Wally Clark is a man of many talents. As an entrepreneur he co-founded Gummy Soul, an indie hip hop label that has become one of the most exciting destinations on the Internet with a regular assortment of distinct new releases offered for free or priced at the consumer’s own discretion. As a producer he was given the master tapes to the Souls of Mischief’s classic debut 93 ‘til Infinity to dismantle and reconstruct as 93 Still, the quintessential love letter to the tones, techniques and feel of nineties hip hop. But as an MC? That’s where Wally Clark really shines.
His two albums, Lovers Lane (2012) and Sportin’ Waves (2013) mix the “Gosh! Wow!” innocence of Archie with the infectious “Dirt off your Shoulder” confidence of Jay-Z in a manner that not only makes sense but somehow seems complete. They are old and new, refreshing and familiar, mature and brash. They represent the absolute best of the things they love and seek to spread that love through a dreamscape of breezy guitars, wistful chimes, sharp horns and deeply autobiographical rhymes. Mr. Clark agreed to answer a few questions in the present tense.
- Sportin’ Waves is…
Wally Clark: …a good representation of my personality.
- Gummy Soul is…
Wally Clark: …a refreshing change from what you are used to.
- Doo Wop is…
Wally Clark: …Innocence in song form.
- Hip Hop is…
Wally Clark: …a genre based on personal style.
- Canada is…
Wally Clark: …getting harder to get into.
- America is…
Wally Clark: …a Country built on confidence.
- Love is…
Wally Clark: …the cause and solution to all of my problems.
- The music industry is…
Wally Clark: …desperately in need of a make over.
- The music industry should be…
Wally Clark: …changed to reflect the sample culture that we live in.
- The first tape/CD that I ever bought was…
Wally Clark: …De La Soul’s 3 Feet High and Rising.
- The first concert that I ever went to was…
Wally Clark: …Screaming Jay Hawkins.
- The most underrated album of all time is…
Wally Clark: …Redman’s Muddy Waters.
- The most underrated artist of all time is…
Wally Clark: …Blowfly.
- Over the past twenty years, the biggest change to hip hop has been…
Wally Clark: …the decline of sampling.
- Over the past fifty years, the biggest change to North American society has been…
Wally Clark: …the effects that the Walmarts have had on small towns.
- The difference between writing and performing is…
Wally Clark: …writing is where I create the reality that I then go perform in.
- If I could, I would…
Wally Clark: …reform the copyright laws to allow hip hop artists to freely express themselves through sampling.
- The one thing that every person should do before they go to bed tonight is…
Wally Clark: …kiss a beautiful woman on the neck.
Sportin’ Waves, Lovers Lane and 93 Still are available on GummySoul.com.
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Theodore Wiebe is a writer living in Calgary. You can follow more of his important nonsense on Twitter (@TheodoreWiebe) or Tumblr (writingafterdark.tumblr.com).
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