“Real Rare” by Abesi Manyando
There was nothing bigger then Zone 6 day in Atlanta this past weekend. The Freebandz army and their legion of soldiers and fans were in full force at Coan Park and on social media. They dominated posts, pics and shared videos from the celebration of their leaders’ Eastside upbringings. One specific video caught everybody by surprise and started a chain reaction of creatives recreating their own versions.
Freebandz CEO Casino was in high spirits and dancing away during a studio session with North Carolina native Wallway Pack. In the video everyone got to hear the snippet of their feel good party anthem, Issa Party and social media took it over after that.
The Wallway Pack record produced by Ashley Booker and featuring Rickey Mane with background vocal by American Idol, Gabbi Jones is a potential monstrous hit if its marketed correctly. Casino starts off the song with a catchy melodic verse filled with subliminal’s of love, insults and comedy like only Casino can deliver. Wallway Pack follows up with a hard-hitting memorable edgy verse that captures his raw sound. The proud Raleigh native with charisma and star quality embedded in his veins who caught a wave with the still unfinished track says he “just feels blessed” to be in this moment.
“I can’t believe how much its catching on,” said Pack in our conversation. “Especially because it hasn’t even been a week since I recorded my verse,” said Pack. The raspy-voiced rapper who has a unique voice is humble and cool at all times but even he seems surprised by the response he’s getting.
If there was ever a perfect collaboration created through organic energy, fun and mutual respect it is this record. This moment is a big moment for Wallway Pack who has been grinding for seven years. Seven is a spiritual number so who knows what the universe has in stock for Wallway Pack? I’ve been want to critically understand and write about Pack since Casino gave me little excerpts of his life.
Nothin to Somethin’
A wall is a vertical brick or stone structure created as a partition to divide something or someone says Webster Dictionary. Sometimes its a structure that serves to hold back pressure. Other times it is a term to describe an extreme or desperate situation. Such as we had our back against the wall. In most instances a wall is a barrier or defense mechanism utilized in aspects of arms and war. But according to the Bible, the Hebrew meaning of a wall has positive connotations and not the negative ones we’ve become accustomed to. The meaning of a wall appears 133 times in the Old-Testament and 18 times in the New- Testament, meaning to produce, bear, be born, bring forth, be delivered, and to be in travail. As referenced on thewall.org.uk ,”If you look at it from a positive perspective then a wall can be used to protect, and give a sense of security. It can speak volumes concerning value and a sense of belonging. A wall can speak of significance, acceptance, and security, which is something that all humankind desires and is in search of.” The word is much powerful than most assume. There are so many definitions of a wall but ironically each definition embodies elements of rapper, Wallway Pack’s life. Each definition is a careful snapshot of different times of his life. Yet he owns every avenue and intersection of his movie-worthy life. He accepts all the beautiful and broken pieces that he pieces together through the poetry of rap. Good or bad, Pack is honest and transparent enough to accept the walls he has built, created or torn down through the language of hip hop and poignant stories. All facts and no cap.
Raleigh, North Carolina is a tale of two cities. The city itself is an attractive hotbed for scholars and aspiring engineers from around the world who come to experience the high level of educational and tech opportunities that the “Research Triangle” (comprised of Raleigh, Chapel Hill and Durham) is known for. Ancient Greek architecture styled buildings and perfectly manicured lawns that were once slave plantations encompass what many consider is most beautiful about the Southern metropolis that is proud of its rich heritage. Most people don’t even contest that a heritage deeply embedded in wealth at the expense and lives of African-Americans is problematic especially because this dynamic is the seed that caused the disintegration of the Black family which had always been historically strong based on African tradition. North Carolina’s history is what gave bloom to the poverty and violence that has shaped the other side of Raleigh. The strong Southern roots of North Carolina flourished long after the civil war. Opression, discrimination and systemtic racism which is a system put in place by society and the government to economically debilitate a race of people through lack of equality and the denial of opportunity to rise. Because how can anyone thrive in a society systematically created for you to fail? How can any man endure that and the humiliation of not being able to provide for your family? The psychological trauma of this is very real. There is a reason a lot of Black fathers disappered from households and why many ended up back into the slavery of America’s prison sysytem. Wallway Pack is the offspring of North Carolina’s complex and prejudiced social dynamic. He spoke extensively about the impact of not having his father present in his life. “I just know I could’ve been a better kid if I had the direction of my father. I feel like there’s a lot I could’ve learned with that kind of support but I’m good and I don’t really care anymore cause we still made it out without him.” Although he’s been on the grind for a while now Pack is being received extremely well at this particular moment…and that’s a fact. Singer Gabbi Jones who lends background vocals to IssaParty says she fell in in love with his verse the minute she heard his voice. “It was so different and so strong that I didn’t even want to add backgrounds to his part at all. I was afraid to take away from his delivery,” shared the former American Idol from St. Louis.
