Project Stacks Talks Liberty City’s Pork ’n’ Beans Projects and #BikesUpGunsDown

Liberty City's Pork ’n' Beans Projects are a historic landmark in the worlds of street life, music, sports, and entertainment. But for Project Stacks, they're also a home to be proud of.

The rapper, known for his My Block mixtape series, can be found hosting and performing at Take One, Coco's, Extacy North, the Lexxx, King of Diamonds, and also on the road, out of state, and doing shows up the East Coast. He's ready to cross the bridge to Miami Beach and play a show at LIV too.

In addition, he's a leader in the hood, promoting positivity, art, and a campaign to stop youth violence called #BikesUpGunsDown. Here's what Project Stacks has to say about his block.

New Times: What's up? What's your name? And where are we at right now?
Project Stacks: They call me Project Stacks. I am Project Stacks. Name, not initials. We in the middle of the Pork ’n' Bean Projects, 13th Avenue, to be exact. This is my block. Liberty City. Dade County. Miami. Google it. You can YouTube some shit. My Block 3 is on the way. We here. Stop the violence, y'all. Bikes up, guns down. That's what I'm dealin' with. Ya hear me.

What's up with My Block 3?
My Block 3 is very important. Part one didn't even go on YouTube. It just was in the hood. Part two, we dropped some on YouTube. And now, part three, we goin' global. We right on 62nd Street and 13th Avenue. Trap boy. Trapped in the projects. The title slogan is "Trapped In the Projects" because I trapped in the projects. I'm not trapped in the projects. My mind state is outside.
What are the songs about?
My Block 3 is strictly about trap. I got "Trap Boy" on there. I got a song called "Hater Death." I got a track for the ladies called "Let the Beat Ride." Shout out to DJ B.I.B., DJ Yayo in Tampa. Got a couple local DJs, DJ Rhymer fuckin' with the mixtape, DJ Krunch One. He global; you might know him. I got a couple features on there, one by Blaze Carter, one by Jose Escobar. The rest is all me. Trapped in these projects, feel me?
How did you get started rapping?
Listen. I was ballin' first. I was ballin', playin basketball in high school. I was probably like top ten in Florida. I did that. I was about to go to college, and then I got shot In my shooting arm. It was dead for like a good year. I had to work it out to get the strength back. At the same time, my brother was doing music. He had to move to Atlanta on some trap shit. I had to do the same exact thing. You'll hear about it if you go back and listen to My Block 2, you'll hear about how I had to leave down here and go to Atlanta, spread my wings, and I started there in Atlanta. Came back home, and it's still in me. I couldn't forget about where I came from, and I'm not gon' leave where I came from.

Where did you play ball at in high school?
I played at Miami Northwestern. It's right 'cross the street on 12th Avenue and 71st. Shoutout Coach Terry. Had a couple players on the team I fucked with, but now they probably smokers or hard workers, construction workers. I ain't doin' that shit. I'm trap. Ya feel me?
I hear they want to knock the Pork ’n' Beans projects down. What do you think of that?
They can't knock it down. They'll rebuild it. But also, they can't knock it down, and if they do knock it down, there's spirits in here. I'ma rep this shit, even if it's gone. I make my own Pork ’n' Beans projects. Get that paper, buy me some property, get it built damn near the same structure, and put the title on top of it, 'cause that's where my heart at. Hell yeah.

What is Bikes Up, Guns Down?
Bikes Up, Guns Down is strictly to stop the youth violence. Violence ain’t cool. We're saying, "Let's stick together." We already deep in population. Back then, when it was violence, it was probably one person droppin' every three months or every six months. Now you got two or three dropping every weekend. Or two, three, or four dead bodies every weekend. And that's because it's senseless violence with the youth. They don't understand what we went through. We was hustling,  trying to get some money, fucking some bitches, going to school, and having fun. Now they seen the violence in us and thinkin' it's the only thing you supposed to do. They peeking out the window, seeing you do what you do, and they ain't peepin' that we was goin' to school every fuckin' day, still comin' back hustling. Still respectin' the old girl and chasing that paper, ya feel me" So it’s kind of different, and it done raise the stakes. But I know they like to ride them bikes. Give 'em something to do. I’ma buy as many bikes as I can, man. I get any sponsors, promoters, trap money, all that shit going in them bikes, 'cause that's what they like to do besides the guns, ya feel me. Bikes Up, Guns Down. It’s your boy Project Stacks. My Block 3 on the way.
The whole world was watching for that big ride on Martin Luther King Day with all the bikes on the highway and everything. That was amazing.
We also did a video called "Ride for It,” with Jose Escobar featuring Stacks and Moolah, simply for the Bikes Up, Guns Down situation. But they was ridin' for peace, not to harm nobody. It's a message they was just tryin' to get across. We got to do it by a broad span. If I just yell it around here, they ain’t gon' hear us. Them boys get on the highway, now we got a voice. Shouts to that dude Screamer, ya hear me? We got a voice now.
What kind of shows you do?
I got a couple shows I’m fuckin’ with: Take One, Coco's, Rollexxx, Foxxy Lady. You know, I ain't touch LIV yet. So LIV, if you listening, give the Beans a shoutout, ya feel me? Let me get there. That's where I'm tryin to get at. KOD, I done some shit at. I got trips out of town and shows in Orlando, Tampa, Melbourne, North Carolina, lil' small shit, but we workin' our way, East Coast style. Miami ain’t no specialty in music down here. We blackballed from the beginning, so we take trips. They come down here to spend money. We take trips to get global. It ain’t really a place to come do your music. It's like [Ice Billion] Berg say, there's one rapper every ten years. We tryin' to change that shit to two or three rappers like every two or three years. New York did it. Atlanta did it. California did it. Texas did it. Miami's turn.

What's the role of the DJs in local music?
The DJs starting to play their role in helpin' locals. At the same time, they still stuck on what’s gon' make the club jump to get some money in their pocket. It ain’t really 'bout the artist or the music. If they had love for the music, they would go another route 'cause my shit bangin'. But it's about the money, so shouts out them DJs; we still love y’all. Let's get this My Block 3 shit bumpin'. Check my Adidas. I got stripes in the hood. Check me out. Trapped in the hood. Get you some stripes, fuckboy. Bikes Up, Guns Down. Let’s get it.

Anything else you want to say?
Listen, I got a message to you, kids. Put them guns down. Find a talent, your art. Stay in school. If you ain't got no talent, no art, can't play no ball, you ain’t no good drawer, you ain't no rapper, then get you a job. You got kids? Take care of your kids. Shouts out to those who do. Fuck them niggas who don't take care they kids. I love the block. I love the kids. It's Project Stacks. My Block 3 on the way.