ISSUE #3
VEZAEL X PS WESS:
KICKIN DOWN THE DOOR
Artwork done by @vezael858 & @star.infantry
Artists Vezael and PS Wess come together to bring some Old School flavor into the new wave with their album “Kickin’ Down The Door”.
Stream the album below and check out the music videos for their tracks “Kickin’ Down The Door” and “Cold World”. Expect more coming soon, follow them for updates.
SPOTLIGHT:
BROK WOOD
FIRST LET US KNOW WHO YOU ARE, WHERE YOU’RE FROM, AND WHAT YOU DO.
My names Brok Wood. I am a Photographer, Director, and Cinematographer. I grew up here in North County SD bouncing back and forth between Fallbrook and Oside.
HOW DID YOUR SURROUNDINGS AND UPBRINGING GUIDE YOU TO YOUR PATH OF PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEOGRAPHY?
I was raised by a Single Mother who worked really hard to support me and allowed me to dream. We moved around a lot. She worked late and gave me alot of freedom. I spent most of my time with my homies skateboarding in the streets, shooting photos, causing havoc, and learning lessons. At 14 I began taking photos, with the guidance from my older homies, Jt and Lannie Rhoades. At that time JT was interning at Transworld Magazine and Lannie was filming skateboarding professionally, both as teens. They really put me up on game and guided me.
WHAT DRIVES YOU TO DOCUMENT THE WORLD AROUND YOU THROUGH THESE MEDIA?
Internally, its like an itch a little light bulb flicker that doesn't go away. Externally, my homies and my communities.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE ASPECT OF THE PROCESS OF TAKING PHOTOS AND VIDEOS?
The beginnings always fun, that flicker of an idea, or a conversation with someone that turns into a collaborative project or gig. But honestly, the work. Creating a treatment, writing out the direction for a video, the day or days of filming, shooting photos. Watching something completely take form and then being let go into the world.
GOT ANY ADVICE TO THOSE INTERESTED IN PURSUING THEIR PASSIONS OR TAKE THEIR HOBBIES MORE SERIOUSLY?
Get out there and try. If you're not failing in one way or another, you're trying hard enough. Also , Don't stress on thinking you need all this equipment or gear to make something special. It takes alot of work, projects, and years to get your work to the level you know you can reach. I've been doing this for well over 10 years and I feel like I'm just scratching the surface.
ANY OTHER INTERESTS YOU WANT TO SHARE?
I'm really juiced on gardening lately. I got a little one. When I'm 60 I'm gonna have a flower shop.
FINAL REMARKS, SHOUTOUTS, OR UPCOMING PROJECTS WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT?
Mad love to my people, my community, and the communities who have welcomed me.
FOLLOW BROK ON INSTAGRAM @brok_wood
CHECK OUT SOME OF HIS WORK BELOW
CONWAY THE MACHINE
SLANT FACE KILLAH
ALBUM REIVEW
BY VEZAEL
THE ARTWORK
As someone with a degree in Graphic Design, album artwork is the first thing I analyze when it comes to a new release by an artist. What is the purpose of this artwork? Why did the artist choose the elements they did? What does the album gain or lose by having this image as the cover art? Does it match the music itself?…
Featured on the album cover is what appears to be a well-worn cream colored vinyl jacket featuring a black, hand-drawn emoticon of a slanted face with furrowed eyebrows and some personal motifs hinting at Conway himself. Obviously this ties into the title of the album Slant Faced Killah, and also clearly alludes to Conway’s own physical appearance, suggesting the title, and album itself, are a reflection of himself. I think this is a fun way for an artist to make reference to themselves, using his unique features to then render an easily-recognizable icon.
Now, aesthetically speaking, I think the cover art puts itself in a box. Using basically only two colors with a very flat background as well as a flat subject doesn’t lend to much visual interest. If the songs on the album itself were more bare-bones, or stripped down thematically and lyrically, I think this artistic choice would make a bit more sense. The image suggests something straight to the point, raw, and with no filler. The music on the album doesn’t reflect that same idea, however. The artwork for SFK brings to my mind System of a Down’s Steal This Album! artwork, which considering it was an entire album of throwaways and B-sides from previous works, I think fits a bit better and makes more sense than what Conway chose to do here.
