GYYPS
GYYPS is a Los Angeles artist, rapper, singer, producer, drummer, and multidisciplinary creative whose work has never been limited to a single role. Raised throughout the San Fernando Valley, he developed an approach shaped by the places and experiences surrounding him, using music as both a creative outlet and a way to process difficult chapters of his life. His work moves between sharp lyricism, atmospheric production, live instrumentation, emotional honesty, and the laid-back energy of the Valley he calls home.
That versatility is central to his identity. GYYPS has described himself as someone who produces, plays drums, makes visual art, and remains involved across the full creative process. Rather than treating those disciplines as separate pursuits, he brings them together to build a larger world around each release—one shaped by sound, imagery, experimentation, and complete creative independence.
His catalog includes projects such as Darryl: A Mixtape by Gyyps, Killafornia, GYPSYBURNS, BOE 2, and Out of This World!, alongside songs including “Canoga Park,” “Single for the Summer,” “Candy Flip,” “Cannonball,” and “Careless.” His official releases also reflect how involved he remains behind the scenes, with credits extending into writing, production, mixing, editing, and visual effects.
GYYPS also helped form 2273 Records while attending the University of Southern California alongside Felly and Jake Standley. Named after the dorm room where the group gathered to make beats, freestyle, film content, and exchange ideas, 2273 grew from a shared college space into the foundation for years of independent releases and collaboration.
His relationship with Felly became one of the clearest expressions of that community. The two lived together, created constantly, critiqued one another’s work, and appeared throughout each other’s music. GYYPS has described Felly as a brother who encouraged him to pursue rapping more seriously, while their friendship eventually expanded into releases, videos, performances, and touring through the wider 2273 and Mermaid Gang circles.
I met GYYPS during the Los Angeles trip Keaton D. Jones and I took for Felly’s “Pot of Gold” production. Although I was not part of creating a complete music video for GYYPS, he was filming pieces of his own visual work throughout the trip. I documented some of those moments from behind the scenes while also creating portraits he could use for social media, cover artwork, and promotional material.
Meeting him gave me another perspective on the creative world surrounding Felly and 2273. GYYPS was not simply a featured artist who occasionally entered the room; he and Felly had built their lives and creative processes alongside one another. Music, visual ideas, feedback, friendships, and everyday life all seemed to move together rather than waiting for a formal production to begin.
The photographs came from that looser environment. Some were intentionally created as portraits, while others emerged between locations, conversations, and pieces of filming already underway. That freedom allowed me to document both the confidence of GYYPS as an artist and the more relaxed personality behind the releases.
These images preserve a brief but meaningful intersection between our creative worlds—made possible through the same trip that allowed us to work with artists we had spent years admiring from St. Louis.
