Ohio MC Stalley has spent much of his career attached to movements. Most notably, in his days with Rick Ross’ MMG squad, he was part of three Top 5 Maybach Music Group Self-Made compilations in the early 2010s. The MC followed with his own Top 40 debut Ohio in 2014. Before that major label tenure, Stalley was one of the latest protégés of Ski Beatz (Camp Lo, Curren$y, Locksmith). In all of the different career phases, Stalley seems to have soaked up game, and the music just keeps refining.

Now independent, 2017 has been busy. After two albums with Real Talk Entertainment, the MC goes completely on his own with the just-released EP Tell The Truth And Shame The Devil (embedded below). Featuring Migos, this seven-song Blue Collar Gang project (the first of a three-part series) demonstrates even more range in the artist’s repertoire. At 2:00, Stalley reveals that it was not out of frustration with Rozay’s label or Atlantic, but a desire to get creative control. “We just didn’t see eye-to-eye,” Stalley says. Sway presses, “Who?” Stalley laughs and replies, “I would probably say Atlantic. If we gon’ point the finger at anybody, we gon’ point the finger at Atlantic.” He says the label tried to get him to rap on beats that he did not want.

At 16:30, Sway puts Stalley to the test for 5 Fingers Of Death—where he’ll be rapping on beats he cannot choose. At the onset, Stalley looks caught off guard as he is handed headphones and DJ Wonder drops the first beat. With the very first set of bars, that proves to be wrong. The MC slides right into the pocket with lines like: “Decisions, decisions, put me in a bad place / I was caught into gettin’ it in this rat race / I was so determined not to be in last place / Lost control of my soul, goals misplaced / Slave to the big-face, I thought it’d never happen / Especially when it came to freeing my people when I started rappin’ / My own contradiction to the mission / The label held me to submission / Had to tap out,” he spits as Wonder moves into the next beat. The whole freestyle deals with Stalley’s newfound freedom, happiness, and vow to put his career in the best position it has ever been.

#BonusBeat: Stream Tell The Truth And Shame The Devil:

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