The Original West Coast Rydaz is back as WestCoastStyles.com. Covering all aspects of West Coast Culture through the eyes of the original West Coast Rydaz curators.
West Coast rapper Gonzoe was reportedly gunned down in Seattle yesterday and died from gunshot wounds earlier today. The 45 year old rapper first burst onto the scene as a member of the South Central Los Angeles group Kausion, put together by Ice Cube. Gonzoe then became an affiliate of the late 2Pac and also ran with Yukmouth’s Regime camp. The rapper was also recently in the spotlight as one of the undercard boxing bouts against Inglewood rapper Boskoe on the Jake Paul Triller PPV in April. That fight ended in a draw. WestCoastStyles.com would like to offer our prayers and condolences to Gonzoe’s surviving family.
EastSide K-Boy and Dave East connect on new visual “Crip Street”. EastSide K-Boy, has been consistent with the lyricism, and visuals. It’s a good look to see him connect with Dave East and expand his presence in Hip Hop. One of the most underrated WestCoast MC’s, K-Boy has stood the test of time and remained solid through it all. This time is well deserved. Check out the record, it’s official!
Ashanti Major takes Cali to Houston, in her new visual “Doin Me”. Which barrows the theme of the classic Ice Cube movie “Players Club”. Ashanti Major keeps it lit as only she can, adds some eye candy to the situation!
Blxst and Bino Rideaux have been consistent with the visuals from their collaboration album, “The Sixtape 2”. This new visual “Pop Out” was shot by Blu, and it takes viewers through LA in lambos. Check it out, it’s a vibe!
Tha Dogg Pound gangtas, Daz & Kurupt, are gearing up for their upcoming DPG4Life album release. Kurupt previewed a handful of tracks from the project in May, and the iconic duo also showcased the Fredwreck-produced “Bottom Bitch” record from the album.
In the latest update from Daz on his Instagram, the pair have released the video to “Nice And Slow” which features Snoop Dogg on the hook and Shon Lawon, and is directed by Jae Synth.
The upcoming album is set to feature Snoop Dogg, Kokane, October London, Eric Bellinger, Tenah, Shon Lawon, and Latoiya Williams. Production for the project is being handled by Daz, DJ Money, Poly Mono, Fredwreck, Carlos McSwain, Brody Brown, Soopafly, DJ 2High, Jake One, Kudolla, and Amplified.
Bay Area group Savage Life, recently dropped unreleased music. The track titled “Brand New” was initially set to be released in 2007, which is part of “The Collections” series Vol. 3, The whole project can be downloaded here, “Brand New” is a remake of the 1973 Stylistics hit song. “You Make Me Feel Brand New” Check it out!
J Stone dropped his new visual to the song “County Jail” from his latest album “Definition of Pain”. The All Money In rapper, never slowed down after the tragic loss of his close friend and emerging super star Nispey Hussle. J Stone’s ability to reel a listener in to his world and experience are what make him a stand out artist. This latest visual, takes you behind the walls of one of California most notorious jail centers, Men Central, and also in the prison system. The visual has a few cameos from other Los Angeles artists, Killa Twan, and Figg Newton. J Stone is definitely painting a clear picture, of what reality rap is and should be.
Bud’da, the multi-platinum, mid-90’s West Coast hip-hop architect, whose iconic production work on west coast classics proved pivotal for artists like Ice Cube, Xzibit, and Dr. Dre, just released the Chronic Drip beat tape.
The pioneering Pittsburgh native produced five tracks on Bow Down from Westside Connection, co-produced “Been There, Done That” with Dr. Dre, worked with Ice Cube on several albums including War & Peace Vol. 1 (The War Disc), War & Peace Vol. 2 (The Peace Disc), Laugh Now, Cry Later, and provided the sonic backdrops for countless other music artists like Aaliyah, Tank, Onyx, Snoop Dogg, Kausion, Shanice, King T and countless others.
Chronic Drip is Dr. Dre’s iconic The Chronic with a “refreshed” sound and influences of the now. Listen and re-listen to this beat tape to both reminisce and enjoy the days of nostalgia. The remix of The Chronic flow from the hard-hitting 808’s, to the smooth synths, with updated production.
Check out the Chronic Drip beat tape from Bud’da below:
“The Worlds Most Dangerous DJ” sat down with us to talk about his career and his start on tour with NWA and telling stories of the highs & the lows of the group. He talks about how his friendship with Easy E and how influential he really was to the group and everyone around him, the hype around the making of the “Straight Outta Compton” movie and his views on people trying to tarnish his name. Also his relationship with Ice Cube, Dr. Dre & other members of the group and what got him into hip hop and why he loves the craft so much. Speed also gives us some insight on a mix he is working on to keep Easy’s legacy alive. Check the interview out at the link below.
