Drifter
User

Reviews 10
Approval 89%

Soundoffs 9
News Articles 2
Band Edits + Tags 476
Album Edits 807

Album Ratings 570
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Last Active 12-26-22 1:55 am
Joined 06-13-16

Review Comments 20,828

 Lists
04.09.24 2024 Spring Hip Hop Binge03.08.24 Hip Hop in South Central
11.14.23 Drift & Pots Rec Exchange07.04.23 Beats,
06.18.23 RIP BIG POKEY05.20.23 Sput's Favorite Hip Hop Songs
03.22.23 hip hop 4 u to hear (1996 edition)03.13.23 hip hop 4 u to hear (new from old)
03.09.23 hip hop 4 u to hear (SUC edition)03.07.23 hip hop 4 u to hear (early 2000s g funk
03.04.23 hip hop 4 u to hear (ruthless records e02.21.23 hip hop 4 u to hear
01.02.23 Rec me these vibes01.01.23 RIP Gangsta Boo
12.18.22 Listen to my friend's album10.04.22 Say something nice about the person abo
09.30.22 Drifting Into My 20's09.29.22 RIP Coolio
More »

Northern California Hip Hop Exploratory

for the last... idk how long at this point, my listening of california g funk has just circulated around the nwa family tree and then some select bay area rappers like paris and the too short tree but NO LONGER. i must further expand my knowledge of obscure g funk that 12 other people on the planet know and care about. ITS MY CALLING.
1I.F.A.
International Family Affair

Oakland

Members: D-Shoot, G.F., Cobra, Bias, S.O.S.

Rollin Record Interprises, 1997
Very fun and charming group. This album has a smooth, night-time vibe while their debut is a bit more upbeat. I like how in the credits of their albums the member who sings is referred to as the lead vocalist and the rappers are labeled with "rap." They treat it like a band as opposed to a normal rap group which I think is cool. They've got an E-40 imitator and Rappin' 4-Tay imitator but to me it kinda makes it more charming. Highly recommended. 4/5

Key Tracks: I Like, Slide, O.G. Funk, Family Affair, Player's Bounce

Essential Album(s): International Family Affair
2Cobra (Hip Hop)
Playaz In Paradise

Oakland

New Quest Records, 1997
Solo member and apparently undercover cop from the aforementioned group although he was only on the first album. This album is generally consistent but after a while the songs start to blend into each other. Still worth a listen for the big bay heads but ultimately non-essential. Some remarkable hooks and beats to be found here but Cobra as a rapper is not the most memorable. 3.5/5

Key Tracks: Get It Together, Secret Lovers

Essential Album(s): N/A
3Funk Mobb (Vallejo)
It Ain't 4 Play

Vallejo

Mac Shawn, G-Note (a.k.a. Lil Italy), K-1

Sick Wid It Records, 1996
I wanna like this more and it should've been better considering it was on Sick Wid It but they kinda got relegated to the B Tier beats of the label. Mac Shawn was always memorable though and G-Note aka Lil Italy is also fine. It's funky as you'd expect but can really drag despite some very strong highlights. 3/5

Key Tracks: Traffickin' & Smugglin', Millasville Playa

Essential Album(s): N/A
4Mac Shawn
Music Fo Tha Mobb

Vallejo

Swerve Records, 1997
Solo member from Funk Mobb and by far the best. His gruff voice manages to fit over harder hitting as well as more lush productions which this album is filled with. It does get samey but it's pretty solid. The cover does it's best to steer you away but give it a chance and you might be surprised. The production is very catchy and elaborate as you'd expect from a good mobb release. I can see this growing more as time goes on. As it stands though the highlights are still very high. 3.5/5

Key Tracks: So Right, The Hustle Continues, We On The Run

Essential Album(s): N/A
5Lil Italy
On Top Of Da World

Vallejo

Unlike Mac Shawn who developed regional relationships, G-Note - now known as Lil Italy - ventured out to New Orleans and found himself a home on No Limit Records and produced one of the most obscure and random albums in its history. A remarkable one at that, being that it was the final album with production by the in-house production team of Beats By The Pound (though K-Lou did the majority of the album). Lil Italy featured on one single album on the label before dropping his own while other new and old members of the Tank still waited for their date. Needless to say, this album follows the sound of other No Limit/BBTP/New Orleans/Dirty South productions for the most part and even when he left the label and dropped his final album in 2001, "Full Blown," he continued that sound with K-Lou, despite both originally being from and making music from the Bay Area.

