Streetwise Bay Area Entrepreneur J. Stalin Announces Gas Nation 2, His 18th Studio Album Releasing on October 27th

The Boombox Premieres “Battery Acid,” the Neighborhood Spotlight of a New Video From the Sequel to His First Album with Mac Dre’s Thizz Ent.

9.28.2017

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:

A slick-talking rhymer and a frequent murderer of mobbed-out beats, J. Stalin is one of the most respected figures on the Bay Area street scene. Ready to add to his insanely prolific discography, J. Stalin announces Gas Nation 2, his 18th solo studio album since 2006. The sequel to 2008’s Gas Nation, Stalin’s first album recorded for Mac Dre’s Thizz Entertainment, Gas Nation 2 finds the veteran rapper in a less boastful and more contemplative mood, as he delves deep into his personal life with detailed street tales. Packed speaker-knocking, sparkling mob instrumentals and some of Stalin’s best ever bars, Gas Nation 2 is a worthy follow-up to 2016’s Mekanix-produced On Behalf of the Streets 2. Featuring appearances from Berner, Philthy Rich, Lil Blood, Shady Nate, Lazy Boy, Joseph Kay, JuneOnnaBeat, KD, AK-47, and others, Gas Nation 2 releases on October 27th.

Repping his West Oakland neighborhood and providing his own take on hyphy and mob music with his unique wordplay, J. Stalin is one of the Bay Area’s most respected emcees. Released in 2008, Gas Nation found J. Stalin in a vastly different stage in life–hustling on the streets to make ends meet, packing a gun (or “gas” in Oakland slang) every day, and caring for his 12-year-old sister after his mom moved to Las Vegas. Fast-forward 10 year later, J. Stalin is now an established rapper and a legitimate business owner, managing the catalogs of 10 artists on his Livewire label, and opening two profitable barber shops. For J. Stalin, the original Gas Nation was the beginning of his evolution into a unique artist and the start of his transformation from a lawbreaker to an upstanding member of his community. With Gas Nation 2, Stalin revisits the mindset of his younger self with the wisdom and perspective of his current self, creating a moody and thought-provoking collection of well-crafted rap songs.

Today, J. Stalin shares “Battery Acid,” the lead single and opening track of Gas Nation 2. A spacious, mob-flavored instrumental with a funky, dissonant bassline and ringing electric piano, “Battery Acid” is a moving, but hard-as-nails track about Stalin’s changing role in his community. Though Stalin has changed a lot over the past decade, his experiences in his neighborhood have made him more tolerant of life’s struggles and hardships: “Dope money in the night in a safe deposit box/You ever seen a dope fiend dissolve a whole rock?” Premiered by The Boombox, the Dope Scorsese-directed video is a snapshot of Stalin’s community, as he poses with his young son, rides shirtless out the sunroof of his Porsche, and brings out the block for a cookout.

“Where I’m from, if you hella soft, we’ll say you’re sweet,” explains J. Stalin. “We’ll say ‘your heart pump Kool-Aid.’ If you hard, people will say ‘that little n*gga crazy, his heart pumps battery acid.’ The hook says it all. I’m a gangsta, I’m not worried about hurting people’s feelings. My heart pump battery acid.”

Pre-order Gas Nation 2: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/gas-nation-2/id1290551814?ls=1

Watch “Battery Acid”: https://youtu.be/VZnxIL7k88Q

Check out the Boombox premiere: http://theboombox.com/j-stalin-battery-acid-video-exclusive-premiere/

Gas Nation 2 tracklist:
1. Battery Acid (Prod. by Carter Boy)
2. One Thing ft. Young Mezzy (Prod. by JP Bangz)
3. Reality (Prod. by JP Bangz)
4. In My Feelins (Prod. by TD Staps)
5. I Cant Wait (Prod. by L Fingaz)
6. Making Hoes Mad ft. Shady Nate, Lazy-Boy, Joseph Kay and KD Tha Goer (Prod. by JuneOnnaBeat)
7. Big Deposits ft. Joseph Kay & Philthy Rich (Prod. by C Note Cash)
8. Play Me Feat June (Prod. by White Rocks)
9. Cocaine Histeria ft. Berner & Joseph Kay (Prod. by JuneOnnaBeat)
10. Like Me ft. AK 47 (Prod. by AK 47)
11. Remember Your Name ft. Joseph Kay (Prod. by Devious One)
12. So Dangers ft. Joseph Kay (Prod. by C Note Cash)
13. Night Rider (Prod. by Scorp Dezel)
14. Ya Momma House ft. Lil Blood (Prod. by Smiley On the Beat)
15. Undefeated (Prod. by L Fingaz)
16. Burn This Whole City Down ft. Mistah FAB & Joseph Kay (Prod. by White Rocks)