NPR’s Tiny Desk series has gotten some of the best names in the business to perform live backed by musicians. Long Beach’s Vince Staples is the latest to step up fresh off the heels of his self titled album.
I love it when East meets West and that’s exactly what we have here as Kool Rock Ski of the legendary Fat Boys hooks up with Kokane for this new song “Hush.”
Produced by Tha Chill and Rob T, “Hush” has that authentic hip-hop flavor with that classic West Coast vibe. More of this please!
Watts own Kam took to Twitter today to reveal a new song that he is dropping soon called “Legend In My Section” featuring DJ Battlecat, Kurupt and Tha Chill.
G Perico is keeping that West Coast gangsta rap alive and well as he continues to release projects in 2021 – the latest being “L.A. Summers” which dropped on midnight 7/23.
The 7 song album can be streamed on all digital platforms and you can view the tracklist below:
1) I’m In Traffic
2) Go Go Gadget
3) Out The House
4) L.A. Summers Interlude
5) On A Sunday
6) Racing
7) Today
It’s only fitting that the Godfather of Gangsta Rap hosts the Mob Movie-Con this weekend at Harrah’s in Atlantic City. Attendees will be able to meet the actors from epic mob movies such as Donnie Brasco, Scarface, Goodfellas and many more. You can visit @mobmovie_com on Twitter for tickets and more information. Meanwhile check out the OG Ice-T speaking about the convention”
Earlier today on his Twitter account, Problem revealed that he will be releasing a tribute to Kurupt by rocking over the classic track, “We Can Freak It”, produced by the great DJ Battlecat.
Kurupt and Problem have been collaborators over the years and it was Kurupt who was the first big name to work with Problem when he was coming up in the game. Check out Problem’s tweet:
T A K I N G A L L F A D E S
This one is for the city.
This one is for Kurupt.
This one is for the culture.
This Saturday (7/24), Ultimate Madness 4 returns to Caffeine live at 12 pm PT/3 pm ET for an entirely new season of rap battle face-offs. Kicking off with 16 of the best in the game, UM4 will feature the following MC match-ups and more (for the full list click here).
Kyd Slade vs. D.G. Da Paronta
Elijah Straight vs. NXT
Casino vs. Pirahna
Tru Foe vs. J2
Louder Than Life is produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, one of the largest independent producers of destination music festivals in America. Since debuting in 2014, Louder Than Life continues to develop and grow. In 2019, Louder Than Life welcomed more than 128,000 fans over three days, earning its spot as the largest rock festival in America. For 2021, festival organizers added a fourth day, with the festival kicking off on Thursday.
Cypress Hill has worked with several of rock’s biggest names including Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, Linkin Park, Daron Malakian of System of a Down, Pearl Jam, Sonic Youth and others.
During the 2019 festival, Ice Cube performed “Natural Born Killaz, ” “Hello”, “That New Funkadelic”, Bop Gun”, “Check Yo Self”, “West Up”, and “Why We Thugs”. “Straight Outta Compton” and “Gangsta, Gangsta”, and other heavy crowd pleasers like “No Vaseline”, “You Know How We Do it”, “You Can Do It”, “It Was A Good Day”, and “Gangsta Nation”, where Nate Dogg‘s hook had the outdoor crowd of 60,000-plus singing along.
The Louder Than Life festival will feature nearly 70 music acts over 4 days, with performances on three stages, along with award-winning bourbons, whiskey, spirits, craft beer, and the best foodLouisville has to offer.
This upcoming July 24th, West Coast and Hip-Hop legends Fredwreck and DJ Pooh will be supplying the sounds for the movie screening of Pulp Fiction at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Watching movies amongst the dead has become a popular thing and you can get your tickets at the Cinespia website.
Performing at The Hollywood Bowl is a dream for many artists in the business and on July 18th that dream came true for Compton’s own Problem. The infamous venue hosted Jazz great Kamasi Washington who is also no stranger to hip-hop as he brought along his friends and frequent collaborators Terrace Martin, DJ Battlecat, Problem, Thundeecat and Daylyt.
Check out the tweet and clip from Problem.
About last night….
I got to perform at the @HollywoodBowl with my day ones! I still don’t believe it.
Planet Asia is one of the premiere lyricists from the West Coast and has been for years. Hailing from Fresno, CA, Planet Asia began his rise on the scene in the late 90’s and was part of the Golden Age of West Coast indie hip-hop along the likes of Strong Arm Steady, Dilated Peoples, Self Scientific and other acts that focused on lyrical bars and creative hip-hop. In this new exclusive interview we caught up with Panet Asia and he gave us all of the good info on what he has been working on and more.
Hip Hop legend and innovator Biz Markie passed away today at 57 years old. Reported news of his health issues sprung online a couple weeks ago. At that time it was unclear of his actual health status and misleading reports from multiple sources reported his death prematurely.
