When Balance drives his old school through the valley, he’s not selling mushrooms and meth to his rich clientele. He’s out there palming the assess of porn stars. And when he’s gone, they pout and whine like their occupation isn’t getting blasted for bucks. Anywho, the Oakland Raider is dropping part deuce of his Golden State Warriorz series and to set things off right, he’s got Isis Love starring as the eye candy for the newest visual. Read the rest of this entry »

You get but only one born day a year but when two of California’s most focused Hip-Hop artists in rhyme specialist Balance and Dae One, the instrumental wizard who never duplicates his sounds, it’s cause for B-Dae celebration. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ma need everyone to turn their clocks to PST for a sec and ride out to what the Left side is doing. As a conglomerate, P. Child is the Raider, Traxamillion the Shark, Mr. Kee is the 49er and Balance is the Golden State Warrior, as they prove they’re not afraid to come outside in broad daylight and hold council to reaffirm their standing in the underground. Read the rest of this entry »

Put your W’s up and cash in all your chips at the casino door. Balance from the Bay is going all in (again) for his next project that’s looking to put Cali back in the top mix of your playlist. In a rare case of dealing with emotions without being emotional, Mr. 510 scoops up Moe Green and J DaVinci to help rally the cause for a classic case of the polar opposites. Read the rest of this entry »

So, obviously it’s Valentine’s Day and amongst other things, it is a day observed for a slew of free music under the premise of knockin’ the boots, heartache and faux emotions. Gotta love Hip-Hop for it. Instead of turning the site into the Anthony Thomas music section, we decided to wrangle up the mixtapes/EPs, songs and visuals that are making this day longer than it needs to be.

While you’re getting all lovey-dovey this February 14th, Balance of the Bay has a few choice words for your hugs and kisses and champagne wishes. Unless you giving up the pantaloons with minimal human mouth-to-mouth communication, he doesn’t want to be bothered with your all-pink everything attitude. Read the rest of this entry »

He gave you a chance to get constipated and catch up on his previous sh!t. Now he’s unleashing his laxatives on the game like truckers at a West Coast pit stop. If you think those analogies are nasty, wait til you get a load of this chunky bassline that assists Balance and Mitchy Slick’s conquest of the camomile. We’re not talking about the brown round, however. More like that invisible matter that you can’t see but you know is there when you’re riding high. Read the rest of this entry »

The digital age has definitely birthed an interesting predicament. With more artists releasing multiple full-lengths in the course of a year, the overwhelming flood of MP3s can make it a chore to navigate through the music scene. Balance from The Bay celebrates his Independence Day as of 2006 which essentially makes him a veteran by today’s standards. Realizing the importance of sanctifying his discography, he’s linked up with DJ Faze for B4: Greatest Materials, an extensive project which doubles as a reminder of his stocky past as well as clear reference point for future fans. Read the rest of this entry »

Time to get your passports stamped and take a ride with Sir Balance of the Bay. For his latest rappin’ rendezvous, he lets his compass spin and picks up Greenspan from the East and Rain out of North Cacklacka and they let the lyrics fly. Read the rest of this entry »

The Bay Area has been on the map for years and now it just got a little more balanced. As in Balance, the rappin’ Raider who’s ten toes deep in the rap game. For his next act of gratitude and grustle, he’s offering up We All In, a ten track disc for you to bleed the block with free of charge. Mixed by DJ’s Ill Will & Rockstar and appearances by Jay Rock, Mistah Fab, Fashawn and plenty more, watch how Balance and the West do it in Twenty Ten. Read the rest of this entry »

I had the luck of the draw of meeting Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar and Ab Soul this past weekend and while they were humbled and honored to be selected as one of this year’s XXL Freshman, they rest assured me that they weren’t going Hollywood and living off the hype alone. But benefits were made to be reaped and Blood is giving you a brushup on his moves with From Hood Tales To The Cover Of XXL. Read the rest of this entry »

When Balance saying he’s going all in, he’s cashing in all his poker chips and bringing the entire Golden State with him. Still ridin’ high from the last Bay Area mashup, Mr. 510 calls upon a trio of Cali hotshots to increase the anticipation for We All In. Read the rest of this entry »

Although the West keeps it tighter than any other region when it comes to unity and collaborations, I’ma go ahead and lay down a rival division line and proclaim: this joint > “I Wanna Rock” (Interstate Trafficking Remix). Read the rest of this entry »

Taje & producer Dae One

Just when you think the South is tightening up its death grip on the game, the Dub E-S-T strikes back to remind the rest of the world that they’re still worth checking for. The latest breath of Left Coast air comes courtesy Hawthorne, Cali’s Taje. Prepping for the third installment of his Hot Box mixtape series, the Latino lyricist aligns with Glasses Malone, Balance and Chevy Jones for yet another pleasant ride through the streets of the Golden State. Read the rest of this entry »

“Like ‘Remind My Soul of The Time We Were Great Before The Self Hate’”

Late last night a colleague walked into my home office with a bounce and pep to his step that I had never seen before. He proceeded to say that he had just heard a song that revived his love affair with Hip-Hop, and then hijacked my computer(as though I was not using it), going straight to YouTube and typing in the following words:

“Akrobatik Remind My Soul”

Do you remember the year 2003? When 50 Read the rest of this entry »