Stalley Brings His Midwest Sound To The Masses On ‘Ohio’

Ohio was well represented last night (Oct. 6) in NYC when Massillon native and MMG member, Stalley, celebrated his listening session for his debut album, Ohio.

The event, held at Coopers Classics Collection in downtown NYC, was the perfect setting for Stalley's Intelligent Trunk Music. Portraits of old school muscle cars surrounded the walls of the venue, while two American classic cars (a 1971 Mercedes 280 SL and a 1964 Lincoln Continental) were parked inside as sculptures.

The man of the night, or shall we say the man of the month from Ohio, pulled up to the garage door at Coopers Classics in a candy painted Pepsi blue Cadillac Brougham as his music blasted through the subwoofers. Before getting right into the listening, Stalley let cameras capture the moment of his arrival with his crew. He made his way to the DJ booth, greeting media and industry personnel and thanking them for their support.

Stalley was straight business once he touched the mic, and after a brief introduction about the project, the bearded one took us on an Ohio experience. With producer Rashad in hand and members of his BCG crew, Stalley ran down through his records providing brief insight on some of the records.

On "Problems" which Stalley says is one of his favorites, he gets a lot off his chest and speaks on the everyday struggle that he's had to go through to get to where he's at now. “Boomin’” takes listeners deep into the streets of the Midwest where the hustlers and the trappers boom in the corners day and night, trying to stay alive. A record that was well-received and Stalley spoke highly about was his Nipsey Hu$$le-assisted "What It Be Like." The Midwest sound perfectly matches Stalley's laid-back flow on the track, and Nipsey adjusts very well to the signature sound of Ohio.

Another two records that got great responses from those in attendance, particularly the ladies, were "One More Shot" featuring Rick Ross and August Alsina, and his current lead single "Always Into Something" featuring Ty Dolla $ign. Both records show a more radio friendly Stalley, but the MMG rapper stays true to the Ohio theme on both cuts. On the track "Free," Stalley speaks on the real life experiences of men and women just trying to live right and provide for the families, while staying above the poverty line.

Stalley closed out his listening by playing the last record of his album featuring legendary group De La Soul. When speaking on the "Navajo Rugs" track, Stalley says that it was such an honor that De La wanted to work with him, mentioning his younger days listening to hip-hop and being inspired to rap because of the group. On the record, Stalley delivers the inner lyrical beast in him, and compares the detail and aesthetic that it takes to create the Navajo rug to his musical process.

Stalley thanked all of the people in attendance for coming out to his Ohio listening experience and made sure to remind all of us of the Oct. 27 release date. All in all, Stalley's Ohio album is an unselfish piece of work, that bleeds his home state and brings a true Midwest sound like no other.—Roger Krastz

Previously: Stalley Partied With Johnny Manziel In Miami
Rick Ross Featuring Stalley, Gunplay And Killer Mike “Black & White (Remix)”
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