If you were to ask me to define Pack’s artistry, I would say Wallway Pack’s artistry is a composition of raw, gutter unfiltered lyrics intertwined with catchy melodic hooks and rhyme stories told straight with no chaser. This is the best definition of Pack’s impeccable body of work. Imagine if Biggie and Tupac mentored and nurtured a seed that bloomed into the best versions of themselves, this would be Pack. The North Carolina native did not come to play or embellish his life stories turned to rap. I have to say that because a lot of rappers are letting memory and amnesia play games with their mind and rapping El Chapo fantasies that they’ve only seen on A & E documentaries while growing up in the suburbs. Pardon my digression. At any rate, Pack is transparent and as real as it gets. He is Malcom X’s dream personified into music. The Native son who has evolved and transitioned through knowledge, love and lessons learned about fake love. He is a young man who grew up in poverty with no father, a dedicated mother and a struggle that would have broken others. But not him, Pack is not made of glass. “I can’t
break cause I’ve been through it all. We came up hard eating cabbage all the time and my mother was only seventeen when she had me. But she took such good care of us. We always had nice shoes and were put together. Some kids didn’t have a father or mother. I had my mother, she is everything to me. She made it happen out of no way. But around the age of thirteen I saw how I could make my own money. I learned the streets. I didn’t even make it past the 9th grade. I saw a lot but I survived and I didn’t break,” Pack explained.
Although his childhood may have been brittle, hard and translucent like glass, Pack’s composition is made of steel and the concrete he grew from—-proving nature’s law’s wrong as TuPac says in The Rose That Grew From Concrete. Theoretically Pack shouldn’t even be trending on instagram with a radio friendly trap pop song that has DJ’s and fans cussing him and Casino out for not being available. (Everybody is hard on instagram when they don’t have to drop that location…) Pack shouldn’t be living well and enjoying the waves in South Beach and L.A or soaking up all the chocolate city, culture and history Washington D.C has to offer but he is. Riding around with blue faces that can’t fold, Pack is in a moment of breakthrough. Not just in his songs, in real life. Thanks to his resilient drive, a vision for success and a mother and brother (technically uncle, John Wall) who wanted better for him. There is a lot to be told and written about Wallway Pack but this is just an introduction of what is yet to come.
Wallway Pack’s story is one about struggle, pain, a mother’s love, an undying dream to succeed and a family bond that defines every term of endearment. All of these beautiful and at time daunting dynamics make Pack different from what we’re used to and what we’ve become accustomed to. With songs like “Nothin’ to Somethin’ ” with Moneybagg Yo, and the “Issa Party” record its fair to say we no longer have to settle. We deserve the best package and Pack definitely delivers. Perhaps we can expect music that encompasses a true story seven years in the making. Seven equals completion. God made the heavens and earth in seven days. It is God’s number not just a lucky number. The foundation of the number is a spiritual homage to God’s strength. There are no ironies in life, it is all already written by the highest power. “I have no regrets about my life because every mistake and situation helped me shape my mindset and how to make better decisions. I went to prison at 18 and that was probably the best thing that could have happened to me because it saved me. There’s nothing glamorous about the streets or pain. For me my music is my therapy and diary. I’m rapping from my soul. Thats why it comes across so passionate. I pour every hurt, disappointment, win and memory into my music,” shared Pack. Now who can not be inspired by someone so transparent. Maybe Pack is picking up where TuPac left off adding the much needed authenticity that is lacking in hip hop. “Not everyone is living lavish so they can’t relate to all the rappers’ high lifestyle songs. People are going through real situations. I just want to bring that real realness back and show people it’s okay to be yourself. You don’t have to follow everybody.” That’s real rare.
written by Abesi Manyando @abesipr
