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Okwerdz - Stockton's Finest

We are living in an era where it seems like everybody that you come across is an aspiring rapper. Many of the most talented rap artists often the lack the motivation and connections that more lackluster rhymers posses that will enable them to shine. However, combining both jaw-dropping artistry and good old fashioned hard nosed hustle, Okwerdz is a ray of hope for those who yearn to experience a rapper with mind blowing skills, mass appeal, and a tremendous work ethic to match.

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.

We have 2 songs available for download from Okwerdz:

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

Today marks our first Battle of the Week. Today we bring you the NoCanDo(Los Angeles) vs. Syanide(Brooklyn, NY) battle. Both have a rep for battling and their styles clashed with this battle in New York:

Arabian Prince Sighting!

by Frank

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

Ras Kass Single off 'Institutionalized Vol. 2'

As promised we have the single off 'Institutionalized Vol. 2' from currently incarcerated emcee Ras Kass, 'B.I.B.L.E'. The title sheds light on the topic of the tack, so without further a do here it is:


Ras Kass - B.I.B.L.E. (Produced by Tha Bizness)

Ras Kass' 'Institutionalized Vol. 2' Tracklisting

According to Domingo, who produced 1 song on the album, here is the track list for 'Institutionalized Vol. 2' set to drop August 5th. Some of the noted features are Proof(R.I.P.), Crooked I, Name Brand, and production by Da Riffs. Here is the track list:

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.

Roc C and Custom Made Freestyle

Recently, Oxnard emcee Roc C and the Los Angeles group Custom Made appeared on the World Famous Wake Up Show. As ususal, they had their normal freestyle session. We have the footage here:

July 4th: Day of Celebration

by Frank

If you haven't noticed yet, it’s the 4th of July today, and while most of the country is celebrating, having barbecues and waving as many flags as possible, the underground hip hop community tends to have a different mind state on days like these. For the revolutionary backpacker, rocking a Che Guevara shirt and bumping Ras Kass’ 'Nature of the Threat' is an easy way to get the flag-waving population up in arms.

Today, the entire nation celebrates its independence. But what was that whole war for independence really about? Land. Instead we call it independence. And genocide? Manifest destiny. It sounds more magical that way, making it easier to justify one’s current way of living and persecute any aspiring revolutionary.

Hip Hop is a very unique genre of music. Fast-paced lyrics result in more being said. This, among many other reasons, has made hip hop an ideal art form in the fight to bring knowledge and change to the world. As fans and artists, we take pride in declaring our allegiances. We know that the underground culture only continues to grow. We congregate at shows such as those of Guerilla Union, and have nothing but the utmost respect for one another, knowing that if anarchy broke out tomorrow, you guys would be in the trenches together.

So on this day, and every other 4th of July, let’s rock those Che shirts and bump that Ras Kass with pride. Let’s celebrate our awareness and our ability to see through the fake. And let’s celebrate the music. Drop some comments, what do ya’ll bump on days like these, and who on this front is makin mad noise on the Cali scene?

Introducing: The Antidotes

Coming straight from Los Angeles, The Antidotes are a breath of fresh air. Friends since high school, the group of 4, consisting of MarkFader, Phenomenon, Jo Well, & Konscious K have done shows with the likes of U-N-I, Blu, Souls of Mischief, Ugly Duckling, Visionaries and many more artists. Priding themselves in their live shows, the group was even scouted by none other than Taboo from the Black Eyed Peas at Temple Bar in Santa Monica. The group just recently signed a deal with Goon Trax: Media Factory of Japan and dropped a new EP earlier this week which was put online for free. Hundreds of people have already downloaded the 'West Coast Gold Rush' EP. You can download it here for free:

The Antidotes - West Coast Gold Rush EP


The group also sat down to do an interview with MusicPlusTv:

Also be sure to add The Antidotes to you're friends on MySpace. For more on The Antidotes check back with Westsiiide.com

Westcoast Battle Culture Video

Some of the best battle emcees in the world are from the westcoast. Illmaculate(Portland, OR), The Saurus(Monterey Bay, CA), NoCanDo(Los Angeles, CA), Franco(Humboldt County, CA) are just to name a few. Now in September 2008, the 'Fresh Coast Battle Documentary DVD' will be available to fans for purchase. The documentary, much like 'Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme', will be focusing on featuring freestyle battle emcees on the westcoast, interviews, as well as never seen before battles and freestyles. Battle emcees featured in the video are Illmaculate, The Saurus, Nocando, Franco, Okwerdz, Passwurdz, Lush One, Bo-Rat, Ex-I, Tantrum, and many more.

