Not A Review: Parker & The Numberman – Clockwork Slang

May 9, 2012 by SDRaps.com Guest 3 Comments

Parker and the Numberman

Bob once whispered a review into a deaf critic’s ear and videotaped his fingers typing it on a blog.

Disclaimer: This is not a review. I’m no music journalist. For further explanation, click here.

In this day and age of lyrical prowess and bright spotlights, it has become a rare occurrence in hip-hop to find a rap duo equally matched as emcees. In the sea of A Tribe Called Quest’s and Organized Konfusion’s that are the standards of two-man teams in hip-hop, the ever-so-rare Outkast comes as a pleasant surprise to any cynical consumer. Parker & The Numberman’s Clockwork Slang is the latest release from the pair featuring production by local underground powerhouse, Mr. Ridley, showcasing a consistent and innovative sound, with each aspect of the project complementing the other. From the chemistry between the two emcees, to the quality of the production and mix, Clockwork Slang takes us into the stylish and sometimes weird world of Parker & The Numberman. Read more of this post

Filed under Album Reviews, Not A Review, Reviews Tagged with ,

Access Sez So: Album Review: Stuntdouble & Tenshun – The Ballad of Shawn T. Nelson EP

December 4, 2011 by SDRaps.com Guest 7 Comments

Wes has been locked in his basement listening to this 7-inch and writing the great American novel a review. Now, he’s back with a vengeance.

Just a few a months ago, one of my favorite San Diego releases of the year dropped with a bang! And while it’s just a 7-inch EP with a mere four tracks, it’s a little release that had big things to say!

After their last album, Don’t Have to be Drunk To Tell the Truth, was released back in 2007, Stuntdouble and DJ/Producer Tenshun continued to perform locally, maintaining their presence around San Diego’s underground scene. Tenshun, as a solo act, has worked steadily on pushing out releases independently and through several other indie labels as a following of fans of his drum heavy production continues to grow. Stuntdouble remains equally busy juggling back and forth between school, work and family life, recording songs between releases, sometimes with other producers. Unfortunately, as the years passed, the material and the hours put into said sessions had become all but an afterthought for the emcee, and sadly those tracks may never see the light of day. Over the years, I would see both artists here at Access, and I’d always be eager to hear anything new and if they would at least hint at another release together. Finally, after a few delays over the summer in which the plates to press the brand new EP on vinyl were denied due to sampling issues, their long talked about return is here!

Stuntdouble didn’t set out to make an EP about how “fine” his city is with some half-assed anthems your friends can chant the words to at house parties. “Welcome to San Diego. Now go home.” These words are printed directly on the label of the record itself and this pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the EP. The Ballad of Shawn T. Nelson is a release filled with political connotations and the social commentary fans have come to expect from the fire-bearded and equally hot-tempered emcee. It’s aimed specifically at life in San Diego, from the perspective of the average citizen, and not some pamphlet-pushing tour guide who can’t wait to lure visitors on a tour bus to “America’s Finest City,” as it is so affectionately dubbed by the media. As an outsider myself, living in various neighborhoods amongst this city’s inhabitants for the last ten years, “America’s Finest City” is a term that definitely feels outdated. Read more of this post

Filed under Access Sez So, Album Reviews, Features, Reviews Tagged with , ,

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]
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
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

Filed under Access Sez So, Album Reviews, Features, Reviews Tagged with

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”
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Complex “Face The Nation”
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

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

Filed under Features Tagged with , ,

Beyond Boundaries pt. 1: The History of SD Street Gangs and Gangsta Ern’s Political Raps

June 13, 2011 by SDRaps.com Guest 2 Comments


Here’s something a little bit different for you this week. Mychal Odom is currently a professor of history at the University of Texas Pan American. However, hailing from Long Beach and spending 11 years in San Diego (he obtained his bachelors and masters degrees at USD), his primary research interest is the history of Southern California gangsta rap. He recently composed a lengthy essay entitled “Beyond Boundaries: The History, Culture and Politics of San Diego Gangsta Rap.” We’ll be looking at three two select excerpts from his essay this week.

The first excerpt details the history of street gangs in San Diego and examines the socio-political aspects of Gangsta Ern’s music. The second excerpt available here talks about Complex of the E-Mortal Gang and his critique of police brutality. If you’d like to read the rest of the essay, you can download the entire essay by clicking here.

… the proliferation of local Bloods and Crips gangs—as well as out of town cliques from Los Angeles—formed the impetus for San Diego gangsta rap. According to Perry, drug dealing (and gang banging) as metaphor reflected an actual category of human existence as well as providing a symbolic method of communicating a kind of power within the hood, an overwhelmingly powerless context, and an exploitation of the power created by fear of the ghetto by outsiders (thug mimicry).

