Harold Stallworth lives close enough to the Pentagon to say he lives in the Pentagon. He lays claim to the largest collection of Queensbridge vinyl in the continental United States. His writing has been published by Washington City Paper, The Bookends Review, WAMU 88.5’s Bandwidth and Passion of the Weiss, among others. Occasionally, he'll share his adventures in beer and shellfish on any number of quasi-defunct social media accounts. He’s currently writing a short story about the perils of a clinically depressed club bouncer.
Currently Listening:
Miguel - Wildheart
George Benson - Space
Tragedy Khadafi - Against All Odds
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Currently Watching:
Adina Howard 20: A Story of Sexual Liberation
True Detective
Ballers
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Currently Reading:
Jabari Asim - Only The Strong| Live From The Funeral: 50 Cent Refuses to Be Forgotten | February 23, 2014 |
Harold Stallworth has been fascinated with Queens since Coming to America. Has there ever been a superstar rapper as cold as 50 Cent? In the twilight of his career, he’s as famous and rich as any of his Forbes contemporaries, but interest in his music has clearly waned—even the once ubiquitous “In The Club” has […]
| Shy Glizzy, Young Jefe | February 18, 2014 |
Harold Stallworth’s pen name is Don Cartagena. At some point throughout their career, every rapper worth their salt cultivates a latin-tinged pseudonym: Escobar, Hovito, Champagne Papi. It’s a storied tradition. Shy Glizzy, arguably the most promising young talent Washington D.C.’s rap scene has to offer, becomes the latest to throw his hat into the ring […]
| Ray West & O.C. Quietly Drop a Good Album | February 4, 2014 |
Harold Stallworth is a grown ass man. O.C.’s collaborative EP with Ray West, Ray’s Café, qualifies as what the Passion of the Weiss staff affectionately calls “grown man rap.” In fact, it’s so grown-up that the Red Apples 45’s creative art director took care to spell it with a tilde. G.M.R. means a lot of different […]
Harold Stallworth has a thing for Joan Pringle. Have you ever noticed that the golden eras for black movie soundtracks coincide with the surge and resurgence of the American durag? Perhaps if we all wore our stocking caps to work next week, The Alchemist would score the next Steve McQueen film. In the meantime, dig […]
| Roc Marciano & Step Brothers Play the Odds | January 20, 2014 |
Harold Stallworth is like the hip-hop version of Nicky Tarantino. Roc Marciano’s guest features can be unremarkable. His style is a bit too esoteric to gel with D-list underground acts. Even most of his collaborations with like-minded up-and-comer Action Bronson have suffered from a somewhat reluctant chemistry, like haphazardly splicing scenes from The Mack and […]
| Harold Stallworth Awakens From Holiday Hibernation: New Tracks from Migos, Agallah & Alchemist & Knxwledge | January 7, 2014 |
Harold Stallworth would rather be rich than famous. As much as I enjoyed contributing to several 2013 year-end lists, blurb-season admittedly took a massive toll on my desire to write about music. But after a two-week hiatus, I’m ready to make up for lost time. Here’s a few notable rap songs I neglected to share […]
| The Backyard Band Covers Nas & Trick Daddy | December 3, 2013 |
Harold Stallworth is aging gracefully. Last Friday evening, a dear friend was kind enough to offer me a spare ticket to a concert they were contracted to review. The Smoker’s Club Tour was hosted by The Fillmore, a 2,000-patron capacity theater located in downtown Silver Spring, Md., not far from my favorite cluster of record […]
| Migos — No Pad, No Pencil | November 25, 2013 |
Harold Stallworth freelances with his father’s features. It’s hard to fathom an existence without album intros. Imagine Stillmatic stripped of its triumphant preamble, The Chronic deprived of Snoop’s homoerotic taunts, or Fishscale launching directly into “Shakey Dog” before Ghostface has the chance to toil over Wu-Tang Clan’s fall from commercial grace. The lost intro from […]
| Busta Rhymes & Q-Tip — Thank You | November 11, 2013 |
Harold Stallworth would like to thank his connect. If I hadn’t already submitted my fall mixtape to upper management, I’d probably reserve my newfound obsession with go-go bands for the next round of seasonal compilations and offer up a collaborative history of Busta Rhymes and Q-Tip instead. “Thank You,” the lead single from Extinction Level […]
| Rick Ross Owns Mack Wilds Debut Single | November 4, 2013 |
Harold Stallworth is making informants get plastic surgery. Calling all Rick Ross loyalists: batten down the hatches and circle the Maybachs — trying times are before us. Florida’s greatest export since the winter-harvested tangelo appears to be on a downturn. In all likelihood, the quality of Mastermind, Ross’ sixth retail album tentatively due this holiday […]