On Top Of Da World: 3.5/5
Full Blown: 3.3/5

Key Tracks: N/A

Essential Album(s): N/A
6Various Artists (Hip Hop)
Mac Shawn Presents Worldwide Bosses & Playas

Vallejo/Oakland

The early 2000's were not always kind to West Coast rappers so for a rapper presented compilation to be as solid as this is a feat in itself. Features come from E-40, Funk Mobb, B-Legit, and some other cohorts and despite some recycled songs from albums from Daz Dillinger and Richie Rich it's mostly original and miraculously cohesive. It makes me wish Mac Shawn, Funk Mobb, and the Sick Wid It camp did more together after the mid-90's because the chemistry between all of them on here is apparent.

3.6/5

Key Tracks: B-Legit - Ride Wit A Playa
7Don P
YallReady4Me?

Oakland

Despite close and frequent collaboration with Lil Italy after joining (and departing) No Limit Records, Don P's first album "YallReady4Me?" followed a strictly west coast sound found almost nowhere on Lil Italy's albums. However, he would lose most of that sound for his second album "You Aint Know" and follow a similar Dirty South sound provided by K-Lou. I really don't understand why K-Lou chose to break away from his original style because he made some significant records in years prior but after he hooked up with Master P it's like he also lost his roots. Back to Don P though, his debut stands as an enjoyable slice of Oakland Hip Hop. Interestingly, it is produced by someone named G-Note but with no relation to Lil Italy from Funk Mobb.

YallReady4Me?: 3.7/5
You Aint Know: 3/5

Key Tracks: Ballin', Crispy

Essential Album(s): N/A
8415
41fivin

Oakland

Members: Richie Rich, D-Loc, DJ Daryl, Brotha Broski
415 are the Bay Area's N.W.A. Richie Rich, D-Loc and DJ Daryl captured lightning in a bottle on their debut "41Fivin" which was the most trunk-knocking, street smart, funky, high quality drop since Too $hort hooked up with Jive. But just like their parallel down south, their star rapper Richie Rich departed a year after the classic album's release and 415 were left to scramble and reorganize. What resulted was a half-baked sophomore slump with Brotha Broski replacing Double R. Broski isn't even a bad rapper, but the chemistry with D-Loc wasn't there and their styles were too similar. Couple that with DJ Daryl's self-admission of phoning it in due to that previously mentioned lack of chemistry and you get a weak sequel. A huge shame because 415 could've been nationally acclaimed as opposed to legends of a single state.

41Fivin': 4.2/5
Nu Niggaz On The Block: 3.3/5

Key Tracks: Side Show, Snitches and Bitches
9Richie Rich
Don't Do It

Oakland

415 was Richie Rich's group and it all started with his solo song "Don't Do It" which went on to be the title track of his debut album. Being produced by DJ Daryl, the album had a similar sound to 415 but without D-Loc to bounce off of, the album becomes slightly monotonous at times. Not long after 41Fivin' he was facing a case on a half kilo of coke, and was dropped from 415 despite it being his group and him still being free. After serving some time he dropped Half Thang and Seasoned Veteran in '96 and both were excellent slabs of thick and funky Mobb Music. He released a couple more albums before going on an extended hiatus and returning in the late 2010s with all the skills he had before.

Don't Do It: 3.2/5
Half Thang: 3.8/5
Seasoned Veteran: 4.1/5
The Game: 3.7/5
Nixon Pryor Roundtree: 3.4/5
Fed Case: 3.4/5
The Grow Room: 3.4/5

Key Tracks: Do G's Get To Go To Heaven?, Pillow, Don't Do It, Busta Phree, Tyme-N-My-Lyfe
10D-Loc
Split Personality

Oakland

In 415, D-Loc provided a more straightforward, street hustler Yin to Richie Rich's laid back, braggadocios Yang. They contrasted each other and pushed one another to be the best they could be and their back and forths on 41Fivin' parallel any classic duo, but this is why their solo debuts both falter. They didn't have enough songwriting prowess to hold their own and DJ Daryl may have been a bit overworked at this point given this was his third release in 1990. D-Loc disappeared from the rap game after the failure of the second 415 album before dropping a follow-up in 1998 "Up Close & Personal" to very little attention. Following this, he disappeared completely from the rap game never to return.

Split Personality: 3/5
Up Close & Personal: 2.7/5

Key Tracks: Tha Scoop
11DJ Daryl
Epic

Oakland

I really wish Daryl took the route of Ant Banks and dropped producer albums throughout the 90's and beyond because he is truly one of the greats of West Coast production. He seems to have dropped an album like that in 2012 called High Definition but I can't find anything at all about it except for a spotify link with grayed out songs. Now it would appear that his only album is 2022's Epic which is a modest instrumental release that is nice in the background but can grow to be repetitive with full focus. It's an exciting idea that he could do more for other rappers in the current day because regardless of the long play ability of this new album, the beats are still funky and his bass lines are just as good as they were in the 90's.

