How Stalley Is Continuing The Push For Blue-Collar Creatives

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Stalley in "Why You Lying" music video directed by Frankie Fire. Photo by Frankie Fire

Stalley in "Why You Lying" music video directed by Frankie Fire. Photo by Frankie Fire

 

By Cassell Ferere

For the holiday season, Ohio rapper Stalley is reminding blue-collar creatives of one thing — spending quality time with family. 

The reminder couldn’t come at a better time as essential workers are burdened with the day-to-day task of keeping our lives as normal as possible.

Reminiscing on his blue-collar roots, Stalley pays homage to hardworking, middle-class people from his hometown of Massilon to his more recent home of Brooklyn, NY, through new merchandise that represents essential workers everywhere.

Hoodie by BCG [Blue Collar gang]

Hoodie by BCG [Blue Collar gang]

Stalley is launching his highly anticipated new collection of “BCG” merchandise aptly named after his label Blue Collar Gang, within his new music video. 

Viewers can shop his merch line straight from the player of Stalley’s new music video for his single “Why You Lying,” exclusively on droppTV, the “shoppable Netflix” for hip-hop and streetwear enthused Gen-Zers.

Stalley in "Why You Lying" music video directed by Frankie Fire. Photo by Frankie Fire

Stalley in "Why You Lying" music video directed by Frankie Fire. Photo by Frankie Fire

A blue-collar creative through and through, Stalley grew up in an automotive community in Ohio, where he found a love for fixing cars and working with his hands. 

His family members would work at factories like Chevy, GM, Chrysler to make a living, and he would learn how to handle cars as a by-product.

It’s obvious Stalley won’t ever forget his blue-collar roots. He is still into cars, performing and riding through Harlem, NY in a ‘79 Chevy Caprice in the “Why You Lying” music video.

This one is for the blue-collar creatives

Stalley’s last merchandise drop sold out within 48 hours retailing two styles of hoodies, socks, two different tees, and three hat designs. 

His new album Speak No Blue, themed after Picasso’s Blue period, drops as an inspiration to blue-collar creatives — the dexterous and those grinding to make it through each day. 

And as the world still suffers from the pandemic, and Stalley is unable to tour there is still a sentiment for him to “tell my story – every day.”

BCG [Blue Collar gang] on dropptv platform. Photo by Frankie Fire

BCG [Blue Collar gang] on dropptv platform. Photo by Frankie Fire

This time Stalley’s merchandise will be available for purchase through the droppTV platform. As other platforms like Twitter expand into areas like stories, and TikTok almost faced a nationwide ban, Stalley wants to come with more visuals as “safe as possible.” 

This means that artists are compelled to create more visuals. Stylist and fashion brands are also inclined to be more conscious of the newly given power of music videos with droppTV and the information-sharing era.

Brands on dropptv platform. Photo by Frankie Fire

Brands on dropptv platform. Photo by Frankie Fire

Speak/See No Blue by Stalley has been inspired by Picasso’s Blue period when the great artist created work after a friend committed suicide. 

Picasso created art during this period Stalley recalls, 

“DESPITE UNCONTROLLABLE CONDITIONS AND LOSS, WHICH COVID KIND OF MADE ME FEEL, SO I CALLED IT SEE NO BLUE AS IN LOOKING PAST THE BAD TO SEE THE BEAUTY/ART ON THE OTHER SIDE.”

He felt the support from the everyday people who are essential to society, for who he designed his Blue Collar Gang merchandise. Stalley recalls the uniforms he would see the people from his town go to work in, and how it represents the “grind and grit” he puts into his music. 

Graphic designs and images like a bucket of paint being poured over a BCG logo, serve as a callback to his worldview as a blue-collar creative. He spent time learning about fabrics and production quality for his BCG latest collection. 

Sourcing streetwear brand quality fabrics – using the same blanks as top brands – Stalley has made available limited pieces that will last in your wardrobe.

T-shirt by BCG [Blue Collar gang]

T-shirt by BCG [Blue Collar gang]

As humble as it may be, the spirit of the BCG brand is to not only tell Stalley’s story but also be the inspiration for blue-collar creatives to maintain peace and happiness. 

Stalley has felt this love all over the world, seeing Blue Collar Gang merchandise on fans in places like the MDK festival in Warsaw, Poland, or in and around Brooklyn, NY, where he has spent most of his time in the past 20 years where he has been working on his music. 

The Ohio rapper recognizes the independent spirit of the borough, just as hardworking as his family upbringing, his music represents that to the fullest. 

Stalley admires those who commute to work every day – a part of the car culture he knows – and concludes, “the most intimate place you can be with your music is in [the] car [bus, or train].”

This time Stalley’s merchandise will be available for purchase through the droppTV platform which includes the droppTV app on iOS and Android.

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