Fly in Formation - Ol’ Skool & StR8 GUttA

Many artists I talk to shit all over the concept of "pay to play," a practice in which promoters book opening acts for big-name shows. The common opinion is that it's promoters shifting their promotional work onto others. The acts agreeing to open are frequently required to sell a set number of tickets, and if they can't, they must purchase the specified amount themselves. Personally, I always refrained from participating in such shows, which meant I never opened for famous artists when they came to Edmonton.

However, Gutta and Ol’ Skool took the opposite approach. They were willing to put in the extra effort to network and hopefully build relationships with music legends. They converted those additional hours of ticket selling into their new project, "West Coast AllStars," set to release online on Nov 10. The album features a star-studded lineup of West Coast royalty, from E-40 and the Game to WC and the Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, and even Snoop Dogg himself. The full track-list will be revealed by them soon.

During our conversation, we delved into various aspects of the Edmonton Hip Hop scene, its perceived lack of unity, the writing and recording process, the story of how these two old friends first crossed paths, and much more.

These Fly in Formation interviews occur live on Twitch every Tuesday. Feel free to drop by, engage with new artists, and learn about local scenes across Canada. There's an abundance of talent out there, waiting to be discovered.

If you're craving more music in your life or if mainstream Hip Hop has lost its spark for you, tune in to #ATSIC (After the Smoke is Clear), my mix show where I feature the best new rap releases from across the map every week. The archives are freely available, featuring hour-long unedited mixes with approximately 90 percent Canadian content. You can catch up on episodes you missed at https://www.mixcloud.com/doobyis. New episodes are posted every week, either Monday and Thursday. It helps me keep it consistent to build in that variable.

If you appreciate the music, please show your support. If you enjoy Fly in Formation and After the Smoke is Clear, you can contribute to our cause and keep things running smoothly by donating directly through PayPal. My record label is called FPGRecords, and your donations help sustain the show, the interviews, and my music production. Subscribing on Twitch is another fantastic way to support us. If you're already an Amazon Prime subscriber, you can link your account to your Twitch account and get a free monthly subscription to your favorite streamer. Each subscription puts a few dollars in the creator's pocket.

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