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“Music is in my soul and shocking the game is my goal. I live and breathe hip-hop each and every day. My game plan is to redefine and expand Rap as an art form.” Respect, a vicious flow and bringing a fresh element to the game is what it’s all about for this 22-year old rapper.
Born Yannique Barker, Stack$ spent his early years in D.C. and Maryland. His story is a sure sign of hip-hop’s ever-expanding appeal from its inner city roots. Stack$ earned his name from a Miami rapper, Brisco, referring to his ill songwriting skills and multi-dimensional personality. He has plenty to talk about using elaborate rhyme schemes with a new kind of story —a young entrepreneur and film director immersed in hip hop, creating and finding his own way. The music business is in his blood – his father managed Sly & the Family Stone, along with Peaches and Herb. He also co-produced “Midnight Train To Georgia” with his partner, Tony Camillo, before he founded and built a successful, global aerospace company, and then later moved the family to Miami. Hip-hop’s far-reaching tentacles had already snagged Stack$, giving him the confidence to go after his dream. He submerged himself in studying the masters — Rakim, Biggie and 2Pac — crafting lyrics in the tradition of the great storytellers. “I rep 305 and Dade County,” Stack$ says. “A lot of people think I only hang out in South Beach. I rep South Beach and hang out in the hood, at the same time. I spit about partying, sex, true life experiences, and the trials and tribulations of trying to gain acceptance in an industry refusing to change. I rap about the sublime and the ridiculous … from humorous incidents that go down in the hood to the injustices and disparities that occur every day in society.”
“Everyone said I wouldn’t make it in hip hop, but I’m stubborn. I had to prove them all wrong,” says the new voice of Miami — a smooth, resonant and confident voice that strikes a nerve. With hip hop heavyweight producers Swizz Beatz, Pharrell, Steve Morales, and Scott Storch signing on, Stack$ aims to change the rules with his undeniable skills on his debut album, CraZee and ConfuZed. The album, a chronicle of Stack$’ personal experiences, is a mash up of styles, regions and eras. It’s an exercise in organized chaos, which inspired the title. “You can’t give buzz to a new style without paying respect to the people who opened the game for you,” he says. Featuring an all-star lineup of legends and new sensations, including Lil Wayne, Fat Joe, Twista, The Game, Paul Wall, MJG, 8Ball, Phyllisia, Trick Daddy, Beenie Man, Jah Cure, and Urban Mystic, the chips are piled high. The first track, “Money Ova Here,” is a smooth banger with swagger, featuring Lil’ Wayne. The follow-up single, “Whatcha Lookin’ At?” is an upbeat club-banga produced by multi-platinum producer Swizz Beatz. With this monster track, Swizz introduces the young MC to the game, asking the question "Whatcha Lookin’ At?" directed to all haters.
Stack$ attended two years at USC’s School of Film and Cinematography in California, but set aside filmmaking after he met Scott Storch during a spring break. He shifted his focus from the camera to the mic, his second love. “My life is dedicated to telling stories, whether in songs or in movies, or in any other medium.” He also focused his energy on the business side of the operation, launching SoBe Entertainment with his father and sister, releasing tracks and albums by Brooke Hogan, Lola, Jah Cure, Ce’Cile and Urban Mystic.
From Pops, as he calls his dad, Stack$ learned that hard work ultimately leads to rewards; but it’s not money that motivates him. “Money can be a gift or it can be a curse in this life. Pops taught me that my ‘self worth’ is more important than my ‘net worth.’ My goal in the music business is to gain acceptance throughout the industry. Some people forget that hip-hop has touched everyone on this planet. What I rap about are real life experiences – disappointment, failure, success, drug abuse, sex, partying, financial woes, love, cheating, social, economic, judicial and political chaos – the type of problems we all face in our lives, no matter what our race, religion or culture.”
Stack$ reminds us, “All that should ever matter as a person or as a rapper is that one stays true to oneself and that we are real with each other; sooner or later, ‘real recognizes real.”’