Here at WestCoastStyles we honor our legends and our new and upcoming artist. To that fact, we wanted to give accurate and factual information, in this matter. Today is a day for remembrance of the late great, Biz Markie. The founding father of the beat box art form within Hip Hop. The classic song maker, some might recall, in 1988 singing “You, you got what I need, but you say he’s just a friend” THAT! was one of many of Biz Markie’s contributions to Hip Hop.
So it’s with a heavy heart, that we here at WestCoastStyles say Rest in the glory of the Heavenly Father! We will never forget your impact and legacy lended to the culture. Thank you! To his family many condolences!
Lastnight around midnight Drakeo The Ruler set the internet on fire, when he posted the title track to his latest mixtape “Aint That the Truth” on his instagram. The 17 track mixtape is the 4th, sense his November release from jail after accepting a plea deal which would set him free after years in jail. On this mixtape Drakeo The Ruler leans heavy into his unique style. “Aint That The Truth” has some features but not too many. Of course his brother Ralphy The Plug offers potent guest appearances. You will also hear Tory Lanez, EST Gee, Peezy, Shy Glizzy. Stand out tracks like “Black Buttons” really show Drakeo at his best.
Pomona icons and West Coast Hip Hop legends. Kokane and Cold 187um drop new visual “Hard n The Paint” Its always a joy when playas get together, and on this latest record from Kokane and Cold 187um, the chemistry is pure! The originators of G-Funk have not forgot how to make, not only classic music but music that you can ride to.
Blxst and Bino Rideaux dropped there collaberation project “Sixtape 2” at midnight last night. They premiered this new visual “One Of Them Ones” lastnight at 10:30PM PST. A dope surprise to the new visual is, it is being narrated by legendary mixtape Dj. Dj Drama, who is coming off of hosting Tyler The Creators latest tape. This collaboration between Blxst and Bino Rideaux is definitely going to carry out the summer in Los Angeles.
Long time collaborators, and West coast Hip Hop legends. Snoop Dogg and Kokane have always made great timeless music together. Kokane has sung hooks on and rapped on some of Snoop Dogg’s biggest records throughout his career. This latest effort “Talk That Shit To Me” one of the singles from Snopp Dogg’s latest album “From the Streets to the Suites” and was produced by Amplified. Show and proves that the OG’s still have a heavy pulse in the game.
Eazy-E, known as the Godfather of Gangsta Rap, is responsible for igniting a revolution in the world of popular music. His company and label, Ruthless Records, and his iconic and legendary group N.W.A, gave the world an entirely new kind of hip-hop and paved the way for much of what the genre is today. From the beginning, Eazy-E and N.W.A invited controversy and reveled at pushing every boundary. From explicit, often violent lyrics that denied them radio play to songs like “Straight Outta Compton”, and “Fuck the Police” which drew the ire of the FBI and filled their live shows with a palpable tension. N.W.A was dubbed “The World’s Most Dangerous Group” for a reason.
Now, WE TV will debut the ground-breaking, original investigative docuseries, The Mysterious Death of Eazy-E on Thursday, August 12th at 10pm. Featuring never-before-seen footage and interviews, the four hour-long installments will explore the extraordinary impact Eazy-E had on the music industry and his daughter, Ebie‘s quest for answers to the perplexing circumstances surrounding the 1995 death of the Gangsta rap icon.
Did Eazy-E truly die from AIDS? If so, how did he contract it? Are there people who wanted this pioneer and father dead? The investigative series uncovers these questions and more. The Mysterious Death of Eazy-E follows rap legend Eazy-E’s daughter, Ebie, on a personal journey to examine the unexplained circumstances surrounding her father’s death 26 years ago. Ebie teams up with her mother, Eazy’s ex, Tracy, as well as hip-hop journalist, Jasmine Simpkins, to seek the truth. Unravelling this intricate story through tracking down eyewitnesses to Eazy-E’s last days, revealing unseen footage and testing long-held theories around his untimely death. The investigation attempts to give the family, and his fans, clarity and the closure that they all crave…what really happened to Eazy-E?
Eazy-E built the most successful independent music startup of its time. But as the owner and most visible figure on the label, many became jealous of his success and he quickly attracted high profile enemies in the industry. Through the years, Eazy’s list of enemies grew to include The FBI, white supremacists, right wing terror groups and even rival distributers plotting secret takeovers have been alleged. And Eazy himself continued to invite controversy and criticism. He even took heat from his own community when he stood up for one of the police officers charged in the Rodney King beating. His controversial life have much to do with the questions surrounding his death. There were many with something to gain. If foul play was at all a factor, Eazy-E would make a logical candidate.
