Local Limelight: Following the leader

Cballa makes motivation his musical goal

 by Megan Salisbury
 published on Thursday, January 18, 2007

In a world blurred by drugs, gangs and violence, Samuel Young, now 28, had little hope of pursuing any dream he had. But Young was able to use his fresh talent and original ideas to start up his own record label, Clicc Made Entertainment, and gain notice under his rapper name, Cballa.

Young says that the "C" in Cballa has two meanings. "Clicc for my label and Chief for being a leader in my music," he says.

When Young was about 16, he was part of a six-man group called The Phoenix Sector, which won the Desert West talent show three years in a row.

Young says that after the group broke up he decided to go solo and start his own label. He began to spit his lyrics at local open-mike shows and to save money to record his first album.

Now, Young has released three albums. His newest, "Blacc Hitla," has raised eyebrows due to its controversial title.

Marcus Staples, the CEO of Clicc Made Entertainment and Young's close friend, says that a lot of people ask them about the name of the album.

"For us it's a leader's mentality, a leader's mindset," Staples says. "Hitler is known for a lot of bad things that I believe overshadow a lot of the good things he did for his people."

One of Young's promoters, an older German woman named Oddy, was born just at the end of Hitler's reign and was curious about the title, he says.

"She told me that it caught her off guard," Young says. "She didn't have anything bad to say. She was just curious why I chose a title like that when many Americans have a bad view of Hitler."

Young adds that Hitler used his leadership skills to motivate people to do what he wanted them to do. "I want to change people's mindset about what they can do," Young says. "I want to tell them to sell CDs instead of selling weed."

Young says he grew up in the "ghetto" part of Phoenix on 43rd Avenue, near Maryvale. "Many times people cannot see a real future when everything around them is bad," Young says. "I want people to feel where I am coming from."

Although Clicc Made Entertainment is still a small label, Young has big ambitions for its future. He'd like to keep it independent, and is willing to take the steps necessary for it to thrive.

"To be successful you have to hustle, even get your friends to pay you [for your CD]," he says.



ARTIST OVERVIEW

Cballa may not be a lyrical poet like his idol Tupac, but his street mentality and passion are present throughout his lyrics. Songs like "We Da Mob" and "Keep on Dreamin'" urge everyone to follow their dreams, giving fans both inspiration and music to dance to. While his self-made beats may leave you humming the hooks, Cballa's lyrical talents have some room to grow before he'll reach Tupac status.

IF YOU GO…

CBALLA



AT THE DESERT SCENE LODGE

JAN. 20, 8 P.M.

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