SD CityBeat: ‘Victim of circumstance.’ On Cutthroat and violence in Southeast SD

June 30, 2011 by Quan Vu 2 Comments

Photo: David Rolland

Kinda missed this the first time. CityBeat did a story on Cutthroat, who was killed in the string of shootings in Southeast SD a couple months ago. Here I am giving a shit about the SDMA’s when, clearly, there are things bigger than hip-hop. Shouts to Crhymes, who probably had a lot to do with this story getting published. Check out the grab below and then read the full story here.

Al’Uqdah, 34, who performed under the name Cutthroat, grew up in the Mount Hope area and had ties to the Neighborhood Crips. But he wasn’t a stereotypical gang member. In interviews with CityBeat, his brother Dahryan and several of his close friends described him as a prolific rapper with a compassionate streak. He supported struggling friends, acted as a father figure for women and neighborhood youngsters and always seemed to have a smile on his face, they say.

“On the outside, he might’ve looked a little scary at times. But on the inside, I don’t think I’ve ever met another person with a bigger heart,” says Cairo Anubiss, who produced many of Al’Uqdah’s tracks, in a tearful phone interview. “I mean, I can’t even count how many times I needed him to help me with something or help me in the yard or move or something, and he was always there. Never made excuses.”

He was also a convicted felon who’d served prison terms for drug possession with intent to sell, according to court documents. But in a letter sent to a judge in 2001, the director of a local youth organization Al’Uqdah worked for vouched for him, describing how he assisted a Pop Warner coach during games and counseled kids against joining gangs.

RIP Cutthroat.

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SD CityBeat: ‘American iD.’ Profile on iD The Poet

June 29, 2011 by Quan Vu 5 Comments

Photo: Matt Skow / matthewskow.com

I guess as a sort of extension on Media Week, SD CityBeat has been getting better about their coverage of local hip-hop since Peter Holslin came on as the Music Editor. This week, they just published this profile on iD The Poet. And it was written by San Diego’s most controversial/feared/hated writer, Seth Combs, no less (for those unfamiliar, he’s famously known for telling a music act in one of the past CityBeat Demo Reviews to “eat a dick”). It’s a pretty good read. There’s a grab below but you can read the rest of the iD the Poet profile here.

On a related note, iD’s jazz-tinged-but-clearly-still-hip-hop outfit, Genius of Soul, was weirdly nominated for an SDMA for Best Jazz Album. Which is about as accurate as saying Gangstarr is jazz or that like Shakespeare wrote rap lyrics. It sounds good on first listen though and actually it’s probably better than it has any business being.

Local MC, producer and spoken-word artist iD the Poet’s first freestyles weren’t on the suburban streets of L.A. where he grew up; they were in a rather unlikely place.

“Actually, I was working on an assembly line in a fish cannery in Alaska,” says iD, whose real name is Kurt Kohnen. “I just went there to work for a summer after I graduated high school, and it was some serious Laverne & Shirley-type shit, but way harsher. It was in the middle of nowhere. I’d written rhymes and poetry, but nothing ever became of it. But on the assembly line, there’s just all these characters and hooligans: guys from West Africa, ex-convicts that were 45 years old— all these different characters—and we’d just freestyle to try and make each other laugh. This was by no means a bunch of hip-hop heads; most were just old dudes who probably used to rap in prison.”

He laughs, reminiscing. “God, I would never want to hear any of my rhymes that came out of that.”

He makes it sound like he started rapping accidentally, or out of sheer boredom, but he hasn’t really stopped writing or performing since moving to San Diego in 1999. Like a lot of local MCs, iD started in the slam-poetry and spoken-word scene, but, at home, he was using his computer-programming skills to make his own beats. Eventually, he found his way to performing during hip-hop nights at places like Kadan and Landlord Jim’s, where crowds would eat up his gruff, deep voice and introspective, politically tinged lyrics.