Check out the trailer below for The Mysterious Death of Eazy-E:
The Mysterious Death of Eazy-E is executive produced by Ebie, Tracy Jernagin, DJ Skee, Thao Dipolito, and John Halterman.
The Cudahy Heavy Hitter Annimeanz is back with a new freestyle over the “Ya Know” beat by Az Chike and Peyson. This is just something to get the fans ready for his next project “Oside Vibes” titled so because it was mostly recorded in Oceanside, CA. The new project features San Diego legend Mitchy Slick and HiphopKarma. No release date has been given yet.
DJ Yella of the World’s Most Dangerous Group, N.W.A., has just released his new auto-biography “Straight Outta Compton: My Untold Story.”
This is the first auto-biography nook to come out of the N.W.A. camp although a movie biopic was released in 2015 that was based on true events but had a lot of liberties taken by Hollywood screenwriters.
“Straight Outta Compton: My Untold Story” is out now on Amazon and limited signed copies are available at www.djyellaofnwa.com.
NOME XI may be behind us, but battle rap’s most epic lineup has actually yet to hit Caffeine. That’s changing this Saturday (7/17), with URL’s Super Fight live on Caffeine at 6p ET / 3p PT. In celebration of URL legend Smack’s birthday, the event will showcase some of the greatest match-ups to hit the channel thus far, with the likes of Rum Nitty, Hollow Da Don, Swamp and more battling it out.
Iconic west coast producer DJ Battlecat was a recent guest feature on The Gangster Chronicles podcast with MC Eiht, James McDonald, and Norm Steele.
During this incredible episode that took place on June 10th, DJ Battlecat talks about his role in the 1993 Dangerous Records release Bangin On Wax, producing his early classics, touches on his Rollin 60 Crip affiliation, and speaks on his 25 year working relationship with Dr. Dre.
Check out the The Gangster Chronicles podcast featuring DJ Battlecat below:
Vince Staples’ 5th studio album, pulls more contrast something the Long Beach rapper thrives in. There is no doubt that with this new self titled album, Vince has to be considered one of the top lyricist in the game right now. The album fully produced by Kenny Beats, is nothing short of a Long Beach, Ca soundtrack. A playlist of personal accounts and experiences, and cautionary tales through they eyes and mind of Vince Staples. Outside of the new visual “Law of Averages” The 10 track LP has a few stand out tracks, “Take me Home ” which Feat. Fousheé. The only feature on the album. Other standouts include “Sundown Town”, “The Shinning”, and “Taking Trips” and “MHM”, are equally good and make the album flow with consistency.
On July 9th in Hollywood, the stars turned out for the grand opening of the Wonderbrett cannabis store. The legendary West Coast cannabis brand is best known for its world renowned genetics and premuium cannabis.
The night was highlighted by the attendance of Snoop Dogg who is absolutely no stranger to weed. Other attendees included singer and producer Poo Bear, Compton’s own Problem, legendary music manager Steve Lobel, Bryson Tiller, and a slew of Tik Tok stars.
Those in attendance were treated to a dispensary tour and live performances by Poo Bear and Problem.
Wonderbrett’s highly anticipated public grand opening is Saturday July 10th.
One of the premiere new talents out of Los Angeles is singer/rapper Griff Tyler who has been making waves on the local scene. The gifted artist just released this new song abd video “Forehead Kisses” for the ladies, of which I am certain they will appreciate.
Ice Cube’s Big3 Basketball league is kicking off Season 4 this Saturday (July 10) at The Orleans arena in Las Vegas and West Coast legend DJ Quik will be the special guest performer.
On the success of his recent Battlefield series on Caffeine TV, pioneering street dance legend Tommy the Clown is debuting his next series this Sunday July 11. Tommy had this to say about the series and his partnership with Caffeine, “These last few months collaborating with Caffeine on our dance battles has been amazing, kind of like a “fresh air” experience. From the start, I’ve always said it’s important to give kids a chance to change from the negative type of lifestyle that often comes their way. Through Battlefield and other competitions from the T-squad, we’re giving kids a way to express themselves, showcase their talent around the world, and build out their whole being. I’m especially pumped about this next round of dual battles — The Dynamic Duo — because it encourages these dancers to learn how to work together to get to the top.”
It doesn’t get more West Coast than this! The Loc Glasses Malone just released this funky new heater called “Gangster Boogie” and he brought two legends with him in Game and Kurupt! Turn this one up!
Kurupt aka Young Gotti set it off almost one year ago on the launch day of this site as ur first feature and now the West Coast legend is back! In this exclusive interview with our own Styles (even though the Zoom name reads Shad Reed), Kurupt updates us about the upcoming DPG4Life album with him and Daz Dillinger. We aso have lots of updates to Kurupt’s own personal projects so be sure to check