How Can You Hate When the Shit's This Funny?

Bay Area 4 Life Son!!!

I'm not the only one!

Alright, since you punks don't trust my opinion, how about that of The LA Times? Yeah that's right, bitches, the Times is raving about Turf Talk. And so is All Hip-Hop, and so is (world's best blogger) Noz over at XXLmag.com. Not to mention the Bay Area blogs. And I just hit the local record store with my girl (who wanted to buy The West Coast Vaccine) and they only had one copy left. They've had to back order that shit! So wake up motherfuckers. Turf Talk is the truth, and this isn't just a good Bay Area album, or a good Hyphy album, or a good album for a relative of E-40. It's a fucking dope album. So stop frontin'.

I'll leave you with some words from Kelefa Sannah (yes, he of The New York Times.) Apparently he's on the (hyphy) train too.

Hyphy's First Classic?

Although it’s received quite a lot of criticism (I see you el), the “hyphy movement” has been a blessing for Bay Area hip-hop, which before last year’s newfound attention had been suffering from a decade-long commercial drought. Stupidity aside, hyphy has united Bay Area artists and provided local rappers a much-needed springboard to national exposure. Nevertheless, consistency has never been one of the genre’s strengths. Sure there have been some great songs, but we’ve yet to have a hyphy long-player that goes as hard as 90’s Bay classics like E-40’s In a Major Way or 3x Krazy’s Stackin’ Chips. Enter West Coast Vaccine, the new album from Vallejo’s Turf Talk.

If you’re not from the Bay, chances are you’ve never heard of Turf, but the lil’ homey has been doin’ his thing for a good couple of years now. Turf has the distinction of being E-40’s cousin, but he easily holds his own as a rapper, possessing a truly unique style that stands out even in a region known for its rappers’ unorthodox flows. Like E-40 or Keak da Sneak, Turf Talk is somewhat of an acquired taste (no homo), but his high-pitched, nasal cadence becomes addictive upon repeat listens. He’s also pretty damn funny, sprinkling his verses with hilarious one-liners that seem to owe nothing to the rappers who’ve come before him. While Turf’s flow is clearly a product of the Bay (and of the Sick Wid It fam), it’s also completely original, a quality that’s refreshing in a genre that too often seems to reward conformity. Though his influences are present, clearly Turf is his own man.

Of course any rapper is only as good as his production, and the beats on Vaccine don’t disappoint. Whereas 40’s Ghetto Report Card relied heavily on the Southern bounce of Lil’ Jon, Vaccine’s production is completely a Bay Area affair, resulting in a sound that, rather than being a “cousin of crunk,” is its own thing entirely. Hyphy architect Rick Rock supplies the bulk of the beats, pushing his compositions even farther into spaced-out madness (the monstrous “Holla At You”), while up-and-comer Droop-E (E-40’s son) also contributes several tracks, showcasing a newfound versatility on bangers like “Broke N*ggas!” and “Stop Snitchin.” Also present behind the boards are Oakland vet EA-Ski (aka “the Bay’s Dr. Dre”) and San Jose’s Traxxamillion, the mastermind behind Keak da Sneak's “Superhyphy.” Lest the album become too “dummy retarded,” as they say, Turf drops a few laid-back joints, such as the soulful album intro, that reflect his years spent in LA as an adolescent (growing up he split time between V-Town and Southern Cali.)

At 21 tracks, West Coast Vaccine is a bit bloated, but considering the length there are remarkably few duds. The beats knock hard as fuck (particularly in a nice car stereo) and Turf stays on point lyrically and vocally throughout, often completely readjusting his style to fit a given track. Bottom line: the shit slaps. Hate on the Bay if you must, but please at least listen to this album first.

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I know none of you reading this are gonna run out and cop this joint, so I’ve posted the entire thing for download. Check it out, and if you like it consider buying a real copy or at least checking for Turf’s next project. I guarantee this shit is ten times better than the new Fabolous.

Give This Man His Props

One thing that's different about Bay Area radio (at least in comparison to LA) is that we support our artists. If you're ever up North, turn your dial to 106.1 and I guarantee you'll hear a multitude of local rappers that get absolutely no play outside the region, such as Turf Talk, The Federation, Frontline, San Quinn, Messy Marv, Richie Rich, Keak da Sneak, The Team, Ya Boy, and (pause for breath) the Ambassador of the Bay himself, E-40 Fonzarelli. Now I've been a fan of 40 for years, and I have great respect for his hustle, his energy and his endlessly inventive slang, but while I was in the Bay last week I was reminded of another of his talents: the guy has the ability to make any bad song enjoyable. Some E-40 purists have decried Earl's readiness to jump on any song in hopes of expanding his audience, but I for one am grateful that when a shitty song comes on the radio (ala Lil' Scrappy's "Oh Yeah") I know it'll be listenable at least for the duration of 40's cameo. Case in point is the remix of Dallas rapper Tum Tum's "Cadillac Muzik," which I was lucky enough to hear while I was ridin' in my scraper (OK, my minivan) last week.

Tum Tum - Caprice Musik (Remix) feat. E-40 & Rick Ross

Now, Caprice Musik is not a good song. Its beat is almost criminally simple, and Tum sure doesn't help anything with his nonsensical raps and background yelps. (And don't get me started about this video.) Nevertheless, when 40 jumps on the song—dare I say this—it actually gets good. Its minimalism becomes a strength, you notice that it kinda knocks with the bass up, and you find yourself hanging on 40's every word as he totally dominates the track. Then Ross comes in and you're right back at mediocrity. When you really think about it, it's a pretty remarkable phenomenon. Dude is so engaging that production becomes almost a non-issue. That's pretty crazy in a genre where the caliber of a rapper's beats can make or break his career (hold your head up, Canibus.) So if you're not gonna respect 40 for his self-made status, his commercial relevancy at age 39 (!), or his never-ending support for his region, at least give the man some credit for bringing integrity to even the wackest of songs. As commercial rap continues to go to shit, we need more rappers like 40 to soothe our suffering ears. Somebody get him on the "Lip Gloss" remix, quick!

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Bonus: Two other garbage joints made brilliant by 40 appearances. The second one's a couple years old.

DJ Unk - 2 Step (Remix) feat. T-Pain, E-40 & Jim Jones

Trillville - I'm Pimpin' feat. E-40