G-Eazy released his sophomore LP, When It’s Dark OutFriday (December 4) and celebrated the milestone with an album release party at Drai’s Nightclub in Las Vegas Sunday (December 6). He performed “You Got Me” from the album, as well as his breakout single “I Mean It.”

“Vegas is the greatest city in the world to throw a party in,” G-Eazy says during an exclusive interview with HipHopDX, “so it would only make sense to celebrate the album there. It’s definitely an honor to be able to have it at Drai’s too, and as an artist that says something about where you’re at in the world, the fact that it’s there.”

The San Francisco Bay Area rapper says that the concept of this album is much more stark than that of his debut project, These Things Happen. The album opens with a reference to Dylan Thomas’ weighty poem “Do not go gentle into that good night.”

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“It was all made at night, most of the music takes place at night,” he says of the storyline in the album. “You see the world differently when it’s dark out.”

G-Eazy says this album is “very honest and personal.” Throughout the project, he addresses criticism and insists he didn’t get where he is randomly. He also details the difficulties of maintaining a romantic relationship on his journey through the industry on the Chris Brown and Tory Lanez-assisted “Drifting.”

G-Eazy On E-40 & Too $hort: “Those Are My Heroes”

Selecting the features for When It’s Dark Out was also a personal endeavor for G-Eazy as he looked for those who influence him as an artist. Bay Area rap legends Too $hort and E-4o each make an appearance on the album.

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“Those are my heroes, people I grew up listening to,” G-Eazy says. “So when I finally met them, I was star-struck, and just humbled that they wanted to work with me.”

Along with meeting his idols, G-Eazy continues to build with upcoming artists, including Kehlani, who appears on the album, and Pell, with whom he toured last year.

“Pell’s the homie,” G-Eazy says of the New Orleans rapper. “He’s got great energy on stage. He puts on a good show, and he’s a really talented dude.”

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G-Eazy Hosts Album Release Party at Drai's Nightclub Las Vegas on 12.6.15_credit Thomas Tran_7