Charlie Mu$Cle – Active

Charlie Mu$cle reps streets of Kansas City
with new album ‘Goonz and Tycoonz’

KANSAS CITY, MO – Charlie Mu$cle’s life has been marked by a lot of tragedy, and that pain permeates his music in ways that tell powerful stories of the streets. When he was a teenager, his best friend, Cornell Lewis, the person who introduced him to music by encouraging him to make raps while listening to beats in his basement, was murdered at the age of 17. Out of his anger, Charlie started becoming bolder and bolder in his criminal endeavors and eventually landed in prison where he stayed for 16 years. Just before he was set to be released, his 17-year-old son Tre was tragically killed in a car accident. As most would expect, this was devastating for Charlie, and the only way he could cope was to pour himself into his music.

Out of that emotional release came his new album, “Goonz and Tycoonz,” which features the hit single “Keepin’ It Lit,” a tribute to his son. The album is a project that Charlie said “comes from the heart” and touches on stories and experiences from his life that not only nod to his time on the streets but also speak to the wisdom that he has gleaned over the years.

“I’m not really trying to cater to everybody,” he said. “I understand my demographic and my audience, and it’s the streets. It’s the underground. The Goonz and Tycoonz are my associates, and with this album, I’m trying to represent those Goonz and Tycoonz in Kansas City.”

With “Keepin’ It Lit,” Charlie offers a personal look at his life as he speaks about the loss of his son, and uses that experience to connect with others who have experienced loss and tragedy whether because of a hard life on the streets, or through accidents such as the one his son experienced. Alongside such a deep and introspective song comes other more hard-hitting singles such as “Active” – an upbeat vibe that reminds listeners that he still has the goods to make it in the music industry – and “Tattletale Epidemic” – which is a scathing critique of those in the world who snitch on others.

“It’s addressing this way of telling on your friends,” Charlie said. “There’s a different between snitching and telling. If you’re a law-abiding citizen who isn’t involved in crime and you report on a crime, that’s what you’re supposed to do. That’s not snitching. But if you’re a person who is involved in crime and you get caught and you’re first instinct is to tell about everybody else – which is happening a lot these days – then that’s just wrong. That’s what this song is about.”

Charlie said he knows that fans of hardcore street Hip Hop will love this new album, and he’s excited for the ways his unique sound and style will be showcased to the world. He said his time in prison gave him the opportunity to explore a wide variety of different sounds and styles – from West Coast to East Coast to Down South and everything in between – all of which has formed his own style.

“I listen to the substance and the content, and though I don’t necessarily have a particular sound, it will always be genuine and you can feel it,” he said. “It’s real music. I just want my music to represent the streets and the struggle. Somewhere along the line, the essence of Hip Hop just got lost. It used to be about saying something but a lot of artists today aren’t saying anything. I just want to bring that realness back to Rap music.”