On Wednesday, January 29th, Chop Clark released "Novacane", the third single from his forthcoming debut project, Best Laid Plans. The track features a couple of iconic verses from Frank Dutch and Conway from the acclaimed rap trio, Griselda. Seige Monstracity, who's doctored several hits by the likes of Busta Rhymes, Big Boi, Lil Wayne, Dr. Dre, and Kodak Black, produced the song and gave it the gritty depth reflected in the lyrics.
Griselda, the front-running rap crew signed to Shady Records flooded the game with grimey east coast sounds and heavy production this year. This song echoes that influence and grounds the stylistic production with witty lyricism. "Novacane is about what pain does to somebody tryna do good," Chop Clark said. "We all snap at times. That's what I wanted to do on that song...take all the good Inside me and turn it into bad intentions. I been through a more than the average rapper."
The spelling of the single's title is important. A Nova is what happens when a dimming star explodes and shines brighter than all the rest before going back to its original state. "Novocain is a numbing agent. That's how I feel before I explode; numb," Chop said. "I explained it to Conway and Frank Dutch and they both killed it."
Chop's incredible story begins in Brooklyn where he first got a taste of life as a musician, as
THE SON of a touring keyboardist on the road. He was classically trained as a saxophonist from elementary school to college, where he thrived as a Jazz marching band member. He was offered a partial scholarship to the Berklee College of Music after high school, but turned it down to attend Clark Atlanta University where his music plans were suddenly derailed.
"I've been discriminated against all my life because I'm Black," he shared. "I tried to go to school and be good but I lost my scholarship and had to go into the military. George W sent me to war. I saw people die. I came back to homelessness. I had no job skills. I was homeless for three years. Nobody saved me, I saved up. I bought a house in Texas. Than a hurricane took it away and I was homeless again. I lived in my truck with two pit bulls for 6 months. While I held down a job as a dishwasher. That's when I recorded Novacane."
The trained chef/military veteran/recording artist sacrificed more than the average person would to finally achieve his goals. "I sacrificed. I worked 50 hours a week to meet invoices and deadlines. I lived off of what was left over. I went without," Chop confessed. "I took evictions trying to get it all done. I lost friends and loved ones because they couldn't watch me struggle. I paid the cost to
BE THE BOSS of my empire."
His advice is a message of perseverance. "If you want something you have to run it down! Full speed ahead! And when you get knocked out, get up, go remediate yourself, figure out what you did wrong and fix it. That's what boxers do. Run back the tape, then run the next fade. Keep swinging. My company, Chopworks Media was finally incorporated in 2018. I'm a legit business owner with a legit product. I wouldn't recommend anybody risk homelessness but at the same time I wouldn't tell you it's not all worth it in the end."
Click above to listen to "Novocane" and click below to watch the video for "Sacrifice (ft. Mickey Factz", released earlier this month!
