Words by Tiffany Walden (@waldens_block)
Stunt Taylor wants next, so pass him he rock. He’s done sitting on the sidelines waiting for his turn on the world stage. It’s 2016 and the “Fefe On The Block” rapper is ready to get what he deserves, which he believes is the 2016 XXL Freshman title. You know, one of hip-hop’s most prestigious honors. It’s the annual listing of tomorrow’s rising stars – names some hip-hop heads have been bobbing to for months already.
With that said, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Chicago has been well represented on the XXL cover in recent years. Mr. Sosa himself, Chief Keef, put his Drill music on the map when he (kind of) made the cover in 2013. And in 2014, Chicago took over with Chance The Rapper, Vic Mensa, Lil Durk and Lil Bibby. Last year, Tink joined the ranks.
But, check this out. All of those heavy-hitters holding it down for the Chi are from the south side or south suburbs. Where’s the west side love? “We not represented at all,” says Stunt Taylor, who hails from K-Town’s own 15th Street and Komensky Avenue. Outside of the overnight success of his Austin-area cousin DLOW, of the “Bet You Can’t Do It Like Me” bop craze, it’s like the city is one-sided when it comes to the music scene.
“Motherfuckers don’t even know who we are,” Stunt continues. “We [the west side] don’t even exist.”
The Jan. 15 release of Stunt’s third mixtape, MaisonMargielaMusic, will change that. Also known as Kyle Taylor, his government name, the Stuntman teamed up with producers C-Sick, JetsonMadeIt, Larry Beats and JDOnTheTrack for the new music. With his lead single “Racks” and a killer freestyle over the infamous Metro Boomin “Jumpman” beat, Stunt is well on his way to the main stage.
“Future is my favorite rapper, man, and he really influenced me,” Stunt says. “The reason I know about Margielas is because of him.” For those of you who are out of touch with high fashion, a pair of Maison Margiela kicks run anywhere from $200 to upwards $1,000. “I got about 10 pair,” Stunt boasts. “I got Lil Stunt a pair coming, too, ‘cause he’s big enough.”
That’s his 1-year-old son, Carter, the beautiful curly-haired boy posted almost daily on Stunt’s Instagram. Many of the tracks on MaisonMargielaMusic are similar to the uptempo “Racks,” where Stunt raps about buying bottles at the club and throwing bands – living the life, basically. But the 26-year-old made sure to save a couple of tracks (“Sauce” and “Margiela”) for his only child. “It’s just about me going hard and not stopping and being there for him as a father,” says Stunt, while whipping up some chicken tenders and fries at home for his baby boy. “I never had a father in my life. No male figures. I know how it feels. I’m in his life foreal, foreal, everyday.”
Stunt remembers his first moment of fame; June 2013 when “FeFe On The Block” hit the airwaves. Since then, the video has garnered more than 4.5 million views on YouTube. The self-proclaimed HookGod also has more than 12,000 followers on Twitter and 43,000 followers on Instagram. Yet, sometimes, he still doesn’t feel the love on Chicago radio. “They don’t play it [“Racks”] enough for me. I got a lot of great music,” Stunt says. “Sometimes I don’t understand why. I came back with ‘Flee Amigo.’ I came back with the song with Me, Keef and Twista. They ain’t support it.”
Some say Stunt is the most underrated rapper out of Chicago. He agrees. “Help me get nominated,” Stunt says, speaking about the 2016 XXL Freshman list. “Who else from Chicago ‘gon get put on there? Everybody from Chicago already on. I speak that into existence. I know I’m getting onto XXL. It’s ‘gon happen.”