Louisville rapper EST Gee’s music reflects the hardscrabble streets that raised him and the losses he’s sustained within. In 2020, Gee lost both his brother and mother after being shot five times. Despite this, he’s continued to find power and poise in the hard-nosed trap music he’s been creating over the course of the last few years. EST Gee’s latest album, I Still Don’t Feel Nun, is a breakneck collection of songs that maintain the pace of his previous album, Ion Feel Nun. The losses of yesterday are balanced by the prosperity of tomorrow on “Young Shiners,” where the diamonds in Gee’s watch gleam even as he reminisces on being shot. The hook to the standout song “Phetamine” leaves little to interpretation: “I can vouch for these amphetamines / Water boys pull up with more ice than niggas ever seen / Look at all these diamonds that that pressure bring / Rap niggas think they trap niggas cause they sellin’ weed.” Gee raps with cold certainty. Signed to Yo Gotti’s CMG Records, much of our conversation revolves around authenticity, not just of the hardened street variety, but the power of authenticity to self. “Ninety-five percent of people who hear my shit like it automatically because they know it’s real,” he explains. EST Gee compares the music industry to a giant gladiatorial arena where artists fight for their freedom and keep the crowd entertained. It’s this truth and self-awareness that make EST Gee—and his music—so compelling.