Steven Malcolm: Upcoming Album, Boxing KB, & Song Premiere [Interview]

Steven Malcolm just released his new EP All Is True and he’s got a lot more on the horizon. We caught up recently and he was visibly excited to share about all that is in store.

Premiere “On Point” with Steven Malcolm & KB.

All is True – What does this title mean for you?

One time my cousin, a long time ago… he’s still out in the world. He was like “bro I wanna listen to the strip club music bro, why you gotta do the clean stuff?”

What I said is, “listen bro what they’re saying is fake, it’s fabricated, they don’t have the money they’re talking about, their car is rented.” The biggest thing I value as an artist, based not only on faith, but I don’t cuss and I don’t talk about crazy stuff, it’s that everything I say is true. There’s nothing to lie about because all I talk about is my faith, my heart, my mind, and my life. That’s what I value.

If you’re gonna listen to my music, this is truth. It’s so truth that it’s scripture. That’s where it comes from. I remember listening to Ice Cube. Everybody thought Ice Cube was gangster. He’s an actor, I mean he was no punk, but he’s an actor. He didn’t do everything that was in the rhymes. For me, I’m a hip-hop head, I really love authenticity and originality so I value everything being true. Every lyric and word, every single bar is true.

I liked this project. You’ve got some bangers, you like to have fun. I appreciate the artistry in all of it. I write reviews for RZ, I do a thing called the Bar Exam, and I gave your this EP an above the bar rating, except for your song “We Goin Up.” It’s a fun song, I just wrote how I needed more meat to it.

Bro, I read that! You reviewed the EP! *laughs* I laugh because what’s crazy is you were spot on. Me? I have a whole team, so that means multiple opinions. When I was working on that record it was produced by Street Symphony. Street Symphony is Street Symphony, so if he says something – that’s a Grammy-winning ear so I’m gonna take heed. My boy Joseph Prielozny I’mma take heed.

So we’re in the studio and we’re like “Yo after the intro what’s track number two?” I wanted it to be something else, but Street was like nah we gotta hit em with a bang. I told them nah, it seems so sudden to come out of something so chill. (Imitating the sirens in the song) “DUUUN DUUUUN DUUUUN DUUUUUN!” I’m like nahhhh! Then I read your review and I was like “I KNEW IT!”

“We Goin’ Up” was the first record we did. It was the ice breaker. I kept it in there because when I perform it live it goes crazy. It’s an easy song, but I felt like there wasn’t thickness to it though in the verses. Like there is something missing in that song, so you were spot on.

What’s the goal for releases moving forward? EPs again? Or will you drop a full length?

Listen… so I have an album. I HAVE THIS ALBUM! I need to share this like every day. Once Covid started to go away, what broke my cycle… The cycle I went through this un-inspiration, I can’t do what I’m passionate about, here comes depression, here comes anxiety, but then my son came. Then boom… all that’s gone! I was like “I’m back!” I hit Joseph (Prielozny) and I was like “put me in an Airbnb in my city downtown for a whole weekend. Thursday through Monday I’m gonna lock it in.” I said “send me a folder.”

There are two producers on this album. This one kid from Amsterdam named Damy, and then this guy named Boogs who produced on DONDA. Them two linked up with Joseph and created a folder. They sent me a folder, I went to that Airbnb and I created my album.

This album is my greatest work. It’s 17 records, and the whole time you listen to it, it’s non-stop. This is the first time reaching out to my homies, this is the first time I’m working with features that I wanna work with. In the past, it’s been like Joseph doing his A&R thing. I’m dumb excited.

Seriously it goes insane. I have it dropping at the top of next year. This will be the dopest CHH album to ever come out, hands down. Then I will have the single of the summer to follow. That song is with the artist who was my first favorite hip-hop artist ever. He’s a legend. LEGEND. I’m not a name-dropper, but you know how I’ve been doing, I poke in, I do my thing with Andy and Hollyn, I do my thing with Natalie Grant, I do my thing with Shaggy and Rehab. So I’m at the point where I’m asking what will I do next?

