perfection and authenticity in my work.”

He approached the project with a decade’s worth of evolution behind him, determined not to resemble his influences, but to rise from them. “I’ve never wanted to be another derivative or a bootleg version of the artists I love,” he reflects. “I wanted to be purely me – and it’s taken me about a decade to develop a sound and skillset that I confidently say accomplishes that. What you’re hearing is the product of extreme effort and patience.”

That identity work also meant choosing what to carry forward from his past and what to transform. Many of the songs originate from his younger self – the swagger, the thrill, the danger, the romance – while others reflect the man he’s grown into. The structure of gutta child mirrors that journey. “The project starts from the perspective of my younger self as I turned 18 and gradually evolves into who I am now as a more mature adult,” he explains.

That journey spills straight into the music – each track offering a different shade of the world he comes from and the man he’s becoming.

“hello” opens gutta child at street level – youthful, cocky, curious, and full of the chaotic swagger of an 18-year-old stepping into a world he doesn’t yet understand, but desperately wants to claim as his own. The production bursts with energy: Natural instrumentation blending with 808s, horns, scratches, and a rhythmic pulse that feels like a curtain being pulled back on Jacoby’s origin story. It’s cinematic in its looseness, charming in its bravado, and already shot through with the humor and humanity that define the EP.

Jacoby describes this entrance as both an introduction and a perspective shift. “‘hello’ is the intro to the project as well as who I am as Gabriel Jacoby,” he says, calling his music and lyrics triumphant and boisterous. He even reveals the story behind the swagger – a real encounter reframed through youthful imagination. “I make it out to be like [this woman] was pursuing me, but in reality it was anything but that,” he laughs. “All I did was talk to her and help her out with a ride to the airport so she could get away from her situation.”

There’s joy here, but also intention. It’s an early portrait of who he was before the weight of the world settled in – bright-eyed, reckless, charming, and still figuring out which parts of himself would last. “hello” cracks the debut open with exactly that spirit: A door swinging wide into Jacoby’s past.

If “hello” is the spark, then “gutta child” is the foundation – the moment where Jacoby situates himself firmly in the world he came from, reclaiming the environments and experiences that tried to shape him and turning them into something triumphant. The title track is pulsing, infectious, full of Florida heat, bluster, rhythm, and pride. Jacoby’s delivery is both playful and deadly serious, mixing seductive confidence with an unshakable awareness of what it meant to grow up where he did.

“This song is from my younger perspective and speaks to my roots of growing up in some of the toughest neighborhoods of Tampa,” he shares. “Although both me and my family have struggled so much, I didn’t want to speak about it in a sad or tragic way, but rather with immense pride and sonics that felt uplifting.” One of the earliest songs made for the project, “gutta child” became the creative anchor – the gravitational center around which the entire EP formed. “It ended up becoming a staple song and ultimately the title track to the entire project,” he says.

What makes “gutta child” special is how it transforms place into persona. The lyrics are vivid, gritty, humorous, and unvarnished – palmetto bugs, boiling pots, late nights, Carolina water mixed with Florida truth – but the emotional tone is never despair. It’s pride. It’s survival. It’s a young man saying: I may have come from the gutta, but I am not defined by it – I am fueled by it.

“gutta child” is as much a homecoming as it is an announcement: Not a sad story, not a glorification of hardship, but a declaration of identity – full of color, confidence, Southern electricity, and the deep-rooted humanity that runs through Jacoby’s work.

“same sign” shifts the EP into something warmer and more hopeful, trading bravado for sincerity as Jacoby leans into connection rather than conflict. It’s breezy, blues-kissed, and quietly romantic – a song that frames intimacy as both refuge and rebellion. “We’re all the same sign – a human sign,” he says, using a love story to gesture toward something larger and more universal. It’s a tender moment of clarity in the project, offering a glimpse of the maturity he grows into later in the record.

“bootleg” is where Jacoby plants his flag – loud, electric, and overflowing with Tampa pride. The track moves with a confidence that is both playful and declarative, blending cranking rhythms, funk-edged production, and the kind of hometown detail that makes the song feel lived-in and unmistakably his. “This is my Tampa anthem, my love letter to my city,” he says, pointing to the lineage of local club music that shaped him. “I called the song ‘bootleg’ to convey that I’m not the bootleg version of any artist – I’m the first and only version of me.” Getting Tampa legend Tom G on the track pushes the moment even further, grounding the song in history and community. It is one of the EP’s brightest highlights – a celebration of identity, influence, and belonging, delivered with irresistible heat.

