Photo: Bryant Aguirre / Babygrande Global
Stove God Cooks is ready to f**k up the game with his next album.
Nearly four years after he delivered his revered debut project with Roc Marciano, the rapper out of Syracuse, N.Y. says he can't wait to finally let the world hear what he's been cooking up lately. Stove God Cooks knows the anticipation for his forthcoming solo album will increase significantly this year, especially after his first concert of 2024. He's joining forces with Clockwork Music to host the show at Stache in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. with supporting acts The Yutes, UnLearn The World, James Klynn and Memo.
"That's what the performance is for this year," Stove God Cooks tells iHeartRadio during a phone call before the show. "It's about me just giving the fans what they've been waiting for. I might perform s**t they never heard before."
His upcoming concert was rescheduled from its original date during Art Basel Miami back in December. He was supposed to hit the stage on the same night that Benny The Butcher dropped their collaboration "One Foot In" off Def Jam artist's new album Everybody Can't Go. Since the show was moved to February, Cooks has been preparing to deliver a memorable show in South Florida. He says he's hype about performing new music for the first time.
"'One Foot In' just came out so I've never performed that," Cooks says. "I ain't really performed 'Kitchen Lights' on my own set. I haven't performed none of the s**t off Westside Gunn's new album, And Then You Pray For Me. I haven't performed any of that, and then I got a bunch of new music. I got a bunch of new music that I'm going to press play on."
Stove God made a solid name for himself in the underground rap scene under his former alias Aaron Cooks. After coming up under the management of Brand Nubian's Lord Jamar, his career continued to skyrocket once he teamed up Busta Rhymes' The Conglomerate. Cooks describes his time under his mentor's wing as "Hip-Hop college" after he witnessed Busta's creative process in the studio and absorbed everything possible from the Leaders of the New School artist's on-stage persona.
The Blockbusta rapper eventually introduced him to Roc Marciano, who provided him with the immaculate sounds for his debut project. Cooks says he was inspired to switch up his stage name during his studio sessions with Roc. The Stove God has been cookin' ever since he dropped their joint LP Reasonable Drought in 2020. His confident wordplay and intimidating cadences over Marci's timeless production continues to impress the masses to this day.
"When me and Roc was putting together the Reasonable Drought, it was just some s**t that I was saying all the time that just came organic," Cooks explains. "It wasn't like I was looking for a new name or it was just something I was saying while I was recording Reasonable Drought. When me and Roc would talk, I'd just be like, 'Yeah, Stove God coming.. Stove God Season.'"
Following his debut, the "In The Kitchen" rapper collaborated with established MC's like French Montana, 2 Chainz, Boldy James and The Alchemist. He signed with Babygrande Records back in 2021 and dropped singles like "Dope" featuring French and "That's The Game." He went on to appear on Westside Gunn's 2020 album Flygod Is An Awesome God 2, which Cooks believes was his true breakthrough moment in Hip-Hop. Three years later, he landed on five tracks from Westside Gunn's And The You Pray For Me and appeared on Benny's "One Foot In." Benny and Cooks made their latest collaboration in L.A. during a session with Hit-Boy.
"I got a couple records with Hit," Cooks says. "I got one that me and [Westside Gunn] worked on and then I got one that I got just on some solo s**t."
In addition to knocking out hits with the Griselda crew over the past year, Stove God Cooks also spent a lot his time creating "classic s**t" with iconic beatmakers like Hit-Boy, Cool-N-Dre and more for his upcoming project. The LP has "been ready" for quite some time and is set to arrive this later year. He says the photoshoot for the album is already done, and even has a title in mind.
"I got one. I don't want to say it yet," Cooks says about the title. "A lot of these n***as ain't got no ideas, and then my s**t get held up and y'all run with my s**t. You know how the game go. I got a name. We done did the photoshoot -- we've been ready! It's just certain -- especially with Cool-N-Dre -- certain songs that I love that I'm just not willing to just say 'f**k it.' I'm like 'nah, we got to fight for these' because I know how big they going to be and when they come out we going to double back and I'm going to tell you that was the one I was telling you about."
"We put some classic s**t together, me, Cool-N-Dre," he adds. "We got some crazy s**t on the way."
With his sophomore album on the horizon, it's clear Cooks' upcoming show will be an incredible experience for his fans. Not only will people get a chance to hear new music, but you never know which one of his famous friends will pop up to support. It'll be the first of several shows he's got lined up this year. He's also scheduled to invade Los Angeles for another revealing performance in March.
"2024 is going to be a big one," he says. "It's just going to keep getting bigger. 2024 is going to be an amazing one for me, for my fans, for everybody that've been f**king with me since the Drought and all the Griselda s**t. It's time for me to give them what they've been waiting for."
Ahead of his show, Stove God Cooks dropped his first solo record of 2024 "Melo Chip and a Brick." Listen to his new song below.