The Harder the Struggle, the Greater the Results

Last night, I had the privilege of sitting in on the final tweaking of the first major album from FallOut Shelter Records (FOS). I sat in a Brooklyn studio with the lead man, D-Boards (Danny), Haylo, Kimbo, his man John Q, my partner Chris, and the sound engineer, Matt. They are in the midst of what has been an incredible 7 year journey.

As the final mixing was being applied before sending it off to an industry giant for mastering, I couldn’t help but smile. I have only known these guys for over a year, but I know their story well. They have been through one nightmare after another, yet have survived due to their incredible persistence, courage, and determination. They thought of giving up all the time. They struggled financially. They gave every ounce of everything they had to give toward this album, even when they had nothing at all.

Boy, has it paid off.

Last night, I listened to one amazing track after another. The music is hip hop oriented, but with so many musical instruments, plus a live band when they perform, it seems like something totally new. The other amazing aspect of FallOut Shelter is the camaraderie their struggle has brought. It is like one big family, each person with their own unique, engaging personality, and all of them messing with each other incessantly like brothers. Through the long journey, a bond has developed that shines through the music they create. But I guess that is all due to the crazy story.

FallOut Shelter is the creation of Danny Ciazzo and my partner Chris. Both Danny & Chris, even though they had not met yet, were working in the financial district in Manhattan back in 2001. They both loved music, but just like everyone else, they also needed a paycheck. Everything changed on that fateful morning of September 11th, 2001. Danny was working on the 55th floor in the World Trade Center tower that got hit second.

After the first plane hit, the office said no one was allowed to leave. Of course, that did not stop any of them. Just as they were piling out, the 2nd plane hit. In the nightmare that ensued, Danny’s boss fell down and passed out. She was a somewhat heavy woman in her forties. Danny picked her up, put her over his shoulder and carried her down 55 flights of stairs during the entire panic-stricken event. It was the most intense moment of Danny’s young life. The event would leave horrible memories buried in his head, but at least he had survived. His boss thanked him repeatedly and Danny went home to deal with what the hell had happened like every other American.

2 years later, that same boss fired him.

It was not her decision, of course. But in the aftermath of everything that happened, the entire company needed to make cuts. I can’t imagine what that must of been like for that woman. Imagine firing the person who saved your life. Chris also lost his job due to 9/11. He had been lucky enough to not be there that day, but the effects on his company cost him his job as well.

Soon after, in late 2002, through mutual friends, Danny and Chris both met up. They had similar interests in music and hit it off. They both felt that the tragedy of September 11th had brought them together and to this point in their lives. They wanted to try and build off of that.

In the aftermath, Danny decided to start a label from his basement. He wanted a name that would convey what they had gone through. Something that matched the change in the world, the change in them, and the tragedy he had lived through. He decided on the WWII born name, FallOut Shelter. Shortly after he met Chris through mutual friends. At the time Chris was producing as well so they had a lot in common and became friends instantly. Fallout was born.

A fallout shelter is an enclosed space specially designed to protect occupants from radioactive debris or fallout resulting from a nuclear explosion. Many such shelters were constructed as civil defense measures during the Cold War. -from here

Their shelter would be their music. Danny had met a rapper named Haylo in a terrible music school they both attended.(Haylo, and Steez also collaborated on the name Fallout Shelter) They immediately hooked up and started working together. Haylo was a rapper from the projects on Baker Street in Brooklyn East New York and his best friend, Montana Steez, was also an incredible rapper. Danny made the beats, Haylo and Steez would freestyle in the basement before they got equipment. Chris then came in and handled the promotion, helped structure the company, and Haylo & Steez lit up the tracks. They would record together for the next few years, constantly working on their craft, while trying to pay their bills in-between. Danny would literally spend nights sleeping on his MPC, a tool for making beats.

But through all the hard work, they finally found some success. Haylo & Steez proved to be a lethal combination. Steez was the stand up man’s man from the projects with a wife and daughter, and Haylo was the ladies man nicknamed ‘Coverboy’. Danny was incredible at production, and together they started to put their first album together. The plan was to release an album with Haylo & Steez, and then do solo albums for each.

Life, of course, sometimes gets in the way of plans.

One day, Steez was sitting in his rundown car in the projects when a crackhead, pretending to be looking for weed, pulled a gun and tried to rob him. In the struggle that ensued, the gun went off, and the crackhead wound up dead. Cops immediately were on the scene, as if they were around the corner the whole time. They arrested Steez, even though it was self defense and it was not his gun. After all, they have to bring you in if someone gets killed.

Any lawyer worth his weight would have been able to get this case dismissed or dramatically reduced. The problem was no one had any money for a lawyer or bail. Steez sat in a prison for almost two years awaiting his trial. Forget about the music, he couldn’t even be with his family just for protecting himself in his crazy neighborhood. After spending two years locked up, he was pretty much ready to just get it over with. The DA could not come up with any clear evidence because there was none. Yet, Steez could only afford the public defender, and he was powerless to make any progress.

Steez wound up taking a plea deal that will keep him locked up for about 10 years. Think about that. He is locked up for 10 years simply for protecting himself. His daughter won’t see her father till she is almost in middle school. The DA even told the public defender she knew the kid did not deserve it, but it would look bad to her superiors if she didn’t pursue it to its max. Such is the life of an inner city kid caught up in local politics.

FallOut Shelter was once again, beset by tragedy. One half of their incredible duo was now locked up until 2013. Danny, Chris and Haylo were left to deal with the aftermath. They could have easily given up, but they didn’t. Instead, they used this as motivational fuel. Haylo, made it a point to move on for his man. He would carry the team so that when Steez was free, his family and him would be taken care of. This is the thought that would motivate Haylo every day afterward.

Danny & Chris pressed on as well. Starting a company and running it for 6 years without making a profit can take its toll. However, this was never about the money anyway. It was about the love of the music. And nothing was going to take that away from them.

‘Anything that doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.’

Truer words were never spoken about Fallout. Haylo stepped into the lead like never before, motivated by Montana’s plight. Danny recruited two other talented veteran rappers, Kimbo and Cise to the label. Both Kimbo and Cise had their own struggles they had lived through, and that is what drew them to FallOut. Kimbo even has an 8-inch scar across the back of his head from getting hit with an axe in his neighborhood. Haylo also recruited some other boys from his projects, Krims & Rebel. Together, they pressed on, throwing free shows, giving away t-shirts, flyers, and CDs Chris spent his free time designing.

When they thought of quitting, they just kept going. When they had great nights, they just kept going. No matter what, they just kept on going. That brings me to last night. As I sat there, I was amazed at the reaction of these men. They had a single love of making music. This one love, infiltrated their entire existence and carried them through a long arduous journey, filled with many lows, a few highs, and plenty of sleepless nights.

Yet, here they were, putting the final tweaks on a few tracks before sending it off to be mastered. Danny’s music has started to gain recognition from industry bigwigs, and slowly but surely, at least for the moment, things are looking brighter than ever. Looking at them, though, you could never even tell. To them, it’s just about moving forward. No time to stop and celebrate now. Their not out of the woods (or hood) yet.

No matter what, though, nothing can ever be taken away from anyone involved in FallOut Shelter Records. Simply put, they love what they do and no matter what, they are going to continue to do it. The only ones luckier then them, are the people listening to the amazing music this journey has produced.