ART RAP WARLOCK Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Charles Dwain Stephens began recording music as Chucky Blk with his first EP, “A Prequel To” released in 2018. Being the son of a pastor, it only makes sense that Chucky has turned stage to pulpit, preaching honesty before all else through thoughtful & discerning examinations of himself and the world around him. With influences from Outkast to Noname, Blk’s verses carry a sense of urgency -this especially evident in his 2020 album A Scathing Critique of Current Affairs as he mixes jazz influenced beats from international jazz group Slug with sampled speeches of Civil Rights pioneers such as James Baldwin and William Haden. In these tracks he narrates the torrential downpour of terror in America, confronting systemic racism & the reverberations and effects of Capitalism on Black Americans. In his newest release A Tower and Thereafter, Blk turns inward as he reconciles with the wreckage left after a long term relationship ends. Turning to the art of Tarot, Chucky uses the Tower card as a metaphor for his circumstances - the Tower representing chaos & a sudden change while also opening a door to a possible revelation or breakthrough. Blk says in his own words the album is about “descaling the dragon” & learning how to rebuild oneself after a change that brings destruction. Through his lyrical verse, we see Chucky Blk finding power in destruction and turning the shards into little revelations on A Tower and Thereafter.