Stalley gifted fans with sweet surprise music for his October birthday. But his upcoming Cyber Monday release is going to be icing after a slice of EP Cake. Collabing with droppTV, the Ohio rapper delivered his new BCG clothing collection shoppable by watching the new music video for “Why You Lying.”
“The culture of hip hop and music always sets the trends and kind of pushes things forward in the culture so I was always inspired by that,” the rapper said in an exclusive interview with The Knockturnal.
Director Frankie Fire places him in Harlem for the shoot of “Why You Lying”—a single off his September project, Speak No Blue. He called it a fun song to make that he naturally wanted to make a music video for, seeing as producers kept his initial chuckle and audible joy of first hearing the beat into the final product. After immediately coming up the hook, Stalley provided a soundtrack to a good time, recorded in his home studio. That energy matched with a vibrant, colorful music video debuting on droppTV. The droppTV platform offers fans the ability to find the hottest threads through interactive content, like this music video. With the marketplace app, Stalley will sell items repping the Blue Collar Gang record label as well as COOGI, incorporated into the “Why You Lying” visuals and buyable directly as viewers as watch.
Stalley already released a few items this year that sold out in days. But this new release expands the offering of items and modernizes his future in fashion. “I don’t know if I should call this merch or a full-on brand yet. But it’s developing into something special.
“I want it to be a household name. I want somebody to have a Blue Collar Gang piece of clothing or BCG piece of clothing in their homes, everybody—man, woman, child.”
To Stalley, seeing music videos as a kid allowed him to see the unique fashion trends occurring in regions around the country. The internet may homogenize fits a bit these days, but the Midwest among other areas breeds style of its own worth sharing. “[Growing up], I wish we had the opportunity and the technology to do those type of things back then, you know when I was watching a Nas or Wu-Tang video or whatever to see their merch on them or to see what they were wearing, and to be actually be able to click it and purchase it. That would have been dope.”
Credit: droppTV
Raised as Kyle Myricks in Ohio, Stalley observed hard-working people in blue-collar roles. Daily life spilled into the small-town fashion as the younger generations imitated occupational attire of parents and grandparents. He saw the uniforms of mechanics, department store employees, and steel mill and railroad workers become fashion statements. “Car-hard Dickies” covered one segment of town. The other hinted at the abundance of sports, making the garb sweatsuits and tracksuits.
From there, style, design, and arts became elements his eyes fixated on. And his style became of his own, a key part to identifying him. Stalley admitted he admires a few icons and what they’ve worn—Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, and Pharell to name a few. But to Stalley, he is his own inspiration. “I mean I really don’t get inspired a lot by people and what they wear because I feel I got my own style and I do my own thing and I’ve always been that way.” He puts passion into how he dresses and how he styles himself. For example, his go-to is a fitted cap or some sort of hat. He assured The Knockturnal that this cap would never ever be tilted or turned. That wasn’t the Stalley way. “I just fold the brim and put the hat on my head.”As a whole, Stalley is head-to-toe sporty and comfortable. Much like upbringing, he loves slacks and work pants, but gives equal attention to sweats and track pants.
The BCG selection honors both his past and present style. The partnership with droppTV highlights his fondness for innovation towards the future. Stalley worked with a designer to create streetwear and merchandise that might be favorited per se by someone who is fly, open-minded, and enjoys putting together looks. He ensured that the quality rivals top streetwear brands, and lovers of their fabrics and materials will also enjoy BCG. He took his time on the design aspect and choosing the right details while he credited the designer with the color coordination. “Anything I do, I’m hands on, especially when it comes to the creative side of it,” the CAKE artist said. The collection currently has tee-shirts, hoodies, hats, sweatpants, and sweatshirts. However, Stalley plans on one day expanding to even more options. “I haven’t gotten into the cut-and-sew aspect of it yet, but eventually I do want to get there.”
BCG is for everyday men and women, claims Stalley. And the brand symbolizes his hustle and the hustle of those who wear it. “I’m from a small town—Massillon, Ohio. A lot of when I was growing up, things that I’ve done and I’ve accomplished and places I’ve been and seen were never even a thought and still aren’t to some people,” said the rapper. “So I just want to inspire those people to know and let them know that anything is possible and as long as they work hard, they love what they do, they put love and passion behind what they do, you can do it.”
Credit: droppTV
With the vision of the everyday Joe in mind, BCG is ultimately for the people. Those people, Stalley is determined to never forget. “I just want my fans and the people who support me and those who will eventually support me—I just want them to know that I appreciate them, I respect them, love them for loving me and always supporting me and being behind everything that I do.”
The “Why You Lying” artist is eying a career with fashion and music hand-in-hand. That goal is far from fleeting for him. As you’ve seen from the herds of music he’s been pumping out during the pandemic, his create mode does not have an off switch. “A lot more clothes, a lot more music—just everything—more, more, more Stalley, BCG is on the way from now until forever.”
Check out droppTV for the premiere of the “Why You Lying” music video and the BCG gear shoppable directly as you watch. For early access to more of Stalley’s music and clothing, he recommends you sign up at BlueCollarGang.shop.