TOLEDO, Ohio — While winning a Grammy is one of music's biggest achievements, many smaller artists have already made a name for themselves here in Toledo, like Chiefalone.
He just released his 7th studio album, "Over Time Not Overnight," back in November. He said he couldn't do it alone, giving thanks to the Toledo music scene he said is working together more than ever following in the footsteps of giants.
"Your typical artists, your Jay-Zs, NAS's, Snoop Dogs, but I also looked up to a lot of my friends, my colleagues, friends and brothers," said Chiefalone.
Whether globally known or locally, he said they were all just as influential in his journey.
He started touring with his brothers nationally under the name The Swagger Boyz back when he was around 15 years old. Now at 40 years old, he said it is still meant to be.
"It was inevitable, I've been actually making music since I was around 14 or 15, but actually rapping since 11," Chiefalone said. "There was nothing else I thought I was going to do, I knew I was going to do this forever."
Three years ago, Chiefalone opened his own production studio, Chosen Sound and Media in downtown Toledo. He said it has created surprisingly new collaborations and opened doors to many in the Toledo music scene.
"It (the music scene) used to be really segregated. It was really a clique here, cliques there but now a lot of the artists work with each other," he said.
His collaborative work paid off as 25 artists and producers from Toledo were featured on this album.
"I did the album release party at the Huntington Center," Chiefalone said. "So everybody on the album was able to sit in front of the audience and display the talents they put in with the collaborative efforts they put on my album."
And for those up-and-coming Toledo musicians, Chief's advice is to not stop and to stay motivated and dedicated.
Chiefalone's album 'Over Time Not Overnight' is available on all streaming platforms. He also has his own hat company based in Toledo called Effortless.
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