Service For You Fiends | The Fix 2
After being signed to Konvict Music this past week, The Bay Area Bully, Ya Boy drops The Fix 2. The Fix 2 is hosted by five of the hottest DJ’s in the game: Digital Product, DJ Rockstar, DJ Woogie, DJ Folk, and of course, your wifey’s favorite DJ, Ill Will.
The Fix 2 features West Coast artisits E-40, Beeda Weeda, YG, Dubb, Yung Slap, Cik Money, Bailey, Soco Burns, Young B, Charley Hood and the more of the Black Card Boys.
Be on the look out for more West Coast music from Ya Boy and Black Card Music.
The Fix 2 (Click to Download)
The Fix (Track List)
Black Card Gone Hurt Ya Tonight
Cali Bred recently got a chance to catch up with the Black Card Boys in studio and had an opportunity to chop it up with Dubb for a brief interview. Dubb mentioned that the highly anticipated video for Look At Ya would be dropping in this month.
Featuring appearances from YB the Rockstar, better known as Ya Boy, Yung Slap, and Soco Burns; Look At Ya was filmed and produced by none other than Paper Films in various locations around and within Downtown Los Angeles. The video for Look At Ya does an excellent job at depicting the street life of the notorious Downtown Los Angeles in the midnight hours.
Cali Bred would like to present the official video via YouTube.
The video has also been featured on hip-hop websites: World Star Hip-Hop, Hot New Hip-Hop, and We The West.
As far as new music from the Black Card Boys, be on the look out for:
Ya Boy’s The Fix 2 and Dubb’s Itz Dubb coming sometime this quarter
Soco Burns‘ Back to the Basics sometime in March
Sexology 101 from Dubb and Yung Slap dropping February 14, Valentine’s Day.
Change The Game | Black Card Music
Download: Dubb – Look At Ya (feat. Ya Boy, Yung Slap and Soco Burns)
Despite the two first linking up nearly four years ago on The Game’s Black Wall Street Journal, Volume 1, after finally setting aside the time to these guys out in the studio, it is obvious that “The Game” is far from over for Ya Boy and Dubb. It appears more as if Ya Boy and Dubb have “reset The Game.”
Dubb | Soco Burns
Driving through the streets of South Central, it’s easy to get caught up in the fear associated with the “hood,” as it has become accustomed. But here in South Central, off of the notorious Broadway, I must’ve stumbled across the stage over an unnoticed rock, better known as the Black Card Boys.
When initially arriving to the studio, I was greeted by the familiar faces of Soco Burns and Dubb, in addition to Yung Slap, with the shaking of hands followed by a snap. Shortly after arriving, in walked the Rockstar himself, Ya Boy, and other Black Card Boys, Cik.Mon3y, Nikko Raw, and Paper. Immediately after entering the studio, Ya Boy was ready to go, equipped with a Mac Book and a pen and pad. Like clockwork, Ya Boy, Dubb, Yung Slap, Soco Burns and Cik.Money laid down two brand new tracks for The Fix 2, what seemed to almost be, simultaneously.
Dubb | Cik.Mon3y | Ya Boy
Despite Black Card only being around for the last few months, the chemistry of BCB and their ability to vibe with each other has surpassed that of Ya Boy’s predecessor, Precise Music Group. The way these guys kick back in the studio, cracking jokes on one another, puffing on “Chester” and sipping Arizonas, with an occasional interruption from Dubb’s father here and there, the vibe and unity carries on their ability to continue playing “The Game.”
Soco Burns mentioned that this was the first time the Black Card Boys had been able to collectively get together in the studio, yet they still managed to write and record several songs on spot. Looping beats redundantly for what seemed like hours while writing twelve, sixteen, eighteen, and even twenty-four bar verses, they were rewarded with the accomplishment of defeating the beat. Commenting on each other’s versus with statements such as, “You went in on that one” and, “Oh, aiight nigga, I see you,” in addition to constant physical contact by shaking hands, I got a sense of the friendly competitive spirit amongst the Black Card Boys.
The members of Black Card Boys carry many different roles within “this game.” All members can actively play the role of a lyricist obviously, but when Ya Boy takes command as general and Dubb serves as a multitasking Lieutenant performing duties all the way from singing to engineering, it’s obvious why the cadets such as Soco Burns, Yung Slap, and Cik Mon3y have the ambition of attaining the high score, and leaving their name at the end for all to see.
The night eventually carried over into the morning, early enough to hear the rooster’s screaming, “Cock-a-doodle-do,” as we all grew restless. As this level in the game came to an end, Dubb put down the tools to give Cali Bred a few minutes to ask some questions. Below you will find the script of the interview between Cali Bred and Black Card Dubb.
