Exclusive Interview: Stalley

Hearing the “Maybach Music” drop on Stalley’s recent music might seem a bit strange for any longtime fan of the bearded emcee from the small town of Massillon, Ohio. With the major success of last year’s Lincoln Way Nights, the mixtape that led Rick Ross to officially sign Stalley to MMG, the rapper now has arguably the hottest label in the game giving weight to his talent. After catching Stalley’s performance in Lakewood, Ohio, RESPECT. caught up with Stalley over the phone to talk about being discovered by Rick Ross and why MMG was the right fit, the upcoming Savage Journey to the American Dream, and his favorite teams in the NBA finals.

We caught your show in Lakewood the other night. Is it a little more meaningful for you to perform in Ohio, being from Massilon and all?

I mean, it’s always special to come back home. It’s a beautiful thing to be amongst Ohioans and Ohio natives and friends and family. Everyone that comes out, they always support and show love. Especially with Lincoln Way Nights, that project was more geared towards Ohio even. A lot of the content and concepts were from my experiences growing up in Ohio. Most people can relate, whether you’re from Massillon, Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo, Chillicothe, wherever you are from you can pretty much relate to what I’m speaking about on that project.

Were you surprised by the success of Lincoln Way Nights?

I had a feeling that it was going to be big but I didn’t know it was going to be as big as it was. I guess you never know or never can really predict the outcome of where it will go. But I did know that it was going to put me in a different category and it was going to definitely get a lot of new eyes and ears, but I didn’t know it would be as big as it is. I mean, it’s been over a year and people are still finding out about it. People who have had it since it first dropped last year, they are still playing it like it’s brand new. So to have it become timeless and classic like I wanted it to be? It’s just a blessing.

Did Lincoln Way Nights play a big part in the MMG signing? Or did Ross know of you previously?

It was Lincoln Way Nights, but I think the first time Ross actually saw me was on “Address,” he saw the video on MTV. And he told me when he seen it he was like, he just looked and was like, “Man, look at this dude right here. This dude is a star.” He just said the way I rapped and the way I was dressed and the way I walked and just everything about me on that record eventually was just like, this guy is a star. So he continued to watch me, and then he said when I put out the Lincoln Way Nights artwork, he said he’d seen the artwork and was like, “Man, this dude is on some other shit. He’s just a different type of dude. His art down to his artwork, he’s just very creative and artistic.” And he just kept watching and he just saw the video for “Slapp”, and just everything just kept coming through, and everything I was doing. He said that after “Address” that he was watching me close and everything after that was just so flawless and precise and well thought out and put together, and he was just so basically taken aback by it that he was like “Man, I just want to help him become a superstar and get the recognition that he deserves.”

Your style and content differs from that of a Rick Ross, a Wale or a Meek Mill. Why was MMG the right fit for you at this point in your career?

It’s just that Ross is someone that knows music and knows the game and watches the game close and he’s a lover of all music, whether he raps about the stuff he raps about or not, he understands my plight, my grind, my struggles, and you know, again, he wanted to help become a superstar and reach that full potential. I just seen the genuine liking and just how genuine he was to what I was doing and who I was and he didn’t want to change me, he just wanted me to continue to do what I’ve been doing, but just have that bigger platform to be able to speak and reach the people. It just was a no brainer. At the end of the day, everyone knows that Maybach Music is the hottest label and group in the streets right now, and in the game, period. Ross is the hottest emcee in the game, and for me to be a part of that and be able to represent the culture and do music that I do and be on records and kind of just show people that you can do it by being yourself and staying true. I don’t think that I’m an underground, conscious rapper or anything. I think I just make music, I’m just an artist, you know? Whether I speak it the way I speak is different from others, I’m still an artist at the core, and I just make good music and make good songs.

Were you a MMG fan before you came on the label?

Yeah, of course, man. I really respect them dudes. I used to watch Meek battle on the DVDs and on YouTube and stuff, and watching Wale come from his grind and even Ross. I’m just a fan of music and anything good.

With the Songs By Me, Stalley collection that you’ve dropped, it seems like you’ve been in the studio a lot recently.

Yeah, definitely. I definitely did a lot more writing, definitely a lot more studio time. I’ve had the opportunity to be in the studio a little bit more and have those resources. Before, I didn’t even really have the resources to go into studios and to record and to really find prodution that I liked. But I found some guys, the Block Beattaz, and I got to work with a lot of different producers and go to a lot of different places and travel and sit in studios and work with Chad Hugo, and go work with Soundtrackk, and, you know, just really pick different producers’ brains and give them ideas and direction of where I’m trying to go with the music. When you’re inspired you’re just going to keep going, and there was a good three or four months where I was just writing every single day and just in the zone. So I’m sitting on a lot of records. Recently I haven’t been in the studio as much as I would like to or even writing as much as I would like to because I’ve been gearing up for this release, and trying to get all those things together as far as the logistics of putting videos together and marketing and getting the artwork together and stuff like that for this project (Savage Journey to the American Dream). But I’ve definitely been in the studio a lot more.

How does Savage Journey to the American Dream compare to Lincoln Way Nights in terms of similarities and new sounds that you are bringing to the table?

I mean, the only similarity is that it’s still got that trunk music element, that trunk music genre of music that I created (laughing). It definitely has that trunk music vibe to it. But as far as content and lyrics and conceptually, it’s a different album. It’s a different feel. It’s really the journey of the past year that I’ve had with the release of Lincoln Way Nights up until today and signing with Ross and just seeing and going through all the things that I’ve been through with frienships and family. Just advancing my career and still wanting more, still being a savage. When I first started I thought that getting signed and being in a position that I am now was the American Dream. But now I want more, and that’s why it’s called Savage Journey to the American Dream because I think some people have different concepts or different perspectives of what their American dream should or could be. Some people like the house with the white picket fence and some people want to be NBA players, some want to be doctors, rappers, teachers, you know, whatever. My dream was to be an artist and people to make the music I do and love and make a living and take care of my family. Now that I’m here, there is still so much more that I want.

Speaking of wanting to be a basketball player, you’ve got some basketball in your background and are a pretty avid college hoops and NBA fan. J. Cole played in the celebrity game during the All Star Break this year. When will we see Stalley in that game?

Hopefully next year! Hopefully. We’ll see, but I’m hoping next year.

We hope so too. How much NBA are you able to watch and who do you see reaching the finals this year?

Well I just went to the Oklahoma City-Philadelphia 76ers game. I’m a big fan of Kevin Durant, he’s a friend of mine, so I definitely check for them. When the beginning of the year started I said that the two teams that lost in the conference finals last year will be in the finals last year. And that’s Oklahoma City and Chicago. As the season goes on, I think it’s still Oklahoma out of the West but, I think the Heat might come out of the East. But I definitely got Oklahoma coming out of the West. As far as the East, it’s a toss up between the Heat and the Bulls. The way the Heat are looking, if they keep it up, they are probably going to come out of the East.

Ohio hip-hop seems to really be on the rise with you, Chip Tha Ripper, MGK, etc.

Yeah, I mean, I’m excited for it. I like that people are into different things and that the music is growing and that we have some artists that are representing the area, Northeastern Ohio and the Cleveland area. It’s a beautiful thing. With someone like myself, you would have never had a rapper like myself coming out of the Midwest or even Cleveland or that area 10-15 years ago. All we pretty much had was (Bone Thugs-n-Harmony). It’s just a beautiful thing, you know?

Stalley’s Savage Journey to the American Dream is slated to drop March 30.