At the end of the day, album art takes a back step to the music itself, and this cover art isn’t ugly to look at by any means.
THE MUSIC
Slant Face Killah features 14 songs with varying mood, style, and execution. With that said, not every lane that Conway explored in this album was done equally or at the same caliber. He comes in hard and calculated with tracks like Mutty and Kin Xpress, but then almost seems to throw tracks like Dasani in to fill up more time without really adding anything of similar value to the other tracks. There’s a bit of the dark, Griselda type sound, some Trap, and also to my surprise, some very ethereal interludes and transitions. As the years go by, we start to see Conway branch out little by little, exploring new styles more and more. Here we can see a bit of that exploration in SFK, while also retaining some of his older sound and style that we recognize as distinctly Conway The Machine.
There were a number of highlights on Slant Face Killah. When Surf & Turf came on, as a Southern Cali dude I felt like I was coming home after being on a trip out of state; the all-LA features all came through super tuff on this track and the minimalist sample beat was a good change of pace from the hard-hitting beats that were prevalent in this album. Mutty of course was a super raw track getting the listener hyped up to experience the rest of the tape, with Give & Give following up and giving us some of Conway’s craziest word play of the whole album. Meth Back! brought us a bit back into the old school with it’s attitude and the beat being a mix of newer and classic 90’s East Coast sound of course with great features from Method Man, Flee Lord and SK Da King. The Red Moon In Osaka was something that I got hints of previously in the album, wasn’t entirely expecting, but greatly welcomed as it happened. It became more very atmospheric as it progressed, and the ending was unlike Conway The Machine at all, however I think it works similar to a joyous resolution of a movie that was hard-fought battle after hard-fought battle.
Although I thought there was a lot more good than bad on SFK, there were some tracks that I felt like didn’t hold their own weight in the tracklist. Like mentioned earlier, Dasani was one of these. The wordsmithing wasn’t on par with many of the other tracks, the beat was not rewarding my ears listening to it, and overall it seems like an attempt of Conway to add in something different just to spice things up without considering the quality. Milano Nights, Pt. 1 wasn’t particularly a bad song, but I don’t think it added much that Give & Give didn’t already accomplish immediately before. The lyrical content was similar, the word play was less impressive, and the beat sounded like it tried to capture that uplifting mood, but almost sounding less refined and executed not as well as Give & Give, however I do appreciate the ending bit with the spacey pad that came in, giving us a preview of what’s to come later with the outro track.
Overall, here in Slant Face Killah we have another standard Conway album that you might expect from him over the past few years. It mixes elements of his dark, gritty Griselda-era sound, along with some Trap, and a little bit of experimentation with some newer elements. Lyrical themes are very Conwayesque, talking about Conway’s own lyrical prowess, references to drugs and violence, as well as the high-end luxury life. Overall, this album is solid, although not particularly groundbreaking compared to some of Conway’s past works.
DISSOLVE:
CITYSCAPE & WORDPLAY
T-SHIRTS
Photos by @star.infantry
(PROD. BY VEZAEL)
CONTACT VEZAEL AT vezaelmusic@gmail.com FOR FULL BEAT CATALOG AND INFORMATION ON MUSIC COLLABORATION
Instrumental styles:
Boom Bap
Old School West Coast
G-Funk
New School West Coast
SPOTLIGHT
BUBU THE PRINCE
Images by @grizzk_
FIRST LET US KNOW WHO YOU ARE, WHERE YOU’RE FROM, AND WHAT YOU DO.
I go by artist name Bubu The Prince. Born and raised in San Diego, Ca. Clairemont area to be exact. I do a few things here and there. But I am an artist. Rap that is.
WHAT LED YOU TO CHOOSE THE NAME BUBU THE PRINCE?
Couple of things actually, “Boo Boo the bear”, “bubulubu” mascot, even some inspiration from an old alias of Curtis “50 cent” Jackson. Nothing deep, just thought of it and ran with it.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE OF MUSIC?