High Definition (?)/5
Epic: 3/5
Dark Fame:
12Section 8 (Hip Hop)
Then & Now

Oakland

Members: DJ Daryl, Brotha Broski
After the dissolution of 415, DJ Daryl and Brotha Broski continued with this one-off, cassette only release. The sound is vintage g-funk like what's found in 415 but the lo-fi arrangements and only serviceable rapping result in a neat but ultimately unremarkable release. DJ Daryl as always is solid, especially on. "Where I'm Comin From" where both shine.

Key Tracks: Where I'm Comin From

Then & Now: 3/5
13Kollision (Oakland)
High Performance

Oakland

Members: Insane Dame, Tyme, Brotha Broski
DJ Daryl's first mentored and curated group. He produces the whole album and it knocks as always. Classic funky Bay Area mobb music. There's only a few songs with all three members of the group so it comes off like a compilation at times, especially considering none of them have a real unique mic presence. They only released one album in 1996 before disbanding.

Key Tracks: Player's Play

High Performance: 3.6/5
14Block Monstaz
DJ Daryl's Block Monstaz

Oakland

Members: DJ Daryl, Brotha Broski, Tyme

After Kollision, DJ Daryl formed the Block Monstaz with some of the same members. Some of this album is not too different from Daryl's work on No Limit, even down to appearances by his other proteges Steady Mobb'n. There's some southern bite in a few of the instrumentals here but the rappers always keep it west coast. There's not much to say about the Block Monstaz that wasn't said about Kollision. Great beats, serviceable rapping, couple highlights. Good stuff.

Key Tracks: Ballin'

DJ Daryl's Block Monstaz: 3.7/5
15Various Artists (Hip Hop)
Richie Rich Presents Grabs, Snatches & Takes

Oakland

It's fascinating that Richie Rich put on J. Stalin because I never knew that and he's still gaining popularity to this day. All the way back in 2004 when he was still a teenager he got a handful of songs on here and it's good stuff. As with Mac Shawn, I'm surprised by the quality of this compilation, and it helps that most of the songs are by Richie Rich himself, but the other guests do their thing as well.

Key Tracks: N/A

Grabs, Snatches, & Takes: 3.5
16Tucole
Deeper Than You Think

Oakland

Tucole's relation to 415 comes by features of the group spread throughout his sole album. I've known this album for 3 years now and for that whole time, I thought this album was only really worth the first two fantastic songs. However, after paying attention the lyrics for once, this album rings true to it's title. It's easy to let G-Funk slip into the background because of the groovy beats but sometimes it can play a disservice to talented rappers. Tucole spits some very reflective and pensive street tales here between the typical player songs. His style could actually be considered a combination of Richie Rich and D-Loc and he is very entertaining to hear rap. The first two songs are both classics in my eyes but are very different from each other as the titles alone will tell you. I wish Tucole put out more music because he had a refreshing style with stellar production.

Key Tracks: Joyridin' (In The Sunshine), Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

Deeper Than You Think: 3.9/5
17Unaffiliated And The Madsquad
Hate Me Cause You Ain't Me

Oakland

Members: C-Mad

This is a compilation presented by C-Mad and features a variety of Oakland artists from members of 415 to 3X Krazy. DJ Daryl did some beats on here as well as Krushadelic of the Underground Rebellion. There's not much to note of this record bar a song or a beat or two.

Key Tracks: Stack A Million

Hate Me Cause You Ain't Me: 3/5
18Murder One Gangster
Exposed To The Game

East Palo Alto

Members: Sean T, Kaos, Top Dog

MOG only released one album during their classic era but it stands as an early Bay Area classic and this, along with Sean T's later career, solidifies them in history. It's vintage g-funk but works wonderfully with what it has and comes out just as a strong and memorable today and doesn't feel dated because of Sean T's great production. MOG released one more album 10 years after their debut but it doesn't live up to its predecessor due to lackluster beats and rhymes.
19Sean T
Straight From The Streets

East Palo Alto

Sean T is the most remarkable member of Murder One Gangster; having numerous studio albums from the last four decades and doing a seriously considerable amount of production work, particularly in the early 2000's becoming the in-house producer for JT The Bigga Figga's Get Low Records. His first album features stellar and creative production under very passionate rapping. It's a classic, and his sophomore album follows a similar recipe but falls slightly shorter. His later work is similar to that which he produced for Get Low which is less than remarkable. Due to being overworked his style diminished greatly to every beat being nearly a carbon copy of each other.
20Kaos (Hip Hop)
In The Mist Of Kaos

