It was two in the morning. The world felt still. Stevie Stone was driving from St. Louis to Kansas City, Missouri, contemplating what to call his new label. After all, this was a big decision. Following his 2021 departure from Strange Music—his label home for nearly a decade—it was time for him to steer his own ship.
“Every time I thought about it, my daughter Ahdasee came to my head,” he says. “It was like the third time—and I’m really big on signs and symbolism—so I got on my phone and asked Siri to define ‘odyssey.’”
Siri replied: “A long wandering journey from poverty to affluence.” That’s when Stevie knew he’d found the name. Four years later, Ahdasee Records is thriving, and Stevie is preparing to release his second album under the label, No Blueprint, the follow-up to 2022’s Raising the Bar.
Stevie’s own journey could be described as an odyssey. Born in Columbia, Missouri, he was raised by a single mother, a choir director who introduced him to soul, gospel, and blues as a child. He hopped from school to school until graduating from Hickman High School. An avid basketball player, Stevie was offered a scholarship to play for a junior college but chose music instead. In 2007, he signed with Eazy-E’s Ruthless Records, where he was on the same roster as Hopsin.
“That was my first record deal,” he says. “Eazy-E’s widow, Tomica Wright, signed me. I was young but already had a production deal. I was in Atlanta for a Hip-Hop and R&B Billboard showcase. My production team entered me in the pool, and they were picking a certain number of rappers and R&B artists. I was one of four chosen.
“My CD was in a bag with about 300 other CDs. One of the members of my team was Ira DeWitt, the Cardinals’ owner’s wife. She and Tomica just started talking, and she mentioned me. Ira was like, ‘Get out, that’s my artist.’ It was like a needle in a haystack, and she remembered me.”
Wright signed Stevie shortly after that. He released one album on the label, 2009’s New Kid Comin, before signing with Strange Music. It was a calculated move. He had a $350,000 offer on the table from Ruthless—but chose to go with Strange instead. He was familiar with Tech N9ne and Strange Music CEO Travis O’Guin’s business acumen and had watched them build Strange into the biggest independent record label in the world. For Stevie, it was all about playing the long game. So, with a modest $10,000 signing bonus, Stevie became part of the Strange family, bringing his sharp lyricism, commanding voice, and ear for beats with him.
“I understood that what I was going to learn here was priceless,” he says. “I’m glad I understood that then.”
Stevie released six studio albums with Strange Music, including Rollin’ Stone, 2 Birds 1 Stone, and Malta Bend. He took the lessons he learned from Ruthless and Strange and applied them to Ahdasee Records. Now, he’s able to guide his own signees down the right road, helping them avoid the contractual pitfalls that many inexperienced artists face early in their careers.
Ahdasee’s roster is already stacked with talent—from Jeff James and Spaide R.I.P.P.E.R. to Ant Bomb and Bacon Da Smalltown General. Some of them will join Stevie on his upcoming No Blueprint Tour, which makes stops at The Moxi Theatre in Greeley on October 16, Vultures in Colorado Springs on October 17, and Black Buzzard in Denver on October 18.
“I have a roster of super talented artists,” he says. “They’ve been coming out with me for a while, but this tour is where I get to showcase them. And we have a collab album coming at the top of the year. You’re going to be able to hear them. Everybody’s dropping like crazy. I’m just excited—it’s like we say, one day at a time, building one brick at a time. But I’m super confident and super excited about what’s to come. Not only for myself but for my audience.”
No Blueprint arrives on October 3 via Ahdasee Records. Get tickets to Stevie Stone’s run of Colorado shows here!
