Kendrick Lamar - The Recipe (SPC EDITION)

So, I know I've blogged about Kendrick Lamar a few times this year. This time I want to do something a little different. The video I'm posting is a video of two of my friends Josh and Assad and myself dancing to Kendrick Lamar's The Recipe. My friend Assad recently had gotten into video making and editing when we shot this video. The dancing style we do is popping. Popping originated in the 70's during the era of funk. Also, the funk dances of the 70's such as Locking, Popping (Pop'Lockin isn't really a term :P) and B-boying paved the way for all the hip-hop dances today. Popping was primarily danced to funk music for about 20 years until the 90's with the emergence of hip-hop. Personally, I love the funk, but I've grown tired of dancing to Zapp & Roger - Doo Wa Ditty or Gap Band - In The Morning for five or six freaking years of my life. Although some poppers do dance to more modern music, a lot of the scene is very strung up with the "preservation" of the dance, so we decided to go ahead and do something a little different by shooting this video. The Westcoast has played a major role in shaping popping (aside from it being where it originated from) and we wanted to pay homage to California in particular and convey a feeling of that laid back, sunny vibe that we're known for. Hope you guys enjoy it :)

Iamsu - All I Rep & Goin' Up

For this entry I thought I'd keep local and blog about a artist that's from our very own backyard. The artist I am referring to is Iamsu, born Sudan Williams, coming to us from Richmond, California. Iamsu has gained dominance in the Bay Area in the past two years releasing fun, very party friendly music. By party friendly I mean, it's fun to dance to, it's nothing to lyrical, and always has a catchy beat. Backed by his HBK gang (Heartbreak Gang), Iamsu and HBK have been making moves all over the Bay Area and have recently started gaining more national attention.

Iamsu has yet to release a studio recorded album. All his music has been free mix-tapes that can be downloaded online. Also, most of his work includes original production and some sampling, which is surprising because it can potentially involve more money. Luckily for him, he, and multiple members of HBK produce their own beats and record their own songs. I personally feel that Iamsu is really going to put the Bay Area on the map. Iamsu recently released a mix-tape entitled $uzy 6 $peed (you can download it here for free, mix-tapes are legally free) where he had Wiz Khalifa and Juvenile make an appearance, two more recognized rappers. Everyone knows who Wiz Khalifa is by now, or have heard that name. Juvenile, on the other hand, fell off the face of this planet and it's pretty random seeing him make an appearance like this, but I've liked Juvenile since I was in middle school so I'm down with it. Iamsu definitely has potential, he has shown that he is capable of being a clever lyricist, and with this exposure, he can only go up with the hopes of working with more artists from around the country.

Personally, I like music like this because of the aesthetic feel it gives off, I know it's not the most lyrical, insightful thing, but it's fun to listen to. It gets you bouncing around, it gets you off your seat. The biggest thing in Iamsu's case is that he separates himself from the other Bay Area artists. A lot of Bay rappers have a tendency to only cater to the residents here in the Bay Area, but Iamsu has clearly showcased that he can make music that anyone will like regardless of where they're from.

Here's a track off Suzy 6 Speed entitled All I Rep. I personally enjoyed the production and sampling on this song, very 80's like. Hope you guys like it!

Also, I'll add his song with Wiz Khalifa. A certified slapper. If you guys don't know what a slapper is, it's what people categorize a song as that has a lot of 808's (deep bass sounds) and sounds like it's slapping your speakers. Pretty obvious, right? Haha.