The sweltering “dirty south baby” pulls the EP into deeper autobiographical territory, offering one of its most unfiltered looks at Jacoby’s upbringing. The song traces the neighborhoods his family moved through and the people he loved and lost, delivering vivid snapshots of childhood, violence, grief, and resilience. Jacoby calls it his “autobiographical song,” the moment where the metaphors fall away and the truth lands plainly. It is heavier than what comes before, but no less melodic – a reminder of where he comes from, and why he carries that past with so much pride.

Drenched in sweaty, smoldering bass licks and shiver-inducing vocals, “baby” is Jacoby at his most tender and magnetic, folding desire, devotion, and emotional awareness into a smooth, groove-laced R&B confessional. The track’s warmth comes from its perspective – not the reckless boy of “hello,” but the steadier, more grounded man he has become, offering care rather than chaos. “I’m trying to tell a woman I love that I can hold her down and take care of her,” he says, emphasizing dignity and respect as the core of the song. The blend of funk-leaning guitars, silky basslines, and Jacoby’s expressive falsetto gives the track its glow, but it is the emotional clarity that makes it unforgettable. “baby” is a promise – intimate, reassuring, and ripe with the kind of sincerity that anchors the second half of the EP.

“the one” is pure joy – a bright, feel-good release that lets Jacoby loosen his shoulders and revel in something simple and affirming. After the heaviness of “dirty south baby” and the intimacy of “baby,” this track arrives like daylight, filled with groove, gratitude, and a kind of easy warmth that’s impossible to resist. “I wanted to write something happy for everyone to feel good about and love,” he shares, framing the song as an invitation rather than a confession. Its buoyant guitars, smooth basslines, and subtly funky rhythms make it one of the most effortless listens on the project, and Jacoby’s delivery radiates the confidence of someone finally stepping into the light. “the one” doesn’t complicate itself – it moves, it lifts, and it offers joy without hesitation.

“be careful” brings the EP to its most reflective place, closing the project with a sense of grounded clarity. It’s a quiet warning and a gentle offering, written from Jacoby’s older self to his younger self, to his siblings, and to anyone carrying fear or uncertainty through a world that feels increasingly fragile. The arrangement is smoky and soulful, giving his message the space it deserves: Slow down, pay attention, protect what matters while you still can. He cites the track’s lyrics as his overall favorite: “I believe as an artist, and at the age I am (27), I have an obligation to speak on real shit especially with everything going on in the world right now,” he says. “The song is me speaking to my younger self, my younger siblings, and to anyone out there who is facing the challenges this world forces upon us.”

After all the color, motion, and heat of the record, “be careful” feels like an exhale – a final reminder of the heart that underpins gutta child, and the compassion Jacoby hopes listeners will carry with them when the music fades.

As intimate and autobiographical as it is assertive and attuned to the world, gutta child stands as a spellbinding introduction to Gabriel Jacoby’s undeniable and singular artistry.

Across all eight songs, his goal was the same: To make something honest, intentional, and without filler – a tight, cohesive portrait with no excess and no disguises. Without a doubt, this EP achieves all that and more. “Each song represents a different part of me, my past, and my sound,” he says. “I didn’t want to drop a big project with a bunch of filler songs, but rather something tight with no misses.”

Even Jacoby’s latest visuals, depicting him donning boxing gloves in a fighter’s stance, and captured by photographer/director Josh Flores, speak to the record’s greater message of self-actualization. “The gloves represent what you have to fight for in life,” he explains. “Whether physically or spiritually, fighting for what you believe in, your dreams, your goals, your family. The essence of this project is embedded in struggle and adversity, and having the conviction to overcome it.”

And at the heart of it all is a message of care – of survival, of connection, of lifting others up with whatever voice you have. “I hope people hear this and think differently about the world, feel empowered by where they stand in it, and are inspired to look out for one another,” he shares. “And just as importantly, that they love the music and can just put it on and feel better off after listening.”

He calls it “dirty south sh*t.” We call it a knockout punch.