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SDMA’s 2011: Official Hip-Hop Nominations

June 27, 2011 by Quan Vu 17 Comments


The official San Diego Music Award nominations were announced today. Here’s a rundown of the hip-hop categories and some thoughts afterward:

Best Hip Hop

Best Hip Hop Album

While it’s not exactly what I’d wanted, it’s actually a lot better than I’d expected. I mean, dude, Genghis Khan–apparently, the most elusive rapper in San Diego and something of a battle rap legend–is nominated. I could never have predicted that in my life. Just when you think awards are all about politics and connections, the city’s biggest rap hermit gets a nod. That’s some baller shit right there. Read more of this post

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Access Sez So: Formula Abstract Presents … Universal Soundscapes

June 26, 2011 by SDRaps.com Guest Leave a Comment

Once again back is the incredible. For this installment of Access Sez So, Wes comes through with a track-by-track review of the latest from Formula Abstract.

I think it’s been over a year since Trust One told me he was putting this compilation together and I’m really glad it’s finally here. I’ve been anticipating not only some unreleased Formula Abstract (Trust One and the late Moderfire) tracks but some hardcore San Diego shit in general. Lately my posts have been about catching up with some of my favorites from 2010, so I’m happy I’ve got something new to share for a change. Of course, that could still be debated since many of these tracks have been completed for quite some time before awaiting the official release of Universal Soundscapes [ed. note: you can purchase Universal Soundscapes here]. Here’s a track for track breakdown, so bare with me and enjoy.

1. “Always” ft. Dr. Zarkov, Orko Eloheim, Trust One [prod. Trust One]
From the get go, selection and order of each track as they appear on the compilition is key. The opener “Always” sets the tone as the official third member of Formula Abstract, Dr. Zarkov, spits battle rhymes that avoid being overly aggressive, as the beat doesn’t call for it. The song itself reminds us that even though Moderfire is gone, he is not forgotten, as Orko makes a dedication to Miguel in his verse.

2. “We San See You” ft. Dr. Zarkov, 1019, Golden Gages, Trust One, Mike Tappen [prod. Andy Bandy]
3. “Every Groove In A Record” ft. Mike Tappen, Trust One, Sighphur One [prod. Trust One]
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Again as I mentioned the very nature of this selection of tracks showcases each emcee’s propensity for battle style rhymes, which to me denotes significant talent on the mic to outsiders looking in on San Diego’s hip hop scene. By track two and three things really pick up, with the bass-y/synth-y uptempo beat by French producer Andy Bandy is quickly ripped over by Trust, Zarkov, 1019 aka The Numberman, and Golden Gages of Circle Empire in just around three minutes. “Every Groove In A Record” is one of the absolute highlights of the release, with Trust, regular guest collaborator Mike Tappen, and old school SD battle rapper Sigphur One calling out amateur rappers that seem to flood the internet and local scenes these days. Trust One’s beat perfectly captures a 90′s boom-bap feel with a bassline that could have come from a Golden Era classic! Read more of this post

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SoundDiego LIVE: Black Resume and Parker & The Numberman at HOB

June 25, 2011 by Quan Vu Leave a Comment


Excuse the slightest bit of self-promotion. One of the cooler things about my new gig at SoundDiego is the monthly SoundDiego LIVE shows that they put on. Every month, they put on a free show with local artists. The bloggers take turns each month organizing the lineup. The artists get free promo. Fans get a free show. SoundDiego gets to front like they’re hella cool (I kid!). It’s all fairly awesome.

This month is my first crack at helping program the lineup, which takes me back to my days at university when our student group basically wasted thousands of dollars in student tuition to put on hip-hop shows with underground artists that only like 50 other students actually came to see (insult to injury: student tuition has steadily been rising for years, exacerbating accessibility issues for students from low-income families–I am very sorry if I contributed to that trend at all). Hopefully this SoundDiego show isn’t using any public money and we can have a guilt-free party on NBC’s dime.