For more on the documentary, contact phillipdrummond01@yahoo.com

Below is the trailer for Fresh Coast Battle Documentary DVD:

KRS-One and Planet Asia?

East coast Hip Hop icon KRS-One is set to appear on the upcoming Planet Asia album, 'Pain Language'. With excecutive production from DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill, the album release date is September 2, 2008. This will be Planet Asia's 2nd LP to have all the beats from one producer, as his 2006 release, 'The Medicine', was executive produced by Evidence of Dilated Peoples. We will definitely have more information on the album as we get closer to the release date.


Just in case you didn't believe us, heres a video of KRS-One to let you know:

L.A. Football Team!

If there was to be a LA NFL team...

Offense:
QB - Dr. Dre - Excellent QB who runs the offense his way. Runs the West Coast G' offense very efficiently.
RB - DJ Quik - Extremely quick, blink and you'll miss him. Tension with CB MC Eiht is gone and now feels comfortable with the team.
FB - Xzibit - Mean FB that plays a key role in DJ Quik's rushing statistics.
TE - B.G. Knocc Out - Good TE but will never line up on the left side, he wont play unless he lines up beside RT Dresta.
RWR - Snoop Dogg - Tall WR with great hands, very hard to cover. Had some substance abuse problems but recovered and is playing great.
LWR - Coolio - Well passed his prime but playes a sort of Isaac Bruce role for the team.
LT - Daz - Used to play CB with his friend Kurupt but added on too much weight to keep playing. Luckily he plays the LT position very well.
LG - Ant Banks - Average LG but will be an excellent coach in the future.
C - E-40 - No one gets by big 40. His teammates hate listening to him talk but he is a great player all around.
RG - Nate Dogg - Good RG that is currently injured, let's hope he gets better!
RT - Dresta - Special bond with the TE and his Offensive Coordinator, Dresta is the most underrated RT in the game.

Defense:
LE - Ice Cube - Best DE in the game, no question. He has showed some interest in another position lately but has decided to stick to his roots.
RE - WC - Won the Heisman trophy on college, WC is a great addition for this team.
DT - Mack 10 - The heart of this 3-4 defense is much better in the west coast D-Line than he is elsewhere.
LOLB - Spice 1 - Insane LB, stay clear of him if you want to keep your legs. Also suffering an Injury but is recovering steadily.
ROLB - The Game - Young outside LB is quick and strong. Rumors of him having a crush on QB Dr. Dre are not true.
RILB - Cold 187um - Some say when you watch him play, he looks like a black Superman.
LILB - D.O.C - When interviewed on his position he said, "No one can do it better," we agree!
LCB - MC Eiht - Not as fast or quick as the other CB's in the league but still shuts down the best of them. Known for punching the coach in the face for not giving him the jersey number 8.
RCB - Kurupt - Not durable or strong but no one throws on his side for fear of interception. Kurupt was accepted back to the team despite his moving to the team rival.
SS - 2Pac - Love him or hate him, 2Pac is the best SS in the NFL. Lead the team in the fight against the NY Giants and the N Y Jets.
FS - Warren G - Regulates the deep middle of the field. Lead the team in tackles and interceptions last year.

