
July 8, 2008
July 7, 2008
Okwerdz - Stockton's Finest

Born and raised in California’s central valley in ’murder capital’ Stockton, CA- Okwerdz (known to his fans as Okweezy and friends as Brian Peeples)- utilizes a distinctly west coast swagger and an off-the-wall style unique to himself. He is able to simultaneously remain catchy and straight-forward with understandable and creative hooks and song concepts while delivering them in a dizzying array of complex patterns and rhymeschemes. He is able to sound comfortable over any type of track, and draws influence from all regions and styles of music giving his music a diverse and well structured feel. Okwerdz has worked on music with an impressively diverse roster of artists such as Kool G. Rap, E-40, Tech N9ne, Rahzel, DJ Green Lantern, Cappadonna, Casual and many more.
His style has proven to be quite influential to rhyme slingers worldwide, and Ok has always prided himself on being ground breaking. A genuine freestyle phenomenon, he is considered one of the most prolific and dominant battle emcees in the history of the west coast. He was one of the first Cali emcees to compete in Scribble Jam, was a runner-up in the legendary Rocksteady battle in NYC, and has shared the stage freestyling with icons such as Supernatural and Juice. He is such a respected member of the freestyle and battle communities that he often asked to judge major events, and speaks with an authoritative voice.
When he incorporates these impromptu rhymes into his action packed live sets, the crowd is enough amazed and won over for life. This stage show of Ok’s is quite professional and he is able to keep the crowd engaged even without the use of a hypeman. This is perhaps due to his years of intense touring both domestically and internationally. Ok’s international presence is so ubiquitous, that he even received a certified gold record for his contribution to Australian supergroup The Hilltop Hoods "Hard Road: Restrung" album. Ok’s first project that he co-released himself with indie label Back Route Records "Random Acts of Music" in 2005 has moved over 4,000 units to date despite creative differences with the distribution company. His extremely creative/revolutionary Jackie Chan-themed concept EP ’Rush Hour’ has received over 40,000 downloads since its release in December 2007, including 30,500 in the first month. With a thriving myspace community, message board presence, and youtube channel full of exclusive footage, Okwerdz is inescapable on the internet.
Despite of all his accomplishments, Okwerdz remains down to earth, humble, and as hungry as ever. He is a man of his word, and completely dependable. He also has the charisma, sense of humor, and genuine star power required to captivate people from all walks of life. Okwerdz is as persistent as he is ambitious, so don’t expect him to slow down any time soon. When you juxtapose such a constant and deliberate hustle with such unadulterated passion, the result will be nothing less then total worldwide domination.
Okwerdz - Handicap (Feat. Mistah FAB, Casual, & Lush One)
Okwerdz - First Strike (Produced by The Wrist)
Also check for Okwerdz in the upcoming Fresh Coast Battle Documentary DVD:
Be sure to add Okwerdz as a friend on MySpace and keep checking the site for more on him.
Battle Of The Week
Arabian Prince Sighting!

West Coast Hip Hop veteran Arabian Prince found himself posing for the cover of 'Straight Outta Compton' as a part of N.W.A., when he decided only weeks prior to its release to leave the group in pursuit of a solo career. After somewhat moderate success, he stepped away from the music scene in the mid 90’s, with the evidence of his 80’s genius almost completely forgotten.
Luckily, Stones Throw (known for artists that break barriers) has announced that it will release 'Innovative Life: The Anthology 1984-1989', a collection of this electro-rap pioneer. Make sure to check out his bio, as well as Stones Throw’s West Coast Rap Timeline.
Links:
Stones Throw article: http://www. stonesthrow. com/arabianprince/
Bio: http://www. westcoastpioneers. com/artists/arabian-prince. html
West coast rap timeline: http://www. stonesthrow. com/images/arabian/gatefold. jpg
July 6, 2008
Ras Kass Single off 'Institutionalized Vol. 2'

Ras Kass - B.I.B.L.E. (Produced by Tha Bizness)
Ras Kass' 'Institutionalized Vol. 2' Tracklisting

1. VICTORY (WE SHALL OVERCOME) - PRODUCED BY TONYROC
2. EYES DON'T LIE - PRODUCED BY SKI BEATS
3. I'M ALL THAT - PRODUCED BY FREQUENCY
4. CAPITAL (SKIT)
5. BEHIND THE MUSICK - PRODUCED BY TONYROC
6. WE GO IN - PRODUCED BY TONYROC
7. IRONMAN THUG - PRODUCED BY SEGA
8. THE CALL (SKIT)
9. JOHN IS REAL - PRODUCED BY DOMINGO & TONYROC
10.B.I.B.L.E - PRODUCED BY SEGA
11.UPS & DOWNS - FEAT. PROOF D12 - PRODUCED BY DA RIFFS
12.ELEVATE - FEAT. CROOKED I & ODIOUS - PRODUCED BY BLUE
13.TRY ME - FEAT. GIFTED REVOLVER & NAME BRAND - PRODUCED BY MR. LEPHT
14.WHAT IT MIGHT BE - FEAT. WAIS P - PRODUCED BY TONYROC
15.I JUST - NAME BRAND - PRODUCED BY SEGA
16.MVP - NAME BRAND - PRODUCED BY SEGA
Check back soon for the single entitled 'B.I.B.L.E.' - Produced by Sega.