“During the crack era of the 80’s my mom moved us to 145^th Street and St. Nicholas Ave.  As a shorty, I would come out of my building and see Alpo doing tricks on his bike,” says Money Stacks. Harlem spitter/hustler Money Stacks has been front and center during Uptown’s historic Hip-Hop era. Through legendary block parties held throughout neighborhoods, that’s where he would see legends like Biz Markie and Lovebug Starski rock the crowds, and watching Mase, his cousin’s friend, on the come up. Money Stacks, a first-hand witness to those early days.

“I’ve been blessed to be in places where I would see Big L and Cam while they were rising but never while I was on music time,” he offers. With his focus on the streets and the legal consequences of those moves, it would be many years until Money Stacks could take music seriously. His newest release Hu$tla2 (a full-length follow-up to his 2019 EP) is a full-on East-Coast boom-bap work of art.  The album’s first single, “The Real Blow,” has that gritty soul feeling (courtesy of producer Onaje Jordan) for his gruff vocals to rock over. The video was directed by Gee (Chinatown Sound).