Hip hop crews are a dying breed. Every rapper nowadays is a solo artist. Locals, Six of Seven, on the other hand bring back the 80s and 90s spirit of groups like Wu-Tang Clan, Cypress Hill and Hieroglyphics by focusing on the group aspect and not one single lead rapper.

The crew has rotated a little bit since its inception two years ago. The lineup for their latest EP, White Heaven in Hell, released last week, includes the five emcees Wise Pro, Iron Slaughter, Life, Denial and Redeem with Life producing the beats.

Llife’s beats are simple, old school samples that bring to mind the classic laid back West Coast vibe. The lyrics, on the other hand, are hyper and kinetic. While each emcee brings their own unique personality to their verses, they all share in a similar passion for spitting out fast complex rhythms and poetic word strings. The five of them work together, but at times seem like they are competing to be the quickest in the group.

The seven tracks on White Heaven in Hell are the result of their two years of songwriting. While they are re-inventing the wheel when it comes to the West Coast hip hop sound, they do demonstrate skill at their craft and great respect for the genre and the decades of artists that came before them with solid atmospheric boom-bap beats that leave space for the emcees to spit as many words out as possible, which they do.

The songs have a similar production quality to one another—airy beats and aggressive vocals. The strongest song is the opener, “Forgotten Truths” which has an almost Eastern flair to it. Other highlights include “She” which has a 70s funk backbeat and “Bill’s Cosby,” which despite the title is actually very serious. (Bill Cosby’s sweater is a frequent reference throughout the EP). It has probably the softest beat on the EP. Also, the closer, “Blade Runner” is a great energetic track.

In 1990, LA Times reporter Robert Hilburn said this of rap music: “It was ten years ago that the Sugarhill Gang’s ‘Rapper’s Delight’ became the first rap single to enter the national top 20. Who ever figured then that the music would even be around in 1990, much less produce attractions that would command as much pop attention as Public Enemy and N.W.A?”

This was back in the golden age of hip hop, when artists were still reinventing the genre with ever new record that was being released. Yet, despite the groundbreaking influence “Rapper’s Delight” had, it was still viewed as a disco-inspired novelty record. Now over thirty years since its release, the significance of that song has grown more apparent. The Sugarhill Gang hadn’t just made a silly song, they’d figured out how to craft pop music out of this budding street art. One year later, Kurtis Blow would top them by releasing, “The Breaks” the first hip hop song to sell a half million records. He would also become the first rapper to sign to a major label. This was only the beginning of rap’s close relationship to pop and mainstream music.

Doug E Fresh’s legacy is a little more obscure. He helped to popularize beatboxing, even earning the name “The Human Beat Box.” But while beatboxing didn’t stand the test of time, it was an essential part of the early language that formed rap while still in its infancy, just like rapping a capella on street corners and spitting verses over funk albums at block parties.

Other artists emerged in the late 80s and early 90s that helped shape rap more into the slick pop music it is now, as well as the loose, artistic bare bones underground art other rappers would continue to refine. Regardless, rap was never as raw and untarnished as it was when it was still in the hands of the forefathers.

Oddly, Sugarhill Gang founding members Michael “Wonder Mike” Wright and Guy “Master Gee” O’Brien will not be performing this Friday as part of the Sugarhill Gang. According to recent the recent documentary, “I Want My Name Back,” the duo lost legal rights to the band name and instead tour as “Rapper’s Delight.” Silvia and Joe Robinson, owners of their former label, Sugar Hill Records, currently own the rights to the name and have a different group of guys performing in their place.

The Sugarhill Gang (with Robinson, not Master Gee and Wonder Mike) play the Mountain Winery on September 14th at 7:30pm. Tickets are $35-$55.

Rey Resurreccion, one of San Jose’s best, unsung rappers, recently released a video for his track “Saturday”, produced by the Bangerz. The video itself is pretty standard, mostly a lot of shots of Resurreccion and his crew biking, skateboarding, breakdancing and, of course, plenty of tattooed women. What is exceptional is the song, due in no small part to the productions skills of the Bangerz.

One of Resurreccion’s gifts is how effortlessly he raps. He’s got a cooler than cool, laid back flow and spits out solid rhythms with clever lines. In “Saturday,” Resurreccion talks about hanging out with his good friends with no plans in mind, using Saturday as an analogy.
(“Rollin’ down the block/Cruisin’ with the homies like every day’s a Saturday.”)

Where this song truly shines above Resureccion’s normally high-quality work, is in the Bangerz textured production. The beat is a laid back, new-school jam, but it’s nuanced with old school sounds. It’s clever, so hip hop fan will love how brilliantly the Bangerz reference familiar 80s samples within the context of a strictly modern track. Casual hip hop fans will just love how cool everything sounds. The low synth bass line is a nice touch.