Anyway, Black Resume and Parker & The Numberman are on this month’s show, which is going down this Thursday, June 30 at House of Blues. I chose the two acts because I’ve seen both of them perform and they put on a good show. Black Rez get people dancing. P&# might be the next to kinda blow up locally. It should be a fun night. Check out the details below and, if you want to make sure you get in, sign up for the guestlist here:

SoundDiego LIVE XII
Black Resume, Republic of Letters, Parker & The Numberman
Thursday, June 30 @ 7pm-10:30pm
House of Blues
21+
Free drinks/appetizers from 7-8pm
Tickets: $FREE.99

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‘Third Degree Burns’ Mixshow w/ Masters of the Universe

June 23, 2011 by Quan Vu Leave a Comment


“Third Degree Burns” Dirty Mixshow 5/5/11 by DjThirdRaiLooksOne
Guests: Delon Deville and Orko Eloheim

“Third Degree Burns” Dirty Mixshow 5/26/11 by DjThirdRailLooks1
Guests: Odessa Kane and Orko Eloheim

Continuing on with Media Week, DJ Third Rail recently started up this mixshow called “Third Degree Burns” on 96.1FM San Diego and also on HipHopPhilosophy.com Radio. The show runs on Thursday nights from 8-11pm. The bad news is that I can’t actually find the show anywhere on HipHopPhilosophy.com (which isn’t updated very frequently anyway). Third Rail sent me links to each of his mixshows through Soundcloud but each mixshow is associated with a different Soundcloud account that are slight variations on spelling and punctuation with DJ Third Rail’s name. So basically, unless you’re listening to 96.1FM at exactly 8-11pm on Thursdays or Third Rail happens to personally shoot you a Soundcloud link, there’s pretty much no way to access future shows.

The good news is that Third Rail plays ill hip-hop and frequently features Masters of the Universe on his mixshows. You can check out two shows above featuring Delon Deville, Odessa Kane, and Orko Eloheim. They show off their music, chat about MotU, and freestyle for ages. They’re really long shows so I bookmarked the spots where the guests or the guests’ music comes in.

If you’re interested, Third Rail also has shows featuring Masters of the Universe extended family Scatterbrain, Aims, and Banish. And of course, all things lead to Parker & The Numberman as well.

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Video: DJ Demon – They Reminisce: SD Video Mix

June 20, 2011 by Quan Vu Leave a Comment


SGM Podcast | 2011-05-10 | Demon | They Reminisce 028

Another channel to be dialing into is DJ Demon’s They Reminisce podcast on Sleeping Giant Music. He puts one out about once a month, running through a bunch of classics from the ’90s. He recently upgraded from producing regular mixes to incorporating music videos into his mix. And last month he made a mix completely dedicated to SD hip-hop (you can check out the tracklist after the jump).

While They Reminisce doesn’t consistently feature local talent, Demon is definitely someone who’s down for the scene. He actually used to do a podcast series called SD Collegues [sic] and you can still listen to and download all the mixes at the SD Collegues mix archives here (seriously, a veritable goldmine of music sits there). Demon has proven to be someone who’s open to the continued development of the scene. Artists should probably hit him up (he’s on Facebook) with some music. And, uhhhh, maybe think about not charging him to promote your music.

Anyway, hit the jump for the video mix tracklist. There are a couple errors in the tracklist (the Parker & The Numberman song is actually “What About Your Block” and the tracklist leaves out a song between Miki Vale’s and Banish’s songs) but whatever: Read more of this post

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Parker & The Numberman and Concrete Project interviews on ‘The Break’

June 19, 2011 by Quan Vu 9 Comments

The other day, this one dude was asking me about the different media outlets that are available in San Diego for hip-hop. And it was a really short, sad convo because there is virtually nothing of the kind anymore. With the shutdown of Blazin’ 98.9 and Z90′s full transformation into a pop format to compete with Channel 93.3, even casual hip-hop listeners are left with no options.

With that in mind, consider this an unofficial Media Week. Clearly, SDRaps.com is the best thing since sliced bread SP-1200′s. But there are other people in the scene putting in work to bolster the scene as well. Artists should hit them up and build relationships. Fans should just tune in.