Experience the full record via our below stream, and peek inside Gabriel Jacoby’s gutta child EP with Atwood Magazine as he takes us track-by-track through the music and lyrics of what promises to be a seminal, soul-stirring debut!

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:: stream/purchase gutta child here ::

:: connect with Gabriel Jacoby here ::

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Stream: ‘gutta child’ – Gabriel Jacoby

:: Inside gutta child ::

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hello

“hello” is the intro to the project, as well as who I am as Gabriel Jacoby. The project starts from the perspective of my younger self as I turned 18, then gradually evolves into who I am now as a more mature adult. Naturally, given that younger perspective, this song and lyrics are both triumphant and boisterous, and features a mix of natural instruments over modern 808s which sets the tone for what I’m trying to achieve with this project sonically – a mix of undeniable instrumentation with a new refreshing approach that makes it mine. “Hello” is specifically about an over exaggerated encounter I had with a sex worker when I was 18 – as you listen to the song and lyrics I make it out to be like she was pursuing me, but in reality it was anything but that, and all I did was talk to her and helped her out with a ride to the airport so she could get away from her situation.

gutta child

This song is also from my younger perspective and speaks to my roots of growing up in some of the toughest neighbors of Tampa (the gutta). Although both me and my family have struggled so much, I didn’t want to speak about it in a sad or tragic way, but rather with immense pride and sonics that felt uplifting. I made this song very early on in the process of making the creative process before I even knew what I wanted this body of work to sound like. It ended up becoming a staple song and ultimately the title track to the entire project.

same sign

This song speaks to love interest as a larger metaphor for my belief on who we are as a human race – that we are all meant to get along with one another. Current circumstances and perspectives may not allow for us as a species to live in harmony, but at the end of the day we’re all the same sign, a human sign. Unfortunately, that couldn’t be further from the state of things right now in the polarizing climate we’re in, but I’m rebelling against that notion. I also love the production on this record and the sonics are rebellious and refreshing in nature too – I tried to combine my love for blues with funk, while also using traditional drum breaks like you’d find in hiphop and layer those sonics with experimental sounds.

bootleg

This is my Tampa anthem, my love letter to my city. I called the song Bootleg to convey that what you’re hearing in this song and my project isn’t a ripoff or spin on anything you heard before – I’m not the bootleg version of any artist, I’m the first and only version of me and planting that flag of my arrival. Tampa has a strong history of ‘cranking music’ which is basically Tampa club music – just how Philly and Jersey have their sound and the dances that go with it, we have ours. Cranking hasn’t gained much notoriety outside of the city, so I made this song to spotlight it but still make it my own. I also got the Tampa legend Tom G on the song which is just crazy to me because we all grew up listening to Tom and he’s such a massive inspiration for what I do.

dirty south baby

This is my autobiographical song – the record where I get more specific on what it was like growing up in Tampa cross Fletcher, Nuccio, and other hoods my family bounced around throughout my childhood. A lot of the songs on this project are metaphorical, but with this one I’m being very direct on what I have been through and experienced. I wanted this song to also sound like it’s just me on the porch with my people reflecting on my experiences. As for the title, I love the dirty south era of music and what it stands for, and I believe I’m a child of that music and message.

baby

“Baby” is a more of a straight ahead R&B song from the perspective of a more mature/current version of myself. In the song, I’m trying to tell a woman I love that I can hold her down and take care of her, although she is currently with someone that is not treating her with dignity and respect. I still wanted to give the sonics my own signature so we made the guitar riffs and keys have some funk to them although it does have a more traditional R&B feel to it. This song serves to tell you who I am as a partner, and that as long as you’re with me I’ll always give you the respect you deserve.”

the one

I wanted to write something happy for everyone to feel good about and love. Seems like lately no one feels comfortable to groove, so I created this to give the people what they need, a reason to be themselves, no matter who’s watchin’.

be careful

I wrote “be careful” because sometimes I look around and wonder how much longer we’ll have it all – the trees, the sky, the people we love. It’s a reminder to myself not to take it for granted, to slow down and really feel what’s here right now.

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:: stream/purchase gutta child here ::

:: connect with Gabriel Jacoby here ::

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gutta child

an EP by Gabriel Jacoby