I don’t know if KB announced this yet, but he’s doing a fight night. I know people on Twitter have seen I’m getting into boxing. KB too, doing his thing. He hit me up and said, “Yo bro I’m hosting a fight night in Tampa you should come through.”

I’ve been excited about that because I’ve never fought before. I’ve been training for a year and I told myself that once I reach a year of training, I’mma fight. I cut all sugars, I don’t eat cereal anymore. Man, I haven’t had a bowl of cereal in I don’t know how long! I’m drinking mad water. The fight night is October 29th. We’re probably gonna announce it soon. I’ve been excited about that, getting in the ring is gonna be cool.

Let’s talk about your videos. All your videos are exceptional. Are you involved in the creative process with those or is that your team?

Man, it’s all me, I get my team in trouble! I’m heavily inspired by movies bro. I had to explain this to a worship pastor once. His wife saw the “Fuego” video and she didn’t want to have me at their church. He had to show her the lyrics. (I have to explain that) I didn’t get saved until I was 19.

All of my childhood and young adult life I was watching movies like Pulp Fiction, Freddy Krueger, Blade, you know what I mean? I love horror movies, I love crazy killing shooting movies. I love murder movies and shows. So when I listen to my songs I get inspired by these movies. So for “Fuego,” I was inspired by the movie Desperado with Antonio Banderas. I wanted bandits, they’re running, they’ve got money, stuff is blowing up.

Yeah, that shot where you’re standing in the crates is so dope.

Yeah, we shot that in Miami near the Everglades. All the boat stuff was in the Everglades. That crate scene was shot at a factory at like 3 am, 4 am.

That’s the thing, every time you release a video I’m gonna watch because it’s always something new. There’s another level of artistry in the visuals.

My biggest wrestle now is when we released “Glory On Me,” I wanted to tell the story of a kid choosing the streets or having to turn away from the dope man, but if we go to shoot (and take gear) overseas I can’t take that stuff. Guns and stuff get flagged (when you try to take them out of the country.) But then I have a song on the new album called “Shoot Me” *laughs*. It’s a hard single! All I can think about is a remake of From Dusk Til Dawn with George Clooney and everybody turns into vampires and we shoot em… but that’s too crazy. Or like In Too Deep with LL Cool J and Omar Epps, but there are guns involved in everything, it’s tough.

I think that’s gonna be me eventually bro. I’m gonna be the Christian that bends the line. I want to bring reality to my videos. Like even with Andalé, I heard the pastor on stage say they didn’t think Andalé was Christian. Literally heard her say that. But that song is about me rejecting temptation. The video is inspired by the movie Get Out. Like if you go watch the beginning with her on the computer, she’s looking for a new man, and the groupie finds me and tracks my house. She’s having fantasies when she sees my picture. That’s a type of reality that I bring. I bring reality and super dope creativity. Who knows? The next time there might be some shooting going on, haha.

Before we hang up, just want to give a huge shout-out to Street Symphony. When I first got signed to Curb I remember when I was making my first album I was sitting in Nashville with Joe and Street pulled up. I don’t know if you know, but Street is plugged in. He’s produced for Nip, for Gotti, for Meek, he just knows. He’s got wisdom. I asked him for five minutes, and he gave me wisdom at that time for five minutes. But for me to work with him now, the guy who produced for Church Clothes 1 & 2, and Gravity, those were sharpening tools for me. You feel me?

Rapzilla posted my first video for “Real Hip Hop.” You’ve been rocking with me since the beginning. When I got signed I went through a journey but when I got to work with Street that was the moment I found my sound, I found my WHY. He helped me get back to why I’m doing this and who I’m doing this for. (He helped me with) my mission and vision. With All Is True, to see people’s response and see the execution of it, that’s a stepping stone of what’s to come. AND… just know… Playtime is done.

THE ALBUM’S COMING! THIS ALBUM IS CRAZY!

Luc DiMarzio
Luc DiMarzio
Luc has been a fan of CHH for 30 years, and has been writing about it for just over 4 years. He has a huge passion for amplifying the underground of CHH. When he's not bumpin hip-hop, you can catch him leading worship at his local church, rooting on the Chicago Cubs with his wife, or swimming with his kids.
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