Street gangs are just as much a part of San Diego’s recent history as it is Los Angeles County’s. While San Diego street gangs and party crews existed before the 1970s, the first Crips and Bloods appear in the early 1970s. The East San Rapper and East Dago Mob Crip Lil CS explained that gangs are nothing new to San Diego in an interview he stated:

Muthafuckas underestimating Daygo, we got some heat out here, you know, muthafuckas been on that gangsta shit out here for the longest, you know people ain’t heard about Daygo that much besides Jayo [Felony] but they don’t really know how it is, you know what I mean? But there’s been Bloods and Crips out here almost as long as L.A. had em, you know L.A. started like in the late 60′s, Daygo’s first gangstas was prolly like 72, 73 or so, so we grew up in that shit just like they did.

The first gangs in San Diego were mostly Crips, while Blood gangs began to appear later on. Gangs appeared in San Diego via a Los Angeles County Probation Department effort titled “Operation Transfer.” Read more of this post

Filed under Features Tagged with

Opinion: ‘San Diego Is The Smooth Jazz Capital of the World’

June 2, 2011 by SDRaps.com Guest 5 Comments


Jaz, who works at Batkave Studios, posted an interesting blog entry about the history of the San Diego music scene and how artists today should learn to capitalize off of that foundation. I can’t speak on it too hard but I wonder what everyone else thinks. Here’s what Jaz has to say (you can read the original post on his Facebook page here):

OK LET’S TALK ABOUT JAZZ,

WAIT …………….. Did I say Jazz? A lot of young people are already clicking off the page, but read on and you might learn something.

I’ve been here longer than most of you have been self aware about music and I’ve been watching you complain from a distance about not getting any support or radio play in this town. I haven’t really been saying anything because most of you think you know how to do things and still there are crickets chirping at your shows. The only people in the crowd are other artists who can’t wait for you to get off the stage so they can perform. And the rest of you blindly promote on the internet oblivious to what’s going on because you haven’t really met any of the real movers and shakers in this city face to face. So now I’m ready to talk because a lot of you have confidence but no knowledge about how this city runs. So listen up ……………………………..

Every city has a sound. And if that sound is supported by the wealthy, then that money creates venues, thus creates opportunities to be heard and supported: Read more of this post

Filed under Editorials Tagged with ,

Access Sez So: Interview: Sergio Hernandez

April 24, 2011 by SDRaps.com Guest Leave a Comment

Later than expected but well worth the wait, here is another installment of Access Sez So. In an ideal world, Wes would’ve gotten a journalism degree and would be covering local hip-hop for CityBeat, The Reader, etc.

Originally I had set out to do a mini review of the Strange Habits EP by Sergio Hernandez, which dropped late in November last year. EP’s are short in nature, so I found myself struggling to review the release and thought that it’d be a lot more interesting if I got to know Sergio a little better through an interview. The result was my unprepared disorganized self asking a lot of questions out of sequence that turned into much longer conversations about music, art, beer and me trying to relate his upbringing in San Diego to my experiences with hip hop growing up as a teen in small towns on the East Coast. As I realized interviews were a lot harder than planned, he agreed to come back to the shop to finish up the interview and the next day he presented me with a bottle of beer that exceeded 10% abv, I assume so I could relax a little and get focused, and so I basically reworked my entire interview based on the previous day’s conversations. This turned out to be a much better call then shorting SDRaps.com readers with a quick review, where you would have missed the parts about this OG San Diego graf head and an extremely talented individual.

Sergio Hernandez “Roaches” [prod. MRR]
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Read more of this post

Filed under Access Sez So, Features, Interviews Tagged with , , ,

Access Sez So: Genghis Khan – Night Gallery

March 6, 2011 by SDRaps.com Guest 13 Comments

On the second installment of Access Sez So, Wes speaks with Infinity Gauntlet about working with the enigmatic Genghis Khan on Genghis’ latest album, Night Gallery.

Historians believe that not a single accurate depiction actually exists of the great Mongolian Emperor, Genghis Khan, who ruled in Ancient China over 700 years ago. Information about him over the centuries has been passed down in folklore and tales of legend. In contrast, with today’s technology, we have all kinds of public data collecting. Yet you’d still be hard pressed to find any pictures or footage of San Diego’s Genghis Khan, one of the most elusive emcees in the SD underground hip hop scene. And no, that Facebook profile you found is not the real Genghis Khan of the legendary Masters of The Universe crew. Read more of this post

Filed under Access Sez So, Features Tagged with ,

Access Sez So: Circle Empire – Before & After

February 6, 2011 by SDRaps.com Guest 8 Comments

The Access Hip-Hop shop has stood as a beacon of underground hip-hop music in San Diego for years. Its dedication to all things underground also translates into support for local artists. And as one of the first places that local artists go to spread their music, Access employees are exposed to a ton of San Diego hip-hop music. So why not have them school us on some local gems they’ve heard?

On the first post of this new monthly segment, Access Sez So, Wes from Access fills us in on one of the stronger local releases from 2010 that I missed in my year-end list.

There are also plenty of strong picks from the SDRaps.com list, some that I have yet to listen to. But if I could take a moment and shed some light on one of my other favorite San Diego underground albums of the year it would have to be Circle Empire’s Before & After.

Formed in 1996, Circle Empire became a revolving door of many members, family and affiliates over the years hailing from all over San Diego, acting almost like a launching pad for a lot of locals getting started.  Read more of this post

Filed under Access Sez So, Features Tagged with