Stevie Stone has been one of the earliest affiliates of Strange Music. Dating back to the label’s formation in 1999, he rocked the very first SM show with Tech N9ne and has been tight with the entire staff since. However, it wasn’t until 2011 that he signed with the independent powerhouse and began the next chapter of his career. From 2007 to 2010, Stone was building the blocks needed to enjoy a career within rapping while on Ruthless Records with Hopsin. While Hop had known issues with Ruthless, Stevie remained quiet and just continued to learn and work until his time came. In the last year, he released his debut album, Rollin’ Stone, and an EP titled Momentum. This summer, he stands tall alongside Krizz Kaliko and ¡MAYDAY! on the Summer of Strange tour, and in less than two months will drop his sophomore LP, 2 Birds, 1 Stone. A lot of birds are falling victim to this stone.

Sitting down with Sermon’s Domain, Stevie Stone discussed his sophomore album in-depth. Everything from why he decided on the title to the features and production to how he’d compared it to Rollin’ Stone. We also talked about being on Ruthless Records and if he felt like Hopsin did (who was very vocal about his distaste for the label), being on tour without Tech N9ne and how he almost became a basketball player instead of a rapper.

How the Summer of Strange tour is going (0:48)
If he felt the same frustration that Hopsin did when they were on Ruthless Records (1:36)
Why he chose to call his sophomore album 2 Birds, 1 Stone (3:00)
Working at Tree Sound Studios and how it helped the album (3:46)
The overall sound of the album compared to Rollin’ Stone (4:48)
Features and production on 2 Birds, 1 Stone (6:53)
What he’d be doing if he wasn’t rapping (8:35)