Fletch Kalski was born John Fletcher on October 1, 1982 in Pacoima, California. “It was always just me and moms,†he quotes. In 1991 they relocated to Stockton, California, a small city in Northern California. In 1998 he and his long time rap partner, B-Coo (currently serving a 10 year bid for robbery) performed in the Stockton Apollo Nights Talent Series. Shortly after, they appeared on the Tony Washington Show, a local show in Stockton, which aired once a week. “That established us as a rap group and not just two hoopers gone hood,†he says.The Fletch Kalski solo album wouldn’t drop until 2002. At the time, he was using the stage name Young Fletch. After being homeless for two years, a few court cases, and the slaying of two of his childhood buddies, the young and talented writer thought it was time to tell his story. Real Big Entertainment (a small label out of West Oakland) was the first label to take an interest in Fletch. “Every Wednesday I was there,†he recalls “performing songs I wrote for the Hoolagang album, a group he and his cousin Haze started prior to the deal with Real Big Entertainment. Two months before the release of the album, Big O, the CEO of Real Big Entertainment, was involved in a fatal car crash. That would put everything on hold. Six months after the end of the deal and the album, Fletch was introduced to the Ghetto Athlete. He was the CEO of Manchild Records, a label based out of West Oakland, which was later moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. “Ghetto took me in and I dropped the Hood Fella solo album in two weeks,†he recalls. It was 2004 by this time. They pressed 50,000 copies and hit the road. “To this day, I don’t have an original copy of the album. We sold every one,†he remembers while laughing. The buzz was amazing. He was back in the mix and opening up shows for David Banner, Too Short, E-40, 3 6 Mafia, The Clipse and Yukmouth just to name a few. Fletch has performed in over 400 shows and sold over 70,000 copies hand to hand. Those are album numbers and mixtape units combined. He’s recorded over 600 songs that have not even been released yet. This young, aspiring writer is ready to be heard. His rough, raspy voice gives you a feeling of The Game with a little 2Pac, and with a swagger rougher than Lil Wayne’s, he has captured eyes and ears across the states. He’s ready…
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