S. Samuel
Young Money's Tyga recently opened up about putting on for his city and dished out how much of a grind it was to stand out in Los Angeles without street credibility.
Tyga credits building a loyal Los Angeles fan base for helping him attain nationwide support.
“It means a lot to be able to get that love. It’s much easier now, because there’s a lot of talent out there now, but early on, it was hard to get that support from LA if you weren’t a straight gangster rapper like Snoop [Dogg] or some sh*t like that. It was dumb, because there’s so many creative artists out there doing way different things that don’t want to talk about that stuff. It’s real important, though. You’ve got to start somewhere and have a homebase. I love doing shows in California and the West Coast, period. To go to other places and get that same love is always shocking to me. I never know what to expect, but the shows are always just as crazy.” (Complex)
Cali Swag District’s C-Smoove hit up SOHH last summer about West Coast newcomers gaining mainstream attention.
“Coming from the West and everybody on the West trying to get along, it’s a good feeling,” C-Smoove told SOHH when asked about Cali Swag’s rank amongst the likes of Odd Future and Kreayshawn. “It’s a good feeling especially being a part of it. I would still feel good even if I wasn’t a part of it and just watching what’s coming out of the West. I feel no competition. We show love to everybody. The West has been more united now than any other time because there’s no beef between us. All the people coming up right now, we’re all pretty much around the same age, so we pretty much know each other, do shows together, done songs together. So there’s a lot more support being shown on the West Coast now because of the New Age, getting your buzz going, social networking, hitting up local radio stations by just tweeting them. It’s become a lot more supportive on the West Coast and we love it.” (SOHH)
A month prior, West Coast newcomer Co$$ talked to SOHH about the diversity of his region.
“I think right now, West Coast hip-hop is really in a place to have a diverse impact on the game because we’re coming from so many different angles,” Co$$ told SOHH. “You got Odd Future with a kind of nostalgic sound but it ain’t all horrorcore. Tyler is really on that outlandish sh*t but there’s other members in the crew that touch on other genres of hip-hop. So don’t sleep on Odd Future. They’re very diverse and aren’t in just one lane. But I’m super excited about the West Coast. We got everything popping off out here as far as what you might desire.” (SOHH)
In April, rap veteran Snoop Dogg opened up about embracing the freshmen emcees.
“As far as the New West or the young MCs out here on the West Coast, I’m very familiar with them because they call me Uncle Snoop,” Snoop told MTV News. “So more than likely, they come get my blessings on a record, or through mutual friends we connect with each other, because I always keep my ear to the streets and I always love being a part of what’s new and fly representing the West Coast. I’ve always been one to try to put that on the forefront, so I keep my ear glued to the street when it comes to these new acts from the West. I try to be a part of their projects and a part of blowing them up.” (MTV)
Check out Tyga’s “Rack City” music video below:
