Album: J. Stalin – On Behalf of the Streets 2

The Bay Area Veteran Releases The Sequel to His Debut Album, Shares the Hyperlocal Video for “West Oakland N*gga”

10.31.2016

Critical Praise:

“As the owner of Livewire Records, West Oakland rapper J Stalin provides a place for the growth of incredibly creative, meat-and-potatoes Bay Area hip-hop. The label hosts gritty rubbery street music that navigates crack dealing devastation and grounded partying tracks with equal aplomb, with artists that range from Stalin himself to MCs like Shady Nate and Philthy Rich among others.” – SPIN

“J Stalin pushes the envelope by vividly reiterating his Mob Bay Area persona and turmoil of his harsh upbringing.” – XXL

“This is what Stalin does: he takes things–sounds, human beings, grocery stores–and warps them into something extraterrestrial. It’s eerie, but you’re dancing anyway.” – Passion of the Weiss

The Announcement:

Araspy-voiced hustler with slick wordplay and a refined ear for mutated hyphy beats, J. Stalin is one of the Bay Area’s most respected emcees. Ten years after releasing his debut album On Behalf of the Streets, Stalin returns with On Behalf of the Streets 2, premiered by HipHopDX. Produced entirely by Bay Area duo The Mekanix, OBOTS 2 is a worthy sequel to the original, illustrating Stalin’s transformation from a young upstart to an established veteran. Featuring appearances from IAMSU!, K Camp, Nef The Pharaoh, Lil Blood, G-Eazy, Philthy Rich, Slim 400, Rayven Justice, Celly Ru, 4Rax of the Mekanix, Young Doe, G-Stack, Erk Da Jerk and a posthumous appearance from The Jacka, among others, OBOTS 2 is an epic listening experience, effortlessly gliding from style-to-style, never growing stale or repetitive, and featuring some of Stalin’s best bars. Following up last year’s Tears of Joy, On Behalf of the Streets 2 is one of J. Stalin’s strongest full-length efforts yet.

Over the past month, the Livewire CEO treated fans to a variety of quality pre-release singles. Earlier this week, The FADER premiered the G-Eazy– and The Jacka-featuring “Party Jumpin 2,” a sequel to one of Stalin’s best loved songs, a track from the original On Behalf of the Streets. Prior to “Party Jumpin’ 2,” Stalin shared the visual for “Get Me Some,” featuring Nef The Pharaoh and Lil Blood, which drew praise from Passion of the Weiss, who praised the track as “what an alien might make if he tried to approximate a song of celebration.” Last month, Stalin dropped the K Camp-featuring “Could Be Worse” via a HotNewHipHop premiere.

To accompany the album’s release, Stalin shares the visual for “West Oakland N*gga,” which features J. Stalin boasting about his hometown bonafides over a bass-heavy instrumental with bright organ and twinkling keys. Filmed in West Oakland, the video finds Stalin showing off his neighborhood, posting up outside a Tenth Street store with a huge posse, including The Mekanix, grilling some meat, and driving around in a boxframe muscle car. “West Oakland N*gga” and its visual demonstrate many of the strengths of On Behalf of the Streets 2: the subtle inversion of classic Bay Area styles, the specificity of the local references, and Stalin’s eccentric, outsized persona. Released via Livewire Records, On Behalf of the Streets 2 is currently available to buy on iTunes and stream on Spotify.

Buy On Behalf of the Streets 2: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/on-behalf-of-the-streets-2/id1159133994?ls=1?at=1001l3Iq&app=itunes

Listen to On Behalf of the Streets 2: https://soundcloud.com/jstalinlivewire/sets/on-behalf-of-the-streets-2/s-rrrMn

Watch “West Oakland N*gga*: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwkXMMt4pyw

Check out the HipHopDX Premiere: http://hiphopdx.com/singles/id.35500/title.dxclusive-j-stalin-returns-with-on-behalf-of-the-streets-2-10-years-after-original

On Behalf of the Streets 2 Tracklist:

All Tracks produced by The Mekanix