Last Wednesday, Chop Clark released “Novacane,” featuring Conway (from the acclaimed rap trio, Griselda) and Frank Dutch. Produced by Seige Monstracity, the song explores what it feels like to go numb under the pressures of life before we explode into our potential.
First Impressions
At first listen, the vibe immediately invokes a hardcore, cerebral, brand of East Coast boom-bap. There’s something comforting about a steady woodblock and muted church bells that reconnects you to memories of the early 2000s.
As the third single from his forthcoming debut project, Best Laid Plans, “Novacane” is one of Chop’s best collaborations. He starts off with some truth about how heavy it can feel to always make the wisest choice.
Detailing a list of power quotes and life advice he internalized over the years, Chop taps into the frustration of the good guy. No good deed goes unpunished. Frank comes in to intensify the volatility of the song’s premise with bravado and dares any naysayers to challenge his ammunition.
In Conway’s verse, he switches up the cadence and brings the song back down to the reality of the grind. He calls out the fraudulent and reminds us that nothing is as it seems. Not everyone is born to be a hustler.
Seige already built an impressive catalog of hits and lent his flavor to the banger, effectively rounding out the sound. His production resume includes hits with artists like Busta Rhymes, Big Boi, Lil Wayne, Dr. Dre, Kodak Black and more.
The Calm Before the Storm
The spelling of the single’s title is important. A nova is what happens when a dimming star explodes and shines brighter than all the rest before going back to its original state. “Novocaine is a numbing agent. That’s how I feel before I explode; numb,” Chop said. “I explained it to Conway and Frank Dutch and they both killed it.”
Conway’s main outfit, Griselda, detonated the rap game in 2019. The Shady Records crew flooded the digital landscape with nine new records, including their official debut album, WWCD. Together, they reconditioned the state of hip-hop with grimey East Coast sounds suspended in a healthy dose of real-life angst. This song slips into that influence and grounds the stylistic production with witty lyricism.
“Novacane is about what pain does to somebody tryna do good,” Chop Clark said. “We all snap at times. That’s what I wanted to do on that song…take all the good inside me and turn it into bad intentions. I been through more than the average rapper.”
Who Is Chop Clark?
As the son of a touring keyboardist, Chop Clark played classical saxophone from elementary school to college, where he thrived in a Jazz marching band. He even turned down a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music to attend Clark Atlanta University (which is also known for its marching band). Once he made it to ATL, he juggled a strenuous band schedule with internships at WCLK Radio and Stankonia Recording Studios.
The beginning war in the Middle East suddenly derailed Chop Clark’s music plans. He joined the Navy/Marine Corps and toured the warzones, which completely changed him as a person.”I saw people die… I tried to go to school and be good but I lost my scholarship…I had no job skills. I was homeless for three years. Nobody saved me, I saved up. I bought a house in Texas. Then a hurricane took it away and I was homeless again. I lived in my truck with two pit bulls for six months while I held down a job as a dishwasher. That’s when I recorded Novacane.”
By that time, the military veteran/recording artist sacrificed a lot more than the average person would to finally achieve his goals. While living in Texas, his passion for food led him to open a gourmet catering business. “I worked 50 hours a week to meet invoices and deadlines [and] lived off of what was left over. I went without,” Chop confessed. “I took evictions trying to get it all done. I lost friends and loved ones because they couldn’t watch me struggle. I paid the cost to be the boss of my empire.”
The Takeaway
The experiences with promise and misfortune informs his outlook on life. “If you want something you have to run it down! Full speed ahead! And when you get knocked out, get up, go remediate yourself, figure out what you did wrong and fix it. That’s what boxers do. Run back the tape, then run the next fade. Keep swinging. My company, Chopworks Media was finally incorporated in 2018. I’m a legit business owner with a legit product. I wouldn’t recommend anybody risk homelessness but at the same time I wouldn’t tell you it’s not all worth it in the end.”