Cali Bred:: So I guess to start; we’ve been hearing and seeing a lot about Black Card Boys and Black Card Music. Exactly who and what is it?
Dubb:: Black Card Boys is Dubb, that’s me, YB the Rockstar [aka] Ya Boy, Cik(Pronounced Sick).Mon3y, Yung Slap, Soco. That’s all the rappers. But you know, we got a gang of niggas that’s a part of the crew and doing other shit, like Paper, doing the films side of everything. That’s basically us.
Cali Bred:: What made y’all want to call the group, or if you want to even call it a group… Well I guess we should ask that first, what do y’all consider yourselves, a group, a coalition, whatever?
Dubb:: The thing is, it’s basically all of us together ’cause we all had our own little buzz. Me and YB was doing our own thing, messing with each other since we was messing with Game. We first met each other through Game, so we just clicked up from there. We kept in touch, and after the years, was just like, “Fuck it, let’s do it together!”
Cali Bred:: What’s the concept behind calling it “Black Card Boys”?
Dubb:: A Black Card is an American Express or Visa that’s a credit card. It’s a Black Card because of how much money you got, it’s like basically damn near unlimited money. People that [are] “stupid rich” got Black Cards, so that’s what we’re trynna get.
Cali Bred:: So, it’s something you strive for?
Dubb:: It’s motivation!
Cali Bred:: Now like you were saying, your past experience working with Ya Boy on Game’s Black Wall Street Journal Volume 1, how’d y’all manage to link back up?
Dubb:: We just kept in touch. Like I said, we just kept in touch over the phone. He was doing his thing, I was doing my thing, so we just brought it back together.
Cali Bred:: What current or up and coming projects is Black Card working on right now?
Dubb:: We’re working on this Ya Boy mixtape, The Fix 2. My mixtape is supposed to be coming out, Itz Dubb. Me and Slap got a mixtape coming out, Sexology 101 for the females. It’s coming out [on] Valentine’s Day [will be] hosted by Digital Product and Ill Will. Shit, we’re just working man.
Cali Bred:: What’s up with the new track, we know y’all did the “Look At Ya.” What was the motivation behind that in the studio?
Dubb:: Man, we were just going through the beats. We didn’t really have a beat to do. I just found that beat, and we just started vibing. As far as coming up with a song, most people always come with the hook, to vibe up off the hook. So we just came up with the hook,
“Haters trynna hide, but I seem ‘em right there
When I catch ‘em, I’ma whip, I’ma shoot em, I’ma kill ‘em, I swear
If you a sucker, you a buster, you a bitch ass nigga, beware
I’ma leave ‘em where he standin at, everybody gone stop and stare.”
and the bars just came as we just vibed together.
Cali Bred:: That’s what’s up. The video’s already recorded?
Dubb:: The video was shot by Paper. We’re gonna come out with it [the video] in 2010, hit ‘em with something fresh. All of us, you know, Black Card Boys. We [are] trynna run shit on the west. Really man, we [are] trynna fuck with everybody, but it’s either you get down or lay down man, period (And he laughs)! That’s all I’m saying.
Cali Bred:: Where’d y’all shoot the video?
Dubb:: We shot it downtown, in various spots. Allies, subways, this and that, a little bit of everything to show ‘em what L.A. is about.
Cali Bred:: So how does that fit in working with Ya Boy? Considering he’s from the Bay, bringing it all together for Cali.
Dubb:: That’s my big brother man. He reached out to me, you know, he’s doing it big. I had a song on the radio, buzzing, taking over, and you know, he was saw his little South Central nigga grinding. So he’s like, “This nigga work ethic crazy, so I gotta fuck with this nigga. This my young nigga.” And you know, that’s how it happen. My camp and his camp combined, and we [are] Black Card Boys, BCM, period. (Laughs again.)
Cali Bred:: What can the fans expect from Black Card Boys on an individual basis?
Dubb:: We all sound different, but all in a whole, I will say you will just expect good music. The West Coast has always had a stamp on it (searches for words), niggas always were stereotyped. And we bring something different to the West, like we actually can spit and make songs. There’s nothing we can’t do. It’s like you’re just gonna get a little bit of (stops himself), well a lot of everything, I would say.
Cali Bred:: What can the fans expect from Black Card Boys as a group?
Dubb:: This album, we [are] working on this album. This mixtape. Like I said, putting The West on the map, like how it’s supposed to be, and you know, give these old niggas they seat (Some more laughs). It’s time for us to stand up. Period!
Cali Bred:: To wrap it all up, in addition to Cali Bred Mag online, where can Cali Breeds keep in touch with y’all?
