The Pack – Skateboards 2 Scrapers

    The story of their signing is that of a Hip Hop fairy tale: the legendary Too $hort, a Bay area native, hears
    your song on the radio simply by chance while his driver takes him to his next
    show. The following day, $hort Dog
    is on a Bay area-wide search for you – The
    Wolfpack
    , now known as the Pack
    for his Up All Nite label via Jive/Zomba. The foursome, consisting of
    Lil Uno, Lil B, Young L and Young $tunna have been embraced –
    simultaneously by the “Hyphy” movement and the skate-rap scene that’s popped up
    over the past year. While many say its due to the successes and doors
    opened by Pharrell (Skateboard P) and Lupe Fiasco, much of it has to do with their hit song “Vans,” the
    very song that convinced Too $hort
    there was unsigned talent in the ‘Yay, waiting to be found.

    Riding high upon the success of their hit single, it led directly into
    controversy once they completed their new music video. While BET accepted the video without
    hesitation, MTV felt the video was
    “an ad for Vans” and banned it,
    possibly creating more buzz than the group could’ve asked for. The
    strength of their initial song came from the driving dirge of bass and the
    familiar chorus – an ode to the ‘punk rock shoe’, “Got my Vans on but they look
    like sneakers
    .” While punk rock and Hip Hop might have more
    similarities than you realize, the connection to the skate-scene was an obvious
    one as well. Since the hyphy movement had become a groundswell in late
    2005, Vans became a hyphy standard
    for ‘going dumb’ in 2006.

    Their EP Skateboards 2 Scrapers shows
    a lot of promise for a group whose oldest member isn’t even 20 yet. With
    lessons taught by Professor $hort,
    the group has been working hard in the studio, compiling over 150 songs for
    their Wolf Pack music
    series. The hit single is coupled with obligatory remix featuring the ‘Godfather
    of the Bay’, $hort, and Mistah F.A.B. “I’m Shinin” also cracked
    the rap charts due to its’ new Pack
    sound altogether. But songs like “Candy” and “Ride My Bike” were criticized for
    being overtly bass-heavy and the simplistic nature of some of the lyrics were
    almost cringe worthy. “Oh Go” is a great example of what the group is
    capable of but they don’t venture outside of their comfort zone often enough to
    get an idea of the groups’ full potential is. 

    For their respective ages, the group is better than many within their
    profession, lyrically, once the overanalyzed hyphy-hot-zone dies down and their
    full length is released in April, they might have shaken off their first-time
    jitters and stepped up to claim their title among the founders of skate-rap and
    ‘hyphy’.

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