Stalley Relives Savage Journey To Maybach On New Tape

'I still want so much more, and there's so much more to get,' he tells Mixtape Daily of Savage Journey to the American Dream.
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Ade Mangum

Stalley
Photo: Getty Images

Main Pick
Headliners: Stalley

Representing: Massillon, Ohio

Mixtape: Savage Journey to the American Dream

Real Spit: The road to the riches is no doubt a bumpy one, but now that Massillon, Ohio, MC Stalley is riding with the Maybach Music Group, his trip should be a bit smoother — or so you'd think.

On March 30, the bearded Maybach spitter dropped Savage Journey to the American Dream. "I named it Savage Journey to the American Dream because that's just what I've been through," Stalley told Mixtape Daily. "I've been searching for that American dream, and I've been on a savage hunt for it for the past year."

Stalley first began making a name for himself in 2009 when he dropped MadStalley: The Autobiography, a mixtape he released with Mickey Factz's GFC camp, on which he rhymed over classic Madlib productions. It was a subtle yet effective shot that would help Stalley make a name for himself in quite a few influential rap circles.

After linking with Damon Dash's DD172 outfit and recording alongside guys like Mos Def and Curren$y, the Ohio native found his lane and released Lincoln Way Nights in 2011. It was his most notable release and helped him get noticed by Rick Ross.

"One of my goals was to be a signed artist, and now I'm with MMG and Warner Bros.," he said. "I thought that things would calm down and I would kinda be satisfied with that, but I still want so much more and there's so much more to get."

On Savage Journey, Stalley navigates through the pitfalls that await young rappers. "Lane to lane switchin', keep these lames and dames at distance/ Eight-cylinder pistons, it's money talkin', listen/ And it's tellin' me go get it, and I've been on my way," he spits on the moody "Route 21."

Curren$y shows up on the car-themed "Hammers & Vogues," and on "Lover's Lane," Stalley makes a pit stop after getting sidetracked by some overzealous females.

Stalley gets props, holding down most of the mixtape by himself, but he of course gets help from his MMG family. Rozay and Meek Mill show up for the Block Beattaz-produced "BCGMMG," and Wale lends a helping hand on "Home to You." Whether Stalley will ultimately see his dream fulfilled remains to be seen, but with his underground rep already solidified, there's nowhere to go but up.

Joints to Check For
» "Petrin Hill Peonies." "It's just a song that kinda takes me into a beautiful garden, and I kinda zone out and get away from all of this. It gets hectic and you always go different places and meet different people and just have a ton of people around you or in your face, and you don't get much time to zone out. So with this song, it's kinda like that garden of peace where I can just go and relax and zone out."

» "Island Hopping." "I don't get to escape too often because I'm always working, I'm in the studio, I'm doing shows or I'm doing interviews. It's like my audio escape."

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