03/02/2013
Local artists promote Iowa's urban sound in new video
WATERLOO, Iowa --- When you think of hip-hop music, Iowa isn't the first location that comes to mind, much less Waterloo. But a group of local musicians is working hard to change that.
Their music video, "Middle of the Map (Iowa Cypher)," is gaining attention --- and YouTube views --- for a growing movement in Iowa focused on local urban music.
The video, which features eight local rappers --- Lyrikal, Killa Quey, A-Spell, Prophet, Too Klean, Shay Fresh, Khal Ball and Mayhem --- was produced by Waterloo residents Marc Nalls and Chris Stayton, better known in the music industry as Lyrikal and Trak, respectively. Their production company is The Teknitions.
Nalls, who moved to Waterloo from Minneapolis about 10 years ago, and Stayton, a St. Louis native who has lived in Waterloo for five years, officially formed their production company in 2009.
"A mutual friend got us together," Stayton said. "He knew we both do musical production work.
"We have good chemistry, and we started collaborating," he said. "We're trying to establish our name and our tags."
For the "Middle of the Map" video, Stayton and Nalls recruited other artists.
"We work with a lot of people locally and around Iowa," said Nalls, who has an in-home studio. "We wanted to bring everyone together and collaborate on a single track and create the biggest buzz."
"We recruited local artists, the ones with the biggest clout in the Waterloo-Cedar-Falls area," Stayton said. "We want to show the nation what Waterloo is all about. What Iowa is all about. There is musical talent here. We have a big sound, very versatile, rapping, singing, music production, videography. We want to make a mark in the music business."
The video, which was filmed over two days in and around Waterloo, is nearly 10 minutes in length. It was filmed by Michael Muhammad of Mi3rdeye Photography and Julian Jordan of JUFILMZ and edited by Tru Entertainment Films.
The video is peppered with language and references that some might find offensive.
"It is not that we want to glamorize the hoods or the gang banging," Nalls said. "But we have been exposed to a lot of the same things as major cities."
Those involved with the video want the rest of the country to know what kind of talent can be found in Iowa and in Waterloo.
"We get overlooked," Nalls said. "We are definitely not a go-to city ... and we wanted to do something about that. The next step with the video should give us that boost."
That step is to get the video posted on worldstarhiphop.com, the No. 1 urban music video blog site, Nalls said.
It will cost the group $750 to get the video posted.
"We are all collectively throwing in to get that exposure," Nalls said. "It is definitely a powerful tool.
"We are coming together in unity to make this Iowa music movement actually move," he said.
As for the reaction the video is already receiving, Stayton describes it as "mad love."
"People are contacting us, sending us emails," he said.
"Locally, to see something positive get the kind of attention it deserves ..." said Nalls.
"It's like a breath of fresh air," Stayton said. "We are definitely trying to take it to the next level." ... Stay Strong ... Remain Blessed ... Peace, Harmony and Love :) ♥
Photo Credits: Team's Staff
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Alphonso ... aka Butch!
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