Premiere • ChurchDontStop: "Mick & Mallory (She Loves Me)"
Directed By ChurchDontStop & Yakub Films
“Mick & Mallory (She Loves Me)” is a passion soaked track about two lovers caught in the craze of attraction, a beautiful yet morosely accurate depiction of a drug induced love story courtesy of ChurchDontStop. Church is more than just a songwriting producer this go around, and although he is responsible for the beat with help from Fat Tiger Workshop’s Des Money, Church makes his debut as both a film producer and director with cinematography from our good friend Yakub Films in his new video. Looking to release his new project entitled Pray for Reign sometime this summer, ChurchDontStop is ready to make 2017 a pivotal year for himself.
The scene opens to a woman playfully dancing in a room of particles and red light, and on a chair is a relaxed Church, lighting a cigar as smoke rises from his mouth. The visual works perfectly with the tone of the track, and much like the song, the video progresses showing us there’s more to what Church is explaining.
ChurchDontStop, a 25 year old south side transplant by way of Ghana, may be more well known as a producer/rapper, but here I feel he’s distinguishing himself beyond the frame of rap. This song has the vibe of a classic hip hop beat, but his delivery and lyricism make for ingredients of a ballad, mashing everything to a soulful medley of soft jazzy instrumentation. I was fortunate enough to get a chance to talk with him about the new song and visual. Check out our conversation below.
What's the name of your track? Any specific meaning behind the title?
I originally wrote the song to a beat I made sampling Little Dragon’s Twice (that I have been thinking about releasing as a remix) but it never sat well. A while later, I found this raw ass loop and put some drums to it, and recorded it the same night. When I laid the verse and outro, I fell in love with the vibe of the track which birthed the idea for the video. The song is called “Mick & Mallory (She Loves Me)” I was in a very dark space at the time and was uhh… let’s say it was a experimental phase, haha. In the song I’m recalling a bunch of different experiences, but I was so off the shits that they all feel like one thing in retrospect.
What was your inspiration for the song/video?
The alternate title (which I like more), “Mick & Mallory” is a play on Quentin Tarantino’s film “Natural Born Killers.” It’s about a couple played by Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis. Love can make you do some crazy shit especially when its drug induced. I wasn’t going around killing everybody who got in the way to be with the girl I loved, but I feel ‘em, haha. It’s beautiful and it’s fucked up all rolled in one, just beware before you smoke it.
I’m big on love. Like the literal connection you feel when you love someone… unconditionally. Once that’s established, that’s when a relationship becomes real. To me, everyone I encounter is a potential friend or enemy. If I don’t love you, that’s different. You don’t exist. Only the people I love exist in my world and I would never betray them. They complete me.
What do you want your audience to understand most about you with your music? What
about this song in particular?
Honestly, I just don’t wanna be boxed in as a rapper. I’m inspired by all genres of music and it shows in mine. I’ll never make the same song twice. I make downtempo songs sometimes, lol.
This song is kinda like a score to my experiences at the time. But it’s completely different from a song like “Maria” or “Break the Rules.” i just want people to think of each song as its own thing and not try to put me in a sound barrier of sort. That’s another reason why I release sparingly. It’s my way of giving you my art in doses and allowing your ear palettes to clear before I lay some new shit on you.
If I had to choose artists to compare how I would like my career to go, I’d say Kendrick & Cudi and bands like Pink Floyd and the Gorillaz. To me their music is timeless and that means they will have continue to grow followers forever, instead of artists that make trendy shit.
Besides the project what else is happening for you this year?
I’m starting a squad of creatives called PRAYMORE. We the new NO LIMIT.