Today, check out The Break, a weekly (I think?) show hosted by Lady Xplicit highlighting local music and the scene in general. The first episode features an interview and performance from Parker & The Numberman (above, interview starts around the 5:30 mark). The second episode features The Concrete Project, which you can check out after the jump (interview begins around 2:20). Don’t forget to subscribe to their Youtube Page for more.

UPDATE: I forgot to mention that The Break is also apart of DagoSD.com Internet radio. It could be kinda confusing because the DagoSD.com watermark thing is present on one episode and not the other (and also only the first episode is featured on DagoSD.com’s Youtube account?). But as far as I know, they are still affiliated. Read more of this post

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SDMA’s 2011: Who Should Be Nominated

June 15, 2011 by Quan Vu 14 Comments


The San Diego Music Awards take place on August 8 this year (a month earlier than last year), so right now the San Diego Music Foundation is in the process of gathering nominations for all the categories. On the off-chance that others from the SDMA Academy come here to get an idea of what to put for the hip-hop categories, I’ll go ahead and present my lists for Best Hip-Hop Album and Best Hip-Hop Artist. I know there’s some confusion as to what differentiates the two categories. From what I figure, the winner of the Best Hip-Hop Artist doesn’t necessarily have to have released an album in the past year. I want to say that it’s based more on a loose combination of musical quality, performance quality, work ethic, and career gains in the past year. It’s all very subjective but for what it’s worth, here are my Top 5 picks (in no particular order):

Best Hip-Hop Album:

  • Blame One – Endurance
    For sure the most well-executed album, Grandpa Blame (I kid!) almost literally sons all young rappers who have no concept of hip-hop history. Breakbeats, soul samples, introspection, metaphysics, and shit-talking in one cohesive package.
  • Treali Duce – A Man’s Heart
    Carrying on the spirit of Tupac, Treali Duce brings the emotion, pain, and heart back to gangsta rap. This is seriously heavy/powerful music.
  • Circle Empire – Before & After
    Orko went through space and time, Circle Empire went straight to hell. Their abstract lyricism isn’t always completely understandable but the images they produce help create a certain feeling of lurking and dark caverns and unsettling depths.
  • Anti Citizens – The Awakening EP
    The sound of apocalypse frequently mixed with excellent double-time rapping (they’re definitely two of the better double-time rappers that I’ve heard around). Highlights include, um, half the album. Don’t listen to my original review. Hearing it again, I don’t think it’s supposed to work as a cohesive album. Taken as a series of singles though, it’s pretty banging.
  • Ecay Uno – Dr. Ecay Vol. 1: Mad At The World
    I never got around to reviewing this but it was really solid, probably the second most well-executed album behind Blame. Ecay is definitely a versatile producer. But his writing is good too. I think a lot of rappers have gotten too caught up in free associative, loosely battle-ish raps. Ecay, on the other hand, often writes entertaining songs with concepts.

Best Hip-Hop Artist:

  • Mitchy Slick:
    After being mostly MIA on Strong Arm Steady’s In Search of Stoney Jackson in 2010, Mitchy came back on this year’s Arms & Hammers. Of course, he’s still touring the world, as seen on his video blog series, He’s Everywhere. He’s also working on a full-length collabo with DJ Fresh from the Bay, which had to have had something to do with the upcoming DJ Fresh x Lil Spank Booty collab too. Both of those should be strong releases. And, uhhhh, he’s Mitchy. He should be nominated out of respect, if anything.
  • Black Resume:
    Black Rez has steadily been building up their fanbase through a combination of danceable music, high energy shows, and some amount of marketing savvy. And, yknow, they can still rap well.
  • Parker & The Numberman:
    I’m probably biased because I’m doing research on them, but it seems like their name is getting around a lot, like they’re generating a lot of buzz. I’ve seen P&# mentioned in larger outlets like CityBeat (and not even by me) and 94/9FM as well as smaller, hip-hop-oriented Internet radio shows and podcasts (which I’ll be highlighting soon). They’re gaining traction to be sure.
  • Mr. Brady (of Deep Rooted):
    I think Deep Rooted may already have a spot reserved for them but that spot should be given to Mr. Brady instead, who has released four albums (two solos, two collab projects), within the past year, including a full-length with LMNO of the Visionaries. That’s hustle.
  • Anti Citizens:
    2012 Dynasty hasn’t quite gotten around to terrorizing the entire city just yet, unfortunately. But Anti Citizens still managed to put out the excellently apocalyptic Awakening EP. They excel at live performance, especially Mr. Ridley, who has a natural stage presence with his don’t-give-a-fck attitude. Ridley deserves special mention too for his production, working with everyone from Black Mikey and Young Foe to Parker & The Numberman and Formula Abstract. And seemingly on “for the love”-type shit. He’s probably the one who’s really bridging the gap. So on top of producing dope music, he’s also strengthening the scene.

I know I’m missing a lot of stuff too. I just got around to listening to these two Wrongkind releases, K Bizz’s Kulinary Rock School and Ricc Nutt and Ise B’s Syndicate Mobb Stars. I also just started listening to this dude named El Gun Legro. I heard Vokab Company put out a new album in the past year. For Best Hip-Hop Artist, Blame would be a good nomination because of his appearance at the Paid Dues Festival and just because they maybe should be making it up to him for not nominating him in years past (PS. cue someone telling me to get off his jock). Ecay could make a similar argument, having won Best San Diego Hip Hop Artist from the West Coast Hip Hop Awards (or something like that). Feel free to let me know what you think should be nominated. And if you wanna go one further, hit up the SDMA Academy and let them know you think should be nominated.

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Beyond Boundaries pt. 2: Complex, Sagon Penn, and Police Brutality

June 14, 2011 by SDRaps.com Guest 1 Comment


This second excerpt from Professor Mychal Odom’s essay, “Beyond Boundaries: The History, Culture and Politics of San Diego Gangsta Rap,” examines music from Complex of the E-Mortal Gang. Odom speaks on Complex’s critique of police brutality and illuminates us on the story of Sagon Penn.

Yesterday’s excerpt focused on Gangsta Ern and the history of street gangs in San Diego. You can download the essay in full by clicking here. If you’d like to contact Odom, you can reach him via Facebook here.

Complex ft. Big Will “SDPDK”
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Complex “Face The Nation”
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Two intriguing extensions of [the "rap as social critique"] tradition were “SDPDK” and “Face the Nation” by Complex. In the “nine-to-five” world, Complex doubles as Jermaine Simpson, a social worker with a BA in Sociology and M.Ed. in Counseling. His family and friends are affiliated with the West Coast Crips Rollin 30s and Neighborhood Crips Rollin’ 40s. He uses his professional, personal and familial relationships as inspiration for his music. In “SDPDK,” Complex (accompanied by Big Will) questions who the real threat to the community is. “SDPDK” highlights the San Diego Police Department’s history of corruption and abuse. In the second verse, Complex warns:

Look out for the Boys in Blue, not the Crips but the cops
The niggas that bust shots and run niggas off the blocks
Keep they shit cocked and ready for niggas that clock fetti
When we see the Babylons we break, like Rocksteady
They got heavy artillery/Work for Bill and Hillary
And SWATs comin’ deep wit’ they mind set on killin’ me …
They trained to kill Blacks then hide the facts, cover they tracks
Plant keys of cocaine in niggas ‘lacs
Wit’ a knack for using excessive force, quick triggers
Kick your door down and send the dog in to sic niggas.

Furthermore, Complex uses this song to chronicle a series of high-profiled accounts of police-brutality and officer-related shootings brought on by two decades of over policing. “SDPDK” and “Face the Nation” make reference to the cases of Demetrius Dubose, William Miller and Sagon Penn. Read more of this post

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