My style? Some say grimey, others say boom bap, I’d just say east coast to keep it more broad. It’s easy to get lost in these sub-genres.
WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE GROWING UP IN SAN DIEGO?
San Diego? Couldn’t really say none till I left the section and/or city/state. I’d say I saw a bit of it all just like in any other resident here.
HOW DID YOUR SURROUNDINGS AND UPBRINGING GUIDE YOU TO YOUR PATH OF MUSIC?
My eldest sister as well as the rest of my siblings being involved in things they shouldn’t, always passed down to the baby. That can include an environment of gang violence, drug use and alcohol. Regular things like that.
CAN YOU LET US KNOW SOME ARTISTS WHO HAVE INFLUENCED YOUR SOUND, AND WHAT ABOUT THEIR WORK INFLUENCED YOU?
Basically anything of the golden era. Mid 90’s to late 90’s. From wu tang clan, to Big Pun. Big L to 50 cent. And everything about these artists were impactful, character, charisma & of course brought something to the table that is still represented today
YOU SHOUT OUT DAYGO ZOO FREQUENTLY. WHAT EXACTLY IS DAYGO ZOO AND WHO’S A PART OF IT?
Been screaming it since I came in the game. DAYGO ZOO is my interpretation of the name “San Diego”. Some people say weird names like “salty D”… pause. Or “americas finest city” As of recently me and a couple of other geniuses came together and it became an actual thing. A brand that we care for. Consists of Grizz, Danny, Uddy & I. We recently just put on an artist by the name of “Vroc” from Perris, Ca. Super dope.
YOU’VE RELEASED A HEALTHY AMOUNT OF SOLID WORK IN THE PAST FEW YEARS. WHAT IS YOUR PROCESS WHEN CREATING A SONG?
I get producers who send all the time. As cliche as it sounds, if I am not inspired to write then it is what it is. I don’t treat it like a job. But it consists of finding a beat that stands out, sometimes by the sample, or drums. Then writing to it, and majority of the times I am not in studio writing it cause I do other things at the same time. Then once I have it written I take minimal time to record and lay vocals. Pretty much practice before getting to the studio and record so I can be efficient. Any changes need to be made, I do it on the spot.
WHAT IS YOUR PROCESS WHEN CREATING AN ALBUM OR EP?
As of lately, I’ve been collaborating with other producers from other regions or countries. Feel like it brings you out of your comfort zone and it leaves your mind open to others ideas. But usually goes as follows. I Go based off the beats. Then I come up with a concept or a theme but without a title. Record the tracks one by one. And then at the end come up with a name. I’m pretty sure there is no right or wrong way but this is how I get down.
HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH YOUR LYRICS?
Lyrics? That’s just natural. From all the practice since elementary school. Schemes, similes, adjectives. All keys that I’ve practiced daily. Pretty incredible how the mind can manifest these thoughts into rhymes if you just practice.
WHAT’S THE MOST CHALLENGING ASPECT FOR YOU WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING MUSIC, AND HOW DO YOU OVERCOME IT?
Making the time, I hold a house down, run multiple things and got babies. But learning to balance never stops. I appreciate that. Creating the music is never hard.
ANY FUNNY STORIES RELATED TO MUSIC MAKING OR PERFORMING YOU MIGHT HAVE?
Funny? Not yet I think. Hype for that moment? But at these shows. Plenty of pride and ego in the rooms and/or venues. So you know what that comes with. It’s an open zoo. Haha.
WHAT ARE YOUR OPINIONS ON THE STATE OF THE MUSIC SCENE TODAY (IN SD, CALI, OR THE WORLD)?
History will just keep repeating itself. In all genres. At the same time it will keep evolving. I feel like we can’t change that ever.
WHO ARE SOME ARTISTS YOU’VE ENJOYED COLLABORATING WITH?
Gorilla nems cause he’s funny as hell, exactly how he is on camera, he is in real life and through the phone. Another would be my big homie Eto, he’s pretty much been there since I came in the game. We’ve build a bond that seems unbreakable. Always enjoy working with him when there is a chance.
