stalley-honest-cowboy-cover

 

The marriage between Stalley and MMG has been a tricky one at best. Many people have been happy that he has a “bigger platform” for his music. However, others were worried about him losing the sound he established off of his first mixtape. Savage Journey to The American Dream, his second mixtape, was good. Yet, it didn’t totally stick with the sound he established. Now, we have Honest Cowboy with its first main single “Swangin’”. Still, there is much concern on whether Stalley will keep his “intelligent trunk music” title or try and be overly street.

 

After a few listens (and I do mean quite a few), Stalley fans have very little to worry about. What Honest Cowboy presents is a nearly perfect marriage between his intellectual-street savvy and MMG stature/influence.

 

From the beginning to the end, Stalley makes the use of his lyrical abilities. On “Spaceships and Woodgrain”, he vibes out with hood explanation:

 

I puff a mild listenin’ to Lab Cabin/California smoking rolling up filling up the cabin/Captain of the El Dorado ridin’ through swaggin’/Don’t really like that word but it’s fitting for this caption/Maxin’…

 

The descriptions continue from the aforementioned “Swangin’” to the storytelling “The Highest”. Many still don’t want to hear Stalley drop songs about “swangin’ and bangin’”. Still, he has the ability to bring it from an intellectual position.

 

Yet, it is when Stalley comes with full-fledged messages that he grasps the ears and makes true “hits”. “Cup Inside A Cup” allows Stalley to observe the hood and how his influences has positively, and negatively, affected it. “Raise Your Weapons”, the standout among standout tracks, lets loose with reckless abandon, revolutionary demands, and a beat change that switches up the atmosphere of the song. Even “Gettin’ By” refers to the hustle, rising above the dirt, and reminiscing on harder times. It seems that the bigger the message, the more harder/hypnotizing the track becomes.

 

Within all this balance of hood madness and educated realization comes a soundtrack heavy on 808’s and high quality instrumentation. “A Wax” is a hood tome of situations becoming drastic over sampled soul production. Soundtrakk, formerly of Lupe Fiasco fame, makes his presence known on “Long Way Down” with its guitar licks, vocal wails, and drum patterns. Meanwhile, Block Beataz makes the instrumentation on “Feel The Bass” heavy enough to make your chest thump once it is turned up too loud. Above anything, even if one doesn’t like Stalley they cannot doubt the production.

 

With all honesty, Honest Cowboy should have been a retail album. It has all the right components for a great album: dope beats, dope lyrics, and substance mixed with hints at radio accessibility. Many have wondered how Stalley would evolve at MMG. With this free album, it has shown that he can still be himself and evolve at the same time. It is only a matter of time until the rest of hip hop realizes he has enough for everyone to enjoy and support.