TAKING A TRIP TO PLANET GIZA
Photography by Andy Carnegie Brown
Somewhere in the heart of Montreal, there’s a new planet forming. With friendship and basketball at their core, Rami B, Tony Stone and DoomX come together as Planet Giza to make “timeless music”. Although the ‘big bang’ moment for them coming together revolves around basketball practice and some failed classes at school, they’re now, in short, “trying to make the best music we can”.
As Tony and Rami recall how they met (we’re not yet joined by Doom as a late night in the studio takes its toll), they realise they completed a full circle moment over the weekend, and have only just realised. “He (Tony) was the only guy I knew that was my age that knew about Mos Def. For me it was like ‘oh shit, this guy really knows rap’,” says Rami. “It’s funny that Mos Def came up, we just were in New York where we saw him perform, which is kinda crazy because that’s kinda where this all started.” adds Tony.
Rewind some years back, and after initially meeting and connecting over Mos Def and music more widely, Rami and Tony reconnected in less jubilant scenes - after underperforming academically. “It was at summer school, he failed Maths, I failed French, and he asked if I was still playing basketball. I was a little, but I mentioned that I had begun to make beats,” says Rami. Instantly struck by Rami’s new pursuit, Tony convinced Rami to teach him how to use Fruity Loops, starting with how to play around with samples. The rest was history, as Tony got home and sent Rami a multitude of beats he’d made, whilst also connecting Rami and Doom together.
In agreement to make music together, and armed with their range of musical influences - from Biggie’s Ready to Die album to the soundtrack of NBA Street Vol. II - the group still needed a name. “We played around with so many different names: Planet 808s, Planet this, Planet that, but when Doom said Planet Giza, it just stuck,” says Tony, just as Doom dials into the call, as if by magic. Whilst Doom is certainly more reserved than the other two members, there’s a silent resonance you can feel between the three. Although clearly quite different personalities, there’s a clear alignment internally that allows the group to make music that satisfies their deep love for all things sound. “We’re always open to trying new things, we always work towards finding that common ground,” says Doom, on how the group looks to experiment and build upon their foundation. “Everything is worth a try,” adds Tony. “It’s free, if it doesn’t work, we just make sure we’re all very honest with each other about how we feel.”
Although there’s an internal calibration that allows the trio to resist the temptation to make music that hits ‘trends’ in the pursuit of numbers and ‘targets’ that external forces chase, the beauty of Planet Giza is that in staying true to their promise to make “timeless music”, the fanbase has come as a consequence. “We’ve always told ourselves that there is a way you can be authentic to yourself and still get these numbers, it just might be a bit harder,” says Tony. “But we believe in the journey, we believe in the grind, and we’ve never been afraid to put it in the work.”
And work they have, releasing their sophomore album in April 2023, entitled Ready When You Are. The 12-track project, just as the trio planned for it to be, was an intense labour of love that they worked on for the best part of three years, with the title being precisely what they wanted to say to the public. “It’s simple, when you’re ready for us to step into that spot, we are too,” Tony explains. With headline songs like WYD and QUIET ON THE SET, it’s the seventh track, ELEVATOR, that marked the beginning of the album process. Featuring Venna and Kojey Radical, the song was made whilst still at work on their 2021 EP Don’t Throw Rocks At The Moon, but as Rami tells me, “this one felt like it was for the album”.
It seems every song marks a memory of a time, or a place, that is significant to the trio. Take NORTHERN PLAYALISTIC, a track they fully recorded in LA with Chicago rapper femdot., that reminds them of a very reflective trip, speaking about their journey, the music industry in Montreal and more generally, and the life that allows them to travel for inspiration. As the trio are currently working on a potential EU tour, there’s importance placed on “not forcing anything”, but Italy is a location that the trio seem most excited to visit.So if you’re in Italy, keep your eyes open, because Planet Giza may be crashing down in a location near you.
