Lootpack
Though they were together since high school, the Lootpack – Madlib, Wildchild and DJ Romes – first made their presence known in 1994 when the group’s beat conductor, Madlib, produced “Mary Jane,” a Tha Alkaholiks 12”. Later that year, Lootpack’s lyrical skills were heard on the song “Turn The Party Out” on the Alkaholiks’ debut LP “21 And Over,” and “WLIX” from the Liks’ second LP.
The positive feedback from these collaborations led to the Lootpack’s own EP “Ill Psych Move” on Crate Digger’s Palace Records in 1996, a venture funded by Madlib’s father, soul-crooner Otis Jackson Sr.
It was through this poorly-distributed 12” that the group caught the attention of Stones Throw Records’ founder Peanut Butter Wolf, who heard the record on college radio and hunted the group down. The group eventually signed for Stones Throw, paving the way for the release of 1999’s “Soundpieces: Da Antidote” CD/LP.
Lootpack has not recorded a direct follow-up to “Soundpieces”, but the three core members continue to work together as they spread their wings. Madlib has demonstrated his versatility as a producer and hip hop visionary, crafting concept-albums such as Quasimoto’s “The Unseen”, Yesterdays New Quintet’s “Angles Without Edges”, and Madvillain’s “Madvillainy”. DJ Romes released “Hamburger Hater Breaks” record with Stones Throw in 2001. Wildchild’s own “Secondary Protocol” (2003) with all Lootpack members and extended family on board, is the closest thing to a second Lootpack album.
Medaphoar aka M.E.D. (Stonesthrow), Emanon aka Aloe Blacc & DJ Exile (Shaman Work)
The west coast MC called Medaphoar is known lately by the first three letters of his name: M to the E to the D. Three short letters for a long-awaited, full-length album which arrived at long last in 2005.
Why the hold up? Heads have been checking for more heat from young MED for a good while – since his recent appearance on Madvillain’s “Raid” (Madvillainy, 2004) going back to his debut on the now-classic Soundpieces by Lootpack back in ‘99. He showed up on Quasimoto’s Unseen (2000), and even made the sole MC appearance on Madlib’s acclaimed Shades of Blue. As an artist on Stones Throw, the man has three 12-inch single, and two ltd.-edition white label 12s, including the Cut Chemist-produced “Blind Man” and the Erykah Badu-jacking “Special” from 2004. All this heat and yet the album was ghost… until 2005.
“Push Comes To Shove” has nothing but rapid-fire bangers all over it. The track list features production by Stones Throw homies Madlib and Oh No, the almighty J Dilla (Jay Dee), and… if it’s all right with y’all… a little treat from platinum-plus hitmaker Just Blaze.
Representing the Oxnard, California family of MCs and b-boys that boasts luminaries such as Madlib, Oh No, Declaime, Wildchild and Kan Kick, MED stands out for his “perforating wordplay and extraterrestrial breath control” (URB Magazine). His subject matter reflects the struggles and hustles of a young black man caught between the street life of Oxnard and the nightlife of L.A. Fans receive a healthy dose of muscular lyricism on “Push Comes to Shove”, with guest MCs including J Dilla (rapping on and producing the lead single “Push”) and (…oh sh*t!) the one and only Diamond D, for that all-time heavyweight flavor.
Oh No
It was around the age of 11 when making beats won out over video games to become Oh No’s most obsessive pastime. Over the years, as the Cali-bred b-boy honed his skills of rhyming and producing, it became obvious that – like his brother Madlib (iconic hip-hop maestro), his father Otis Jackson (cult ’70s soul singer) and his uncle Jon Faddis (renowned jazz trumpeter) – Oh No would go on to pursue the family business of music.
Oh No debuted as a producer and MC in his own right with The Disrupt, his 2004 full-length on Stones Throw Records. With recent beat production on the albums of fellow Oxnard, CA-based MCs Wildchild, MED and new signee Roc ‘C’, Oh No has probably logged more beats on Stones Throw releases than anyone else besides Madlib. In recent years, Oh No has carved out a funky style related, but distinct, to that of his famed sibling, as magazines like XXL, The Source and URB have all attested. A landmark collaboration with jazz/funk legend David Matthews (arranger behind many of James Brown’s finest albums) at last year’s Red Bull Music Academy – where Mr. Matthews composed an orchestral piece based on a single Oh No beat – hinted at the scope of things to come from the young underground impresario…read more