ANYONE YOU WISH TO COLLABORATE WITH? (REALISTIC OR NOT)
Got a few, Dj muggs of cypress hill, ghost face killah & Raekwon (as one) & this one is super left but, slug of atmosphere.
GOT ANY PERFORMANCES OR SHOWS COMING UP THAT WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT?
Got a few things coming up sept. Announcement coming soon.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER CREATIVE PROJECTS YOU HAVE WORKED ON THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE?
Quite a few I’m not really ready to share yet.
WHAT IS YOUR 5-YEAR PLAN? LIFE PLAN?
5 year? In music? Takeover. Pay my mortgage strictly off music. And in life? Continue to be the best provider I can be for my household.
GOT ANY ADVICE TO THOSE INTERESTED IN PURSUING THEIR PASSIONS OR TAKE THEIR HOBBIES MORE SERIOUSLY?
For sure, you live and learn, it’s okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from it. You know, true growth is admitting to those falls. Keep your heart in check and mind open. Even listening before speaking, that’s a good one. Because when you do that, you can even be blessed with the opportunity of learning from others mistakes. Life be like that sometimes.
ANY OTHER INTERESTS YOU WANT TO SHARE
We into a few things like coffee & lifting weights. Weird combo but it is what it is.
FINAL REMARKS, SHOUTOUTS, OR UPCOMING PROJECTS WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT?
Got a few projects lined up. One I can speak on is with the big homie Lord Sear from the legendary shade 45 station on serious xm. Random fact. He was also the voice on the intro for Big Pun’s “Yeeeah baby”. check that out when you get a chance.
We headed to the top and bringing people with us.
FOLLOW BUBU THE PRINCE ON INSTAGRAM @bubutheprince
SUBMISSION:
HIM CODE
HIM Code:
The mixtape “Feeling Lucky Outta L.A” came from me wanting to really be a source of inspiration, fun, and entertainment in everyone’s life. Focusing strongly on the aspect of “fun”, because I feel it is really scarce in today’s music. I’m going to always inspire people because I have stories that are common amongst most people. HIM Code is a regular person at the end of the day I go through things just like you, there’s a lot in my music I describe that people can relate to. My biggest goal was for the tape to be a safe haven, an outlet for people to go to whether you are having a tough day or want to continue having a great day this tape has the mood your looking for.
HIM Code gets his musical inspiration from artists he listened to growing up such as Andre 3000, Usher, Mobb Deep, shinedown, Xzibit, Eminem, R Kelly, The Isley Brothers, and more! Most would call him a realist because his lyrics in his music portray what is going on in his real life, with an eclectic upbeat melodic sound Code raps and sings about what he goes through in his everyday life. His style can be edgy and very blunt at times when he talks about his personal life but the upside behind it is his loads of truth when he paints a picture of hope and overcoming, the other side of his style of music can be comical and very uplifting. Code has been rapping since he was 13 in middle school he would make up lyrics and rap to his classmates for fun, after a few years of high school Code noticed his calling and decided to express his talents in a vocal booth. HIM Code has dropped his very first mixtape titled “Feeling Lucky Outta L.A” with upbeat tempo and energetic rhymes Code has found a way to gravitate to people with this one. There are not many artists who can both sing and rap on melodic, trippy, house trap beats but that is where HIM Code exceeds expectations. “HIM Code has got that special quality”, states INDIEPOWR CEO Jay Warsinske, “Code is showing growth in his lyrics, hooks, and building his audience and business know-how! Do not be surprised if you hear HIM Code as a household name”.
You can find HIM Code on his socials:
Instagram: @thaonethatshim
X: @himcode
TikTok: @him.code
YouTube: @himcode
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SPOTLIGHT
THOMAS KIMBALL
images by @andrewcayas
INTRODUCE YOURSELF, TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF AND WHAT YOU DO.
My name is Thomas Kimball. 22yrs old Born and raised in San Diego and I’ve been skating for 12 years now.
AT WHAT AGE DID YOU FIRST TAKE INTEREST IN SKATEBOARDING? WAS THERE A SPECIFIC MEMORY YOU HAVE THAT MADE YOU WANT TO GIVE IT A TRY?
