Cartel The Great displays excellence with style on new album ‘I Suppose to Been Here’
CHICAGO, IL – Greatness is something that Cartel has always strived for. Whether in life or business or music or any other endeavor, greatness is the ultimate goal. That excellence comes to the forefront on his latest album, “Cartel The Great: I Suppose To Been Here” which is currently available across all streaming platforms.
“Coming from the streets, I’m a talented rapper, but I went to prison (for nine years) and this album is to show people I was supposed to be there,” Cartel said. “It has a variety of sounds and styles coming at you in different ways. The whole thing was to show you have regular people you don’t even know about who can make industry-level music.”
Cartel is an artist who has experienced a lot of hardships over his life. At age 21 he was incarcerated for six armed robberies and was sentenced to 18 years but was eventually released after only nine years in prison. Going through the pain of the streets and losing his mom while he was in jail, Cartel decided to come home and take music seriously. He’s always been a talented artist who honed his skills as a young man battle rapping with his father.
“I’m a diverse artist with lyrical skills who can go any direction,” he said. “I use my experience in the streets to illustrate my bars. I’m a perceptive rapper. I know how to make it practical. I made a grand perspective practical. I talk of the relevancy of the streets but also give some conscious-minded stuff and talk about the consequences for your actions. And with all that, I have a strong delivery when I rap. I’m also versatile with my flow, so in a lot of ways, it’s hard to put me in a box.”
That is perhaps best demonstrated with his debut single “Big Shit.” Much as the title would suggest, the song flaunts Cartel’s greatness as he talks about his experiences on the streets paired against a Pop-Infused beat. It’s a song that Cartel said pushes listeners to “not just talk on little-people terms but talk on big-people terms.” The song features King Louie who is a well-known artist from Chicago. The feel-good, party record is universal in its relatability to a wide audience, while also serving as an anthem for all the overlooked artists of the streets.
“More than anything, I want to show my artistic freedom,” Cartel said. “I also want to challenge people’s perceptions. I think outside the box and find creative ways of expressing my message, and I want to show others that they’re capable of that, too. You can come up out of the streets and the struggle and the trenches, and creatively use your talent to come up.”
To listen to Cartel The Great’s music or to follow him on social media, please visit: