For Pressplayk, music has never been just a craft—it’s been a way of excavating memory and making sense of where he comes from. Raised in Joliet, Illinois, the artist and producer has always drawn from his own lived experience, but his new two-part album, Troubled Stories, marks his most personal work yet. What began as an autobiographical project about resilience and growth evolved into something much deeper: a tribute to his late father and a vessel for healing.
The loss of his father, a towering presence in both his life and his music, reshaped the album entirely. The studio became a sanctuary for grief, each track carrying the weight of a specific moment in time. “Mud” was recorded on the day of his father’s viewing, just before Pressplayk carried out the tradition of cutting his hair one last time. “Crash & Burn” was written in the silence of the drive home from the hospital. These aren’t just songs—they’re unfiltered snapshots of survival, carved straight from the rawness of grief.
Adding to the album’s gravity is the presence of his father’s own guitar work, carefully woven into the arrangements. It transforms Troubled Stories into a dialogue across generations, a collaboration that continues even after loss. The record’s intimacy is rooted in this connection, giving the project both emotional weight and permanence.
While Troubled Stories stands fully on its own, Pressplayk also emphasizes the importance of collaboration in his broader journey. Over the past two years, he’s been actively working with artists like Jha Prynz, Xawn McKnight, Guddaboi, Gentry, Andrei Serene, Naomi, Drex, Luquie Curse, King Prophet, and OEMM Drako (his nephew) on their respective projects—supporting their visions while continuing to refine his own. Spotlighting their work is part of his mission, even if they are not directly tied to Troubled Stories.
But Troubled Stories isn’t meant to be consumed passively. Pressplayk encourages listeners to share it with someone close—someone who’s weathered storms with you—believing that the shared experience amplifies its resonance. Sequenced as a journey through hardship and endurance, the record asks for full attention. It isn’t background noise; it’s a story to step into, a mirror for anyone carrying their own complicated history.
Two years in the making, the album represents both a reckoning and a rebirth. It captures a life shaped by early struggles in Joliet, refined by loss, and transformed into something universal. And while Troubled Stories closes one chapter, it also sets the stage for the next: with more projects already in motion, Pressplayk is proving that his strength as an artist lies in turning his most difficult truths into music that connects.
In honoring his father’s voice while finding his own, Pressplayk has created more than just an album—he’s built a living legacy.
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