Among all the new and old story tellers that has done many collaborations and have won countless awards, there are still more to come, specifically, Stix Watts to come. Not bad, is the first thing I thought. I would say that I am skeptical about listening to new artist, just because there are so many people on Soundcloud. You are always run into a guy having a Soundcloud account, or they are sliding their Soundcloud link into your DM’s, or you might see them in the streets passing out the mixtape. I’m Not saying artist who do that will never go anywhere, but those kinds of rappers are in abundance. There so many, so I lack motivation in listening to new rappers. However, Stix is not that kind of rapper.
It was refreshing hearing his music. He incorporated a lot of soulful R&B throwbacks with a voiceover of his personal testimonies. The production was clearly something that had him up day and night. The beats and sound vary from trapedelic (trap and psychedelic) to old school jamming rap. The multiple gun shots that are fired throughout this album puts you in the same world as him. He said he was shot at about 6 to 7 times and the album has 3 gunshots and 5 to 6 times that a gun is reloading. Stix has harnessed the good and bad in his life and laid it out into a story. He was able to make this theatrical, but keeping it tasteful. By incorporating dialogue that reflects his raw experiences of growing up on the streets, being shoot, and talking about some of his most peaceful and terrifying experiences of his life.
He is not trying to sound like every other rapper out here. He has a story to tell. His life story. It is something worth listening to when getting ready to go out, riding to the store, or just chilling with some friends. It takes a lot of heart, courage, and passion to tell one’s story. It takes talent to tell it in a way that makes people want to listen to it repeatedly. There is nothing better than listening to a new artist and then you hear them incorporate an old-time classic. This album has made me smile, and I was able to sing along to some of the tracks while listening to it for the first time. I already felt involved and connected to his work.
This project covers everything. It relates to the pro black lives matter, proud black citizens, and people who feel as if they are outcast. This is what they would listen to. Stix covers life experience on the outskirts of society, addresses colorism, and gun violence. He is not talking about popping off people with guns. He was reporting what was around him, being brutally honest and authentic. Needless to say, this album goes in hard. This is his blueprint on how to change the world and his guide to survival.
