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’.