Sleepy Malo

Southern California rapper Sleepy Malo stands as a core member of the Southland family and a key presence in the Latin rap community, one who maintains a large following even with infrequent releases. His early contributions surfaced on various mixtapes and Southland compilations before his debut full-length arrived in 2003 via The Same Streets, a strong gangsta record welcomed warmly by Latin rap listeners. Plans for a follow-up project surfaced next, yet repeated delays stemmed from Southside’s ongoing distribution setbacks. In 2005 the collaborative Straight Out the Valle surfaced alongside Southland label head Mister D, followed shortly by Malo’s solo track “Sleep Walking,” which promoted an untitled album still lacking any confirmed release window. Early 2006 brought widespread excitement across Latin rap message boards after Southland revealed a new distribution agreement with major label Universal, confirming that the long-rumored second Malo album would at last materialize. Tales from the East Side reached stores later that same year.