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| DJ Doo Wop Unleashes The Flutes – A Halloween Mixtape | October 31, 2013 |
Harold Stallworth refuses to be a bounce apprentice. Doo Wop will always be my personal favorite mixtape curator. He’s the missing link between DJ Clue and Kid Capri, priding himself on exclusives but never at the expense of a flawless mix. In his heyday, he would impose his will using well-timed, echoey voice-overs that always […]
| Beats & Bossa: Kev Brown Discusses His Dedication to Brazilian Music | October 29, 2013 |
Harold Stallworth has selective hearing. Kev Brown had one hell of a Christmas vacation. Last year, the hip-hop producer spent the better part of two months gallivanting around eastern Brazil, soaking up the warm tropical sun and programming beats featured on his latest instrumental album, Brazil Dedication. More than eight months removed from what Kev […]
| Go-Go Transmogrification: TOB Repurposes Ron Isley’s “Contagious” | October 22, 2013 |
Harold Stallworth is in the club singing off-key. Sometimes a go-go cover sounds absolutely nothing like the genuine article, and more often than not, we’re all better for it. When the TOB Band—former home to up-and-coming D.C. rapper Yung Gleesh—repurposed Ron Isley’s “Contagious” and The Fugees’ “Killing Me Softly” during a performance at Gary’s Cafe […]
| Got Your Phone Tapped: Lil Durk & Zaytoven Connect | October 16, 2013 |
Harold Stallworth still has a ringtone. Throughout the Clinton era, rap music and telephones were a heavenly match. Mobb Deep’s “Party Over,” Biggie Smalls’ “Warning,” Danja Mowf’s “Phone Tag,” Medina Green’s “Crosstown Beef,” The Firm’s “Phone Tap,” and Capone-N-Noreaga’s “Phone Time” were recorded in a world when jacks still had an air of mystique about […]
| Question in the Form of an Answer: An Interview with Nature | October 15, 2013 |
Nature’s calming voice can be heard on some of DJ Clue’s earliest mixtapes, bringing forth timeless street parables rather than cheap punchlines. He made his bones on New York City’s brutally competitive mid-90s mixtape circuit among the likes of Jadakiss and Canibus. His masterful freestyles would eventually earn him admission into The Firm after Cormega, […]
| A Go-Go Tribute to Fat Joe: The Drama Squad Instagrams Things | October 14, 2013 |
Harold Stallworth wrote this off a six-pack of gluten-free beer. Fat Joe is a second-ballot Hall of Famer, but a rap legend nonetheless. As a technician, he’s never went to hell for snuffing Jesus, nor traveled at magnificent speeds around the universe. But en route to amassing a respectable catalog, he’s given us a staggering […]
| The Game: The Bullier of the Bullies | October 11, 2013 |
Harold Stallworth has a pink suit on layaway. The Game’s latest DJ Skee-curated mixtape, Operation Kill Everything, will probably get lost in the ether of Datpiff fodder, and that’s okay. He’s one of the few rappers smart enough to save most of his stellar records for retail albums. But at 19 tracks deep, he was […]
Harold Stallworth is dating Kitana. In the days before CD-R technology, retail albums were unalterable works of art, ironclad in their vision or lack thereof. For better or worse, tracklistings now serve as little more than reference points for neurotic fans masquerading as seasoned A&Rs. Migos, Atlanta’s latest brand of hip-hop antichrist, orchestrated an […]
| Cam and Talk To Me: When Killa Met Jodeci | October 1, 2013 |
Harold Stallworth is triple black like a pair of Jodeci boots. “Killa” Cam’ron Giles has never been known for subtlety or the esoteric. From blushing range rovers to industrial-size diamond earrings to O’Reilly-gate, he’s always garnered attention by yelling the loudest and shining the brightest. “Ducking Onetime” and “Come and Talk to Me,” Body and […]
| Chef Raekwon Bakes Marble Cake | September 30, 2013 |
Harold Stallworth sips the Pora and listens to Cappadonna. Last Thursday, I made an impromptu visit to “Fuego,” a Maryland strip club nestled behind an industrial strip off Kenilworth Avenue. It’s the neapolitan ice cream of adult entertainment. Three different exotic dance troupes, divvied by ethnicity, take turns occupying the main stage in half-hour rotations. […]