East Palo Alto

Kaos easily has the coolest name and album cover of the group, but only made this one solo album. Produced by Sean T, it's more of the classic MOG sound that was ever evolving with each release. My only gripe with this album is that Kaos is slightly anonymous and very similar to Sean T with their very deep and aggressive voices.
21Roots From The Underground
Roots From The Underground

East Palo Alto

Members: Papoose, Mob Boss

A spin off group from Murder One Gangster, RFTU is entirely produced by Sean T and it's the best body of work from the whole camp. Sean T's distinct production is at its peak on this album. It sounds as though it has a LA sound through a Bay Area lense which creates a VERY great experience. Seriously this is one of the most obscure and random albums from this list but it is superb. The rappers are pretty similar but they’re enjoyable to listen to and the production and overall songwriting is great enough for many listens. Don’t sleep on this one.
22SIC
Long Lasting

TBC
23C-Funk
I'm Out 2 Stoages

East Palo Alto
24Chunk
Break 'em Off a Chunk

East Palo Alto
25Digital Underground
Sex Packets

Oakland

Arguably the most important and well known group from Oakland, Digital Underground, spearheaded by Shock G (and his alter ego Humpty Hump) provided a stark contrast to the burgeoning west coast gangsta rap scene with their comically sexual hip hop-funk. Highly inspired by Parliament Funkadelic, Digital Underground has had just as many members (what seems like dozens) playing different instruments. They were a highly creative force in their heyday and to this day stand out. They may seem like a novelty on the surface, but looking deeper reveals something worthwhile. Their first few releases were big successes but the world of hip hop became increasingly more hardcore as their style did not and their commercial success declined. This trend also included their very well known protege, 2Pac. DU are known most for their first three releases, the two albums of which are considered classics, but I think their best work is the EP that was released between them. The remixes to old s
26Shock G
Fear Of A Mixed Planet

Oakland

The mastermind behind Digital Underground, who dominated at the very beginning of the 90’s, did not release a solo album until 2004. This album has some of what you would expect from such a thing, but also so much more. This album ranges from Footwork to Funk to Dance to Gangsta Rap to Abstract Hip Hop and beyond. It’s a seriously eclectic mix that on first listen was very questionable but in further tries revealed some truly remarkable music. The first 5 songs especially could be their own classic EP. Cinnamon Waves was the instant highlight which is the shocking trip into Footwork territory but is so great.
27Money B
Talkin' Dirty

Oakland
282Pac
2Pacalypse Now

Oakland
293X Krazy
Stackin' Chips

Oakland

Members: Keak Da Sneak, B.A., Agerman

Though firmly hailing and representing East Oakland, this trio was actually discovered by Sacramento's C-Bo and signed to the Rap-A-Lot subsidiary Noo Trybe for their first releases. Their debut EP was disguised under a different label but they were really on Noo Trybe. Keak Da Sneak has gone on to be the most significant member of the group through his later contributions to the Hyphy era but it was here where laid down his roots. Agerman has a more bubbly flow and B.A. was actually from New York so he adds a unique NY-Bay flavor to the group. They're all distinct with a ton of chemistry; you can tell how much fun they were having in their early releases. Stackin Chips is considered a classic and their ep Sick-O is not that far behind. They're most known for their hit "Keep It On The Real." They released three albums before disbanding.

Sick-O: 3.7
Stackin Chips: 4
Immortalized: 3.4
Real Talk 2000:
30Keak Da Sneak
Sneakacydal
31B.A.
Block Report

Oakland

B.A.'s style is very unique given he is a Bay Area transplant from New York. He actually joined 3X Krazy when they were already done with 40 songs as a duo between Keak and Agerman. B.A. stepped up and wrote verses for all of them. He reminds me of the East Coast dudes that went to No Limit records in their later years and like them, somehow merges really well with the rest of the crew.

Block Report: 3
Sports:
Sports 2: This Is Not Mik Jones:
Tha Block Reporter:
32Agerman
$uccess The Best Revenge

Oakland

Agerman is my personal favorite of the group with the most entertaining flow and lyrics. His debut is also my favorite of their solo albums. He holds it down extremely well on his own with some super solid production choices. It's typical mobb stuff but it's not redundant. The cover is also hilariously sci-fi b-movie and I love it. After $uccess The Best Revenge, Agerman released a slew of underground Gospel Rap albums throughout the 2000s before returning to his Gangsta roots. Very genuine guy; his interviews are wholesome.

$uccess The Best Revenge: 4
Kingdom Business:
33Dual Committee
Dual Committee
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