Well there wasn’t a specific moment where I saw some one skating and was like oh I wanna do that it was actually my best friend growing up who I feel like got me into it. His name is Branden Ellis and we lived in the same apartment complex ever since we were like 1 and 2. His mom had skateboards around the house and since we hung out so much we ended up just skating a little here and there. But I’d say I really started skating seriously right when I started middle school.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR PRIME MOTIVE FOR SKATING AND KEEPING THE INTEREST ALIVE?
It’s just something that really clicked for me over everything else that I had tried up to that point. Getting better and learning new things as you keep skating keeps everything fresh and I really enjoy that aspect of it.
HOW DID THE AREA YOU GREW UP IN INFLUENCE YOUR PASSION FOR SKATING?
Growing up in San Diego the skate scene is so deep there’s so many skaters everywhere so you meet all types of people and make friends with people all ages and races which I think helped me gain a perspective on the world that a lot of people don’t get usually.
ANY FUNNY/CRAZY STORIES INVOLVING SKATING?
Nothing too crazy but you run into a lot of funny characters out In the streets. Homeless people screaming at you while you’re tryna skate a spot or security guards tryna be the hero and take your board just stuff like that. There was one time a homeless guy drinking a six pack got pissed off at us skating and broke the bottles threatening to stab us that was pretty funny.
WHAT HAVE BEEN YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGES WITH SKATING, AND HOW HAVE YOU OVERCOME THEM?
I’d say the biggest challenge with skating right now would be just trying to find time to practice and get better. Working full time with a shitty schedule doesn’t help but I always try to find sometime at least once a week to get a sesh in.
WHAT’S THE CRAZIEST OR SCARIEST TRICK, GAP, ETC. YOU PULLED?
Nothing in particular has been the scariest but skating handrails can be sketch.
SINCE I KNOW YOU DO A BIT OF BOTH, ANY OPINIONS ON STREET VS PARK SKATING?
Gotta do a bit of both parks are good for practice and learning new stuff but the streets is where the real challenge is. Taking what you learned and trying to apply it to a spot is like a test.
WHO WERE SOME PEOPLE YOU LOOKED UP TO IN THE SKATING WORLD WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED? WHO DO YOU LOOK UP TO NOW?
Growing up I always looked up to the older homies for inspo or tips and local SD pros like the Sk8mafia team. Now I’d say my inspo comes from the friends I skate with and different crews I see online.
HOW HAS THE WORLD OF SKATING CHANGED SINCE YOU STARTED AND WHAT ARE YOUR OPINIONS ON IT?
I started skating around 2011/2012 and back then the skating I would see was really only in skate videos dropped online but as I’ve gotten older everything is getting posted on Instagram so you get to see everything all the time so sometimes the surprise factor isn’t there when it comes to new spots or tricks.
HOW DO YOU THINK THE SKATEBOARDING SCENE WILL CHANGE IN THE NEXT COMING YEARS?
I’d say the skate scene won’t change that much in the next coming years. I really don’t know what could change honestly.
WHAT IS YOUR 5-YEAR PLAN? LIFE PLAN?
5-year plan would be to keep skating, keep traveling with my girl, and make more money also be better at saving money for the future.
GOT ANY ADVICE TO THOSE INTERESTED IN PURSUING THEIR PASSIONS OR TAKE THEIR HOBBIES MORE SERIOUSLY?
My advice to people wanting to pursue their passions would be to just keep pushing past all the bullshit life’s gonna throw at you and to make sacrifices to better yourself more often.
ANY OTHER INTERESTS YOU WANT TO SHARE?
Get active. Go see the world and take care of yourself mentally and physically.
FINAL REMARKS, SHOUTOUTS, OR UPCOMING PROJECTS WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT?
Shoutout to my lady for being the realest and shoutout to my friends and family. Got a video coming soon with the homies stay tuned for that. Shoutout Dissolve mag and Psychosuburbia.