Special Teams:
K/P - Too Short - Was a great WR in college but wasn't drafted since scouts said he was "Too Short for an NFL WR." Good thing he had a backup plan.
KR - Yukmouth - Had 5 kick return touchdowns last season.
PR - Numskull - Coincidentally, Numskull also had 5 returns for touchdowns last season.
LS - MC Ren - Solid LS known for stabbing former punter JT Tha Bigga Figga for kizzing his black azz when lined up ready to snap the ball.
Coaching:
Head Coach - Ice-T - Was a great RB in his time but now coaches the best football team in the league. Suspended for sending the also suspended SS Fedia Demarco to take out Atlanta's Soulja Boy
Offensive Coordinator - Eazy-E - I thought George Clinton was the Offensive Coordinator but when I asked Ice Cube, he said, "Eazy duz it."
Defensive Coordinator - King Tee - The king of the defense.
Special Teams Coach - Lady of Rage - Started as water girl but fucked her way up the corporate ladder to get to where she is now.

Courtesy Dusan123 of West Coast Connection.

Introducing: King James – The Imperial Wizard

Coming from the west coast, a region that has produced stars like 2Pac, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, NWA and many more, and famous for its unique
lifestyle, King James embodies what many west coast fans love
while at the same time displaying a versatility that makes him appealing
to hip hop fans across the globe.

His charisma and strong stage presence, combined with his ability to
craft stories about a wide array of subjects is earning this seasoned emcee the
respect of hip hop fans worldwide and has caused the industry to take notice.

His talent and unique style caught the attention of Federal/Unidentified Records in
2006. His partnership with the company, has produced a
sizable buzz on MySpace and the L.A. underground hip hop circuit. With the backing of major and minor artists alike,
it is a sure bet that King James has the spark and
energy the game has been missing.

We have 2 songs from King James for you to download:

King James - Let Me Xplane (Prod. by Uncanny)

King James - Underground Rebel (Feat. CNN) (Prod. by Es-1)

Be sure to add King James as your friend on MySpace and check back here for more on The Imperial Wizard.

Bishop Lamont's First Single off 'The Reformation'

We're back with more Bishop Lamont! This time regarding his new single off of his highly anticipated debut on Aftermath, 'The Reformation'. The single, titled 'Grow Up' is produced by none other than Dr. Dre himself!

Bishop Lamont - Grow Up (Produced by Dr. Dre)

Keep checking out Westiiide.com for the official release date of Bishop's upcoming album 'The Reformation'.

New Crooked I, Hero Freestyle

Crooked I is back with a new freestyle. No, this is not another Hip-Hop Weekly series, just a short 2 minute freestyle over Nas' new 'Hero' track. On the track, Crooked rhymes about taking over the Internet and ruling the web.

Crooked I - Hero Freestyle

For more news on Crooked I, check back here.

Bishop Lamont Wake Up Show Freestyle

Bishop Lamont recently visited King Tech at the Wake Up Show, see what was on his mind...

Evidence Preps New LP

Fresh off the underground banger and critically acclaimed 'The Weatherman LP', 1/3 of Dilated Peoples, Evidence is planning to drop his 2nd solo album, 'Cats & Dogs'. With Spring 2009 as the tentative release time-table, the MC/Producer plans to have none other than Pete Rock on at least some of the production! Distribution will be handled by Taylor Made Records.

In related news, DJ Babu's 'Duck Season 3' is set for an Oct. 28 release, while Rakaa's first solo effort, 'Crown of Thorns', is aiming for a 2009 release. The 5th Dilated Peoples group album will drop Summer 2009.

For more info on Evidence and Dilated Peoples, check back here.

Custom Made: The Westcoast Wu-Tang?

For some, cars are custom made, boats are custom made, even houses are custom made. For a rare few, Hip-Hop is custom made, as in the Los Angeles quintet Custom Made, which consists of Sinister Six, Bluff, Element, Skandalous Scoobs and Aneek. The five MC’s, who’ve drawn comparisons to the likes of Wu-Tang and Mobb Deep, have been creating a buzz in the streets of LA for a while, having moved over 100,000 mixtapes on the strength of the music and their own street savvy. With a fresh deal in place with indie powerhouse Babygrande Records, now is their time to make a national impact.

