Music

Big Business' Big Summer

rap collective pops off a bunch of songs and a new artist showcase

Eric Christenson |

THIS IS WHERE WE BUILD. (left to right) Emcees BenDaBombDiggity (Ben Malachowski) and Mistah (Raymond Clayton) are working with engineer Chris Hoyt on their own solo albums (it’ll be Mistah’s second this year) plus a massive album from their rap collective, Big Business, this year.
THIS IS WHERE WE BUILD. (left to right) Emcees BenDaBombDiggity (Ben Malachowski) and Mistah (Raymond Clayton) are working with engineer Chris Hoyt on their own solo albums (it’ll be Mistah’s second this year) plus a massive album from their rap collective, Big Business, this year.

It’s already been a big summer for local rapper Raymond Clayton a.k.a. Mistah, and he’s not slowing down one bit. In May, he dropped a powerful 7-track solo album called Dreams Of A Man, and that’s hot on the heels of last year’s 19-track blockbuster album Rise Of An Empire by his rap crew Big Business. He already has a second solo album, Dreams Of The Machine, due out later this summer, and he’s been organizing a new local artist showcase series in Eau Claire.

“... when you’ve got a lot of people working toward the same thing, word of mouth works better than anything.” – Raymond Clayton a.k.a. Mistah on his rap group Big Business

That’s a lot of songs from the prolific hip hop artist himself, but what’s really cool about Mistah is his proclivity for lifting up artists around him. Big Business is a reputable powerhouse of hip hop, especially in Eau Claire’s small town hip hop scene, which features local rappers like Scarey, King Shake The Wizard, BenDaBombDiggity, plus other vocalists and emcees, many of whom are making their debut with Big Business. And as the group starts to put in work on the next group album Dust From The Stars, which should be out by the end of the year, it’s an exciting time to be Mistah.

“You got a whole team making a big thing, and when you’ve got a lot of people working toward the same thing, word of mouth works better than anything,” Clayton told me. “The next group album I want to fit as much on there as we possibly can. There’s no doubt in my mind. I want it to be big.”

The crew works with local sound engineer Chris Hoyt at a studio near Banbury Place owned by Will Wall of local alt-rock band FM Down. Having a close working relationship with Hoyt has been instrumental in being able to crank out the surprisingly large amount of such strong material. A team of close like-minded friends find each other easier in a small city like this, so they can work a lot, while evolving and having fun at the same time. And for Mistah, working this much means his rapping style is getting more sharp and punchy all the time.

“I used to like rap on beats, now I’m trying to make it so I can flow and it doesn’t matter what the structure is,” he said. “I want to get the point where I can say whatever I want to say.”

Another of Mistah’s passion projects – if there weren’t enough already – is his new concert series, the Executive Class Artist Showcase, where he puts rappers from Chicago and Minneapolis on bills with up and coming hip hop artists from Eau Claire. The first two installments of the Executive Class series were hosted at the House of Rock in June, and they plan to do two shows a month at The Plus or other venues in town (once the House of Rock is out of the picture). The next showcase is July 28 at The Plus, featuring ten different artists and two from Eau Claire, BenDaBombDiggity and Noah Estrada – both of whom are just getting their start. BenDaBombDiggity, or Ben Malachowski, has an album called The Recital releasing in late July or early August, before Big Business drops the new record on which he’s featured heavily. Thereafter, the following showcase is August 5 with local emcees Cudlino and Phil Faucett.

As for the future, Clayton’s always got some tricks up his sleeves, he’s always striving for more, and while he doesn’t plan on releasing any new solo material next year – two albums this year is enough – he’d like to put a bigger emphasis on a thrilling live show, both indoors and out.

“Next year, I’d like to see a lot bigger shows,” he said. “I’ve seen them get bigger and bigger and bigger. If we don’t stop, I don’t know why it would slow down.”

So there’s a lot to be excited about in Big Business-land. There’s new rappers breaking into the local scene all the time, and with an asset like Clayton around to bolster them up, the future of rap in Eau Claire is brighter than ever.

Check out Big Business on Bandcamp at mistahbigbusiness.bandcamp.com or make sure you don’t miss an Executive Class Artist Showcase on July 28 or August 5 at The Plus.