Clifford A. Evans, known as Gwalla aka 32 Shots, is a hip hop artist raised in New Orleans, Louisiana

OFFSET OF MIGOS AND Gwalla

Clifford A. Evans, known as Gwalla aka 32 Shots, is a hip hop artist. He was born on June 18, 1980, and was raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. The city has a major history with Indian tribes, jazz, brass bands, Mardi Gras, second lines, festivals, block parties, high crime, and yearly spiking murder rates. He was raised in a single parent home with his mother, due the fact that his father left him by the age of four. He grew up playing in the downtown, 7th ward St. Bernard Housing Project. That environment was infected with drug dealers, robbers, and murderers. There, the young boys actually invented a critical game called “Cowboys and Indians” where they would play “Hide and Seek” with guns. Once they found one another, they would shoot to kill. He had an uncle who was a huge DJ that hosted the hottest block parties. He was always in the mist of that atmosphere with banging beats and high energy, which made him gravitate to becoming a writer that would produce the type of music he found interesting. He began to write music by the age of seven. Moved to the 9th ward of New Orleans by the age of eight, that neighborhood was even wilder than the one he lived in before, and had the largest project in the world by width, the “Desire Project.” At the age of nine, his uncle was hosting a block party on Gwalla’s block, and asked him, “Would you like to rap for this crowd?” He replied, “Yes.” He grabbed the microphone, and rapped with a passion to an audience. After that moment, he was addicted to rocking a crowd. He never put the pen down. While growing up, he normally would stick to himself because it started to seem like all his friends out of the blue turned into his rivals. Each week, he had a fight with one, and the next week, a fight with another. Those made him grow up looking, acting, and speaking differently from the others. It was evident in his music. Developing as an artist, he was inspired by “RUN DMC,” and “L.L. Cool J”. He loved their sound. After that time passed, he started to pay close attention to the group “NWA” because of their delivery. Once the artist Tupac Shakur came along, he was a total “Tupac” fan. Not any other artist grabbed his attention. That artist inspired him the most. At the age of 23, he still did not received a deal. He decided to start his own label titled “Nsane Entertainment” in 2003 because he believed in himself. He released his first mixtape named “Bombing on the Game.” The title came from his disgust for not being recognized as hard as he worked. It spoke to the industry in beef terms, just to catch its attention. He sold that disc out the trunk of the car, from hand to hand. He would ask for five dollars. If they didn’t have it, he would ask for three dollars. If they didn’t have it, he would ask for one dollar, and if they didn’t have that, he would give it away for free. He pushed hard to be successful. He rented his venues, booked his own shows, tagged posters to phone poles block to block, flyers on windshields, and cards from person to person. In the summer of 2004, he was signed to a local label in New Orleans due to

QUAVO OF MIGOS AND Gwalla AT MIGOS VIDEO SHOOT

the feedback of his first mixtape, so, he started to work on his second project to be released in 2005. On august 28, 2005, he woke up to one of the most devastating hurricanes to ever hit the city of New Orleans, “Hurricane Katrina.” That day the winds were blowing 150 mph blowing, and busting widows out. About mid-day, he literally heard the US government set off bombs, blowing up the levies. He watch the water rapidly rise non-stop, from three feet to twenty-two feet of water right in front the lower 9th ward home he was in. He witnessed houses floating up the streets. People were screaming to him, “Please, help me!” The water was so rapid, that he could not. He was forced to watch them drown, while other dead bodies were floating by. Four days he was stuck in the city fending for self, with no help, or assistance, it was every man for himself. He had to loot for clothes, food, swim for blocks, ride boats, and helping others from their submerged homes to safe dry land. The city of New Orleans was destroyed. That experience wiped out the company that he was signed to. So, he was back to ground zero. Therefore, he moved to Houston, Texas to recover. Shortly after that, his mother died from cancer in 2007. At that point, he was still into the music, but in order to provide for himself, he went back to selling drugs. He was caught into the street life once again. In 2008, the city of New Orleans, La. was starting to be re-built, and he moved back home. In regards to how that enviornment operates, due to hate he was set up by close friends to go to jail. He was charged with Capital 1st degree murder charge. Facing the minimum sentence of life in prison, and the maximum was a death sentence. He served time there fighting that charge in Orleans Parish Prison. That was a total war zone. Each fight resulted in both fighters getting stabbed up on a daily basis. Doing his time, the main focus was what he will do if he was released. In 20011, he was released. He hit the streets running towards his success, once again, making sure, that if he get the opportunity, his music will land in the right hands and ears. He started becoming better connected. He received a call from a director to appear in an artist 2 Chainz “Used 2” video, produced by Mannie Fresh from “Cash Money Records.” He received a major cameo in that video along with Juvenile,

Lil Wayne, Hotboy Turk, and Mannie Fresh. Over 15 million people saw his face, clear as day. After that, he shot his own video titled “Imma Dawg” off of his upcoming project called “Gwallaville.” The video was aired on television a number of times. He did a lot of traveling from state to state. Friends started becoming jealous and resented him. They began to plot and put together a plan to stop his success. He received a new deal from a management company that helped his movement gain more momentum. One night his manager pulls up on him and a group of others. The manager gave him the keys to a hundred thousand dollar car and said, “Lets go. We have business to take care in Atlanta.” So, he packed and left. He networked

backstage at 2014 ATL’s Birthday Bash in area. He took photos, and interviews with artists Waka Flocka, Cash Out, We Are Toonz, Ma$e, B.o.B, Lil Scrappy and many more. After he attended a meeting with the artist Young Greatness with an iHEART radio representative, then returned to New Orleans. Two weeks after he returned a friend set up to be robbed, killed, and left for dead. Two men approached him requested his money, the raised the gun to his head. He tried to take the gun from the man; they struggled, but the gun quickly fired. Shot in the head at close range, with the bullet striking over the left eye exiting behind his temple. He fell down, and they took off. Amazingly, he got up and walked six houses down and knocked on the family’s door. He survived, released from the hospital three weeks later, wearing a patch over his eye because he lost it. He thought his career was

   

over. He felt betrayed by close friends. His mind frame was never trust none. Once he started to heal, the representive from iHEART radio heard his music and asked his manager, “Who is this artist? He’s next.” He started to get back to the industry with access to Quality Control Music Studio and artist. A famous group from Atlanta, the Migos came to New Orleans, and they did a show and invited him out. Months pass, then the Migos and Rick Ross was doing a video shoot in Atlanta. He was invited there, so, he went. The Migos and Rick Ross acknowledged him and they moved forward. It gave him more confidence in the in the industry. Once he made it back home, he was going to church one Sunday. He saw a man walking up the street. The closer he got to the man, the fast the man would walk. Once he drove beside the man, the man fired twenty-three shots into his car hitting him two times. He went to hospital and was released the same day. After that he decided to cut all negative ties, and move forward, in a positive position. He has song on his projects with features from Young Greatness, and Quavo 1/3 of the Migos signed to Quality Control Music. He have cameos in videos with the Migos, Young Greatness, OG Maco, and Johnny Cinco. He also has video footage with Wale’ and Rick Ross.He is also well known by each and every legendary local artist from New Orleans , Louisiana such as Partners-N-Crime, Flia Phil, Mia X, Black Menace, B.G., etc. He focuses on not fumbling the ball of success on his road to greatness.