Scoobs explains that the first order of business for Custom Made is to show people what LA is really all about. “We’re from Los Angeles,” he says with pride “and right now in Hip-Hop it’s a city that isn’t really represented. In the past they’ve always try to represent LA as either gang bangin’, or as Hollywood, something like that, movie stars. People never get a really clear representation of what Los Angeles really is and what I’m saying is this is one of the most grimiest cities in the whole United States and it really never gets a good representation.” One of the artists Aneek was especially mad at for the way he represented the city was The Game. One vicious diss record later, Aneek and the rest of Custom Made feel they voiced everything to be said, and as it turns out, it’s this record that serves as a shining example of both their battle abilities and their goal of a proper representation of their city.

Though it’s rare, sometimes being nomadic can help with a person’s roots and thanks to the five member of Custom Made constantly moving around, listeners will get not just a clear representation of one part of LA, but the entire area. “We’ve been all around LA,” notes Scoobs “we’ve bounced all around LA living in every area out here. It’s not like we’re coming from a specific area, we’ve lived in almost every city out here.” Despite all the bouncing around, four of the members of Custom Made, Bluff, Element, Six and Scoobs found their way to the same high school, a place where they met and started the group. Element’s first day of high school was an interesting one. Scoobs remembers “he came from Anaheim, I remember the first day he got there he was battling Bluff the first day that he got to the school.” They instantly became friends and Element became a part of the group.

Even the way these five MC’s met seems Custom Made, but the name of the group has a deeper meaning. “It’s something different,” explains Scoobs “plus the music we make, everybody has a different style, everybody’s doing something different with Hip-Hop.” Each artist is “custom made” in his own right…each reflects their own amalgamation of influences and style, contributing individually and collectively to the whole. This is where Custom Made, and their latest album, Sidewalk Mindtalk: The Best of the Custom Made Mixtapes, come into play. “This is Sidewalk Mindtalk, it’s something that’s street but is Hip-Hop at the same time. We’re bringing straight lyrics and it’s real hardcore, but…we’re not just getting on tracks doing some gangster rap.”

Sidewalk Mindtalk: The Best of the Custom Made Mixtapes is Custom Made’s first release on Babygrande. The album is a collection of the group’s best songs from their seven mix-CD’s with six tracks of unreleased material included for good measure. According to Scoobs “it’s hardcore lyricism, it’s good production and it’s an all around good project.” He continued, adding “it’s about bringing lyrics, something that’s fresh because everybody’s doing cookie cutter music, everybody does the same shit, everybody’s looking to make a single.” The album will also come with a DVD that will show people “what we do, how we live in LA and what we do on an everyday basis because we’re also real involved in the battle scene out here.”

Custom Made’s association with Babygrande came about naturally. The group had been working as independent artists for a number of years and Babygrande CEO Chuck Wilson took notice of their efforts. As soon as the group met Chuck, a mutual respect was born. Scoobs remembers “Chuck Wilson, we respected his whole work ethic and the way he was interested in the music and he really understands the kind of music that was make and I think he knows how to market our type of music. It’s really a good situation. We respect what they’re doing and he respects what we’re doing so you couldn’t ask for a better situation.”

Even though Custom Made is now signed, their goals haven’t changed. Scoob notes “it’s really about showing people what’s going on out here, that it’s something more than what the average person expects. A lot of people come at us like aw yeah, you guys sound so east coast. There are so many stereotypes in Hip-Hop, but we’re just trying to break stereotypes to show people that it doesn’t matter where you’re from, as long as you’ve got real lyrics and you’re talking about something that’s real life, something that people can relate to, that’s really what it is.”

Hip-Hop doesn’t need a shiny new set of rims, but it’s certainly better off being Custom Made.

Courtesy, Babygrande.com

Crooked I Freestyle on RockMeTV

Crooked I recently sat down for an interview/freestyle at the Roundtable on RockMeTV. The other emcee is Charles Hamilton from Cleveland.

New Ras Kass Album Coming

The Waterproof MC, still incarcerated, is set to drop 'Institutionalized Vol. 2' next month. Fresh off a release from Capitol Records, Ras Kass found a home for this record, Babygrande. Official release date is August 5th.