FOLLOW THOMAS ON INSTAGRAM @tmk95001
SUBMISSION:
JACOB LEE GREEN
AEON PHOTO CO
Jacob Lee Green is a photojournalist from the Southern California area who captures the complex and fractured landscape of today’s American political relationships. His work has been featured in Rolling Stone, NBC News, The Intercept, Newsweek, and many other media organizations worldwide.
Here you can find a full drive folder featuring more of Jacob’s work.
4BATZ
U MADE ME A ST4R
ALBUM REVIEW
BY VEZAEL
THE ARTWORK
At first glance of the cover art without knowing anything about the music within the album, one might guess what sort of musical style this album would be in, and then would quickly figure out how wrong they are once they were to hit play. It’s not the first time someone has juxtaposed a ‘street’ image with music that sounds anything but; remember RMR and his song Rascal? However it’s something that you don’t see to this extent in the mainstream while still being able to feel the humility and authenticity through the image, knowing that 4batz is a very young artist that blew up out of no where with no real industry backing.
The image does a good job displaying who the artist is among the crowd, we are able to deduce which person is 4batz by the usage of ski masks, people slightly covering their faces, and the fact that 4batz is holding a crossed out image of (presumably) his ex, who we can assume this album is about. Including the image of the ex-girlfriend is a smart move in creating continuity with the world the 4batz is creating with this album, reinforcing his creative direction.
THE MUSIC
I think this album is pretty good for a first release completely independent. My only complaints are song length and sample bit rate. I like how these songs are short and sweet, but I would love to see what he’d be able to do with a 3-5 minute song with all the different melodies and lyrical content he fits into his songs on this album. The samples used on the beats sound very low quality at times, on one hand it adds to the DIY feel of the project, but at the same time it sort of takes away from the feeling of the song itself.
I enjoy the thematic flow of this album, with tracks going from talking about longing for the girl, to being frustrated with her , to fucking her, to having more problems with her, etcetera. It makes it feel like we’re listening to a chronological outline of 4batz’s romantic life in real time, with the ability to feel what he’s feeling as he’s feeling it. I just wish there was a bit more variation from track to track because although they all have their differences, when grouped together in one project it all sounds a little bit the same. I would enjoy seeing him taking the core feelings from each song, whether it’s frustration, longing or lust and have the instrumentals exaggerate those feelings a bit more like having the beat of a sadder song evoke that feeling regardless of the presence of lyrics.
There were a number of little things I really appreciated in this album. On the songs act iii and act viii, the instrumentals are in 3/4 time, bringing back that swinging feeling heavily present in oldies music, and as a Mexican-American from Southern California it put a smile on my face once these tracks started and I heard those rhythms. 4batz did a good job at incorporating vibes and styles from genres of love songs from previous decades while giving it a very 2020’s twist, like with the songs act v and act vi. There’s something very subtle about the instrumentals that evoke that feeling and aesthetic of the early 2000’s in these songs.
Another thing that 4batz did that I thought was interesting was his choice of when to pitch up his vocals and when not to. In the earlier tracks of the album, you can find pitched-up vocals more often than in later tracks, with there being a gradient between the beginning and end where some of the tracks in the middle of the album are also somewhere in the middle of this scale between pitched-up and regular pitch. I feel that this can bridge a gap between generations, where the younger listeners might be more familiar with pitched-up vocals by being exposed to that style through TikTok, while older listeners might appreciate the un-pitched vocals but then still grow to appreciate the tracks with pitched-up vocals.
Overall 4batz depicts a beautiful journey through this tape. He has us following all the ups and downs of his relationship and taking us through all his thoughts and emotions with his lyrics and vocal melodies. A very solid start to a music career, and although the album might be slightly flat unrefined in some aspects, it adds to the very DIY appeal to it, and has me excited to see the ways in which 4batz will improve on this sound with future releases.
SUBMISSION:
SWORE
SWORE:
I come from los angeles and i am now in the high desert bringing my art clash of anime and graff on canvases and personal items,murals and my graffitti.
Calligraphy is a big one for me as well amd hope to clash those togther soon to.
Looking to show the world you can make art and love the life you live following what makes you happy.
FOLLOW SWORE ON INSTAGRAM @foxtrot_illustrations
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