Dubb:: We got twitters… (Goes on to name off member twitter account. For the list of twitters, scroll to bottom of thread). You know, basically just keep in touch with us. Follow us, we’ll follow you back. Real nigga shit. BCM, BCB, HF, [and] you know me. Ya Boy, Cik, Soco, Dubb, Slap, Bald Head Paper (Laughs again). We get it in! Know what I mean?
Cali Bred:: It’s about four a.m. now, but we wanna say thanks for taking time out the studio session.
Dubb:: Much love. [We] appreciate it!
twitter.com/itzDubb
twitter.com/SocoBurns
twitter.com/YungSlap
twitter.com/CikDotMon3y
Monumental Beginnings
After keeping in close contact with Svperb, it’s official that they’ve continued to jump on the rundle and hit you with some more street fire. Over the weekend we had a chance to get with The Svperb Label for a brief interview about the brand, how things have been, and where they see things going. You get a strong sense of determination behind the Svperb philosophy and ambition that has embodied an Vunstoppable momentum, ready to take it to the next level.
First things first, where or how did you come up with the concept behind “SVPERB”/VNSTOPPABLE?
Superb came naturally to me when I was still in the blueprint stage of building a brand(name). I had a couple of names lined up and just felt right with Superb. All the elements you can find in this name were just right to me; it was short/concise, it stands out, it’s powerful, and very conceptual. “Unstoppable” was something I always carried as a slogan when I was heavily involved in music and production. If you put it together, the name is almost seamless. Superb Unstoppable.
What’s the significance behind the “V” replacing the “U” in Superb?
It serves many purposes. Primarily, the “V” stands for victory, which is a philosophy or message we like to portray through the brand. In our SVPRB logo, the V is underlined. This is also a graphic interpretation of the “Dethroned” tee from our fall 09 line where the pyramid is upside down. It symbolizes power and superiority by making a statement about dethroning another in their respective position of high power. Overall, it plays a role in reinforcing the way we are shaping our brand. It is very aggressive. However, the true and actual name is and will always be Superb, spelled with a “U”.
So after the drop of the first chapter of “The Superb Label,” how did things go?
I expected things to go very well but it far exceeded my expectations. We had a lot of retailers contacting us and a lot of blogs/online magazines supported the release as well. We’ve been told that we hit the ground running and that might even be an understatement. As humbly as possible, we surpassed a lot of upstarts and a lot of people didn’t really consider us as such and are now telling us “they can’t believe this is our first/second season”. We were beyond that level even though it was only our first season. It’s a very good thing to even have some of the accounts we already locked in during our first and second season and I’m grateful for that.
What inspired the “Lords of War” theme for the second chapter?
The first chapter was dubbed “Unstoppable” to introduce and present the brand as a momentum that will cause a collapse in the dam. Lords of War continue where the first season left off and complements the second release by stating, metaphorically, that we are of “high power”. We want to give the idea that our brand seeks permanence. A lot of kids start up small lines and they never get to see a second season; that’s not the case with us. We moved on to the next season so effortlessly and we felt that it was only right to name it such because we really are prevailing within the war (of everyone trying to penetrate the already over-saturated streetwear market). Next season, we’re building a fortress to keep everyone out in a sense that we are setting the new standard of how something should be started. That’s why were calling the third chapter “Colossal“.
Do you have any specific expectations for SVPERB 2010?
2010 is going to be a great year for Superb. We are slowly building a viable team. We’re looking to really cement the brand in so that it becomes synonymous with some of our more well-known friends and competition alike. I expect a lot of challenges but we’re going to try our best to perform well during the year.
So, what can the fans expect from SVPERB in 2010?
Expect to see a larger scale of distribution, an expanded range of product offerings (denim, cut-n-sew, etc.), great collaborations, a wider selection in styles, more colors, and more classic material. One more thing, fitteds. Yes, everybody is waiting on those.
Now we know you have a solid distribution chain in order, so to wrap it all up, where can Cali Breeds find the gear in store?
Currently, our production run is in very limited numbers. We were forced to actually shut out a lot of retailers who were interested in our current seasons so instead, we forward them to our spring 2010 offerings. But, you can buy everything at our online shop (http://www.thesuperblabel.com) or Karmaloop.com/Superb (will be active soon). If you are local to LA, you can hit up El Mercado . I also have a great relationship with one of our accounts in Arizona called Finally Made. So, if you’re in that area, hit them up.
Spaz Saturday: Chronicle IX
Download: Soco Burns – Lyrikal Murdarah
Soco Burns | Final Spaz Saturday
After murdering nine straight weeks of witty, lyrical freestyles, Soco Burns drops the last chapter of the Spaz Saturday Chronicles with the Lyrikal Murdarah. As opposed to a typical 24, 32, or even 48 bar freestyle, Soco gives three spazed out 16 bar verses in addition to a catchy hook.
Not a bad decision to wrap up the arsenal of freestyles with a full track expressing his lyrical talent and creativity in composing thought provoking music. Considering the title and message behind the track, not only does he kill off the collection of preceding freestyles, but through his lyrics, also lets the listeners know that he is here, and ready, to murder any beat presented to him. Bar-for-bar!
Soco Burns shared with Cali Bred that the reason he chose to wrap up the Spaz Saturday Chronicles after the ninth week is primarily because he is ready to go in on his upcoming mixtape and EP. In addition to working on the mixtape and EP, we know Soco is still working with the Black Card Boys and on a few other specialty projects. In the mean time, Cali Bred will continue to host the completed edition of the Spaz Saturday Chronicles and will be in tune with the latest updates from Soco Burns and all new West Coast Hip-Hop talent.
Now you know the routine, if interested in getting in touch with Soco for booking, features, or simply just want to let him know you’re feeling the music, you can reach him on Twitter, MySpace, or Email.
Spaz Saturday: Chronicle VII
Download: Soco Burns – Hard Freestyle
Soco Burns | Spaz Saturday Week 7
Soco Burns with some more week-to-week fire, dropping the seventh Spaz Saturday Freestyle. This week’s freestyle is titled “Hard Freestyle,” and after hearing it, definitely see why. Spitting with a slightly harder, angrier, tone, Soco expresses his frustrations through song yet again.
As far as some recent news, Soco Burns has informed Cali Bred that there is a new project that he will be working on. The project within itself is still Mr. Burns. However, linking up with a new producer, Mr. Burns will now be Soco’s official EP. The EP will consist of all original beats, don’t know who the producer is as of now, but as the new news floats in, we’ll definitely leak as we please.
In the mean time, Soco will be wrapping up the Spaz Saturday Chronicles most likely by the top of the year. So stay in tune for the latest and greatest and make sure to check back with us every Spaz Saturday.
To contact Soco for booking or a casual conversation, you can reach him on Twitter, MySpace, or through Email.
We Serve
On Thursday, November 19, CSUN’s United We Serve Volunteer Program brought out hundreds of items in front of the Oviatt Library. These non perishable food items had been collected through their food drive over the last month across the campus. The We Serve volunteers began their awareness campaign at the beginning of the month in honor of Homeless Awareness Month. CSUN’s Sundial described the food drive as the largest food drive the campus has ever seen.
The reason why We Serve placed the items collected in the food drive on the steps of the centrally located library was to allow the participants to visually see what their efforts created and literally, what they looked like. The ultimate outcome to be achieved from the food drive and demonstration was to feed as many unfortunate families and individuals as possible. To add to the aid of this less-fortunate group of people, We Serve also had goals of swaying people’s attitudes and perceptions of this large group of people.
In addition to the canned food drive demonstration, the We Serve Volunteer Program also hosted a Survive the Night event in attempts to motivate the involvement from participants. The Survive the Night event was a one night event where the participants experienced a homeless-like setting where they lacked the day-to-day comforts of food and shelter. We Serve has also planned to have some future events where they planned to feed the homeless.
Cali Bred Opinion: Definitely a great idea to display the efforts and bring awareness to prevalent issue. Cali Bred will also be keeping up with some of these future events and will continue to support CSUN’s United We Serve Volunteer Program.
LXSERS
Last weekend (10/03/09) Lupe Fiasco came out to The Big Show at California State, Northridge. The event started at twelve noon. Included special guests the Crooks & Castles crew, Talib Kweli, and DJ Felli Fell. As you can see in the pictures below, the event consisted of more than just performances from the stars themselves. Californians filled up the lawn outside of Sierra Tower engaging in activities ranging from food and dance to spinning out and sliding down.
With two albums already in the bag for Lupe, his next release, titled LASERS, is expected to be a pretty big hit. The theme behind the LASERS concept is one that many people will be able to relate to in the sense that its breaking the mold and standard, very similar to the Cali Bred vision. The Lasers link will take you to the promotional site for the new album. “We will not lose cause we are not losers, we are LASERS.”
What I found to be most interesting, is that despite being from the great Mid-WEST, Lupe is indeed a Cali Breed. In his performance, not only did he shout out almost every region of California (including some small cities that most foreigners wouldn’t know about), he referred to himself as a Valley Boy. For those who don’t know what a Valley Boy/Girl is, it is a term given to someone bred in the San Fernando Valley, which is technically the outskirts of the City of Los Angeles. But not only does Lupe claim to be Cali Bred, but his whole band… Cali Bred.
Just goes to show, the West Side is still the Best Side. And even if the wheels fall off, we still ride!