Jack Kerouac wrote that “the road is life.” Pistol McFly possesses the same ever-questing spirit of the famed Beat Generation writer and the world’s most impactful artists. Instead of cross country road trips, however, the Los Angeles rapper has spent the better part of his life navigating the vibrant but often violent streets of South Central. While many of his childhood friends are dead or in prison, McFly has luckily evaded bullets and central booking. His insightful rhymes are his road to discovering how to rectify personal and societal tragedies. The arresting songs on albums like Bong Rips & B . A . R . S and Google Me have made McFly a favorite headliner at renowned Leimert Park monthly Bananas. He’s also taken his captivating live show outside of LA, touring extensively with Blu & Exile, the duo behind the critically-acclaimed Below the Heavens .

Pistol McFly’s latest album, Road Trip , is the most powerful document of his stoned, sometimes psychedelic wanderings through South Central and beyond. Released on Exile’s Dirty Science and produced entirely by Power (Rich the Kid, Vic Mensa, Chris Brown), the album features bubbling LA rapper Waju, as well as soulful songstress QUIÑ. Still, the trip belongs to McFly. A self-proclaimed black hippy, he’s as comfortable with acid dropping hipsters as he is hardened gang members. As he moves between the hills and the hood, he chronicles the highs and lows of a rapper on the verge of success with the same lyrical intensity and emotional depth as albums like Illmatic . His Road Trip will inspire generations of rap fans in search of their road.