One of the earliest indoctrinations in America is that of the American Dream. The idea that we’re all entitled to a good job, a husband or wife, kids, a dog, and a nice house with a picket fence. We’re not only taught that we will be able to achieve such things through hard work, but that they will also make us happy. We figure out later in life that it doesn’t quite work that way. There’s no blanket path to success or happiness, and for a lot of us, there’s no picket fence involved. “I thought I had my American Dream by signing with Ross,” Stalley tells me shortly after finishing his set at Reggie’s Rock Club in Chicago, IL last week.
“That was all I dreamed about,” he explains. “Be an artist, be signed to a major, be able to make music and do what I do and take care of my family. But now that I’m here, I want so much more.” Such wants and desires are part of the human condition according to Stalley, and such conditions will be explored in full throughout his forthcoming album, Savage Journey To The American Dream, which will be released for free download on March 30th.
In this interview, Stalley talks about the new project, his path from small-town Ohio, and taking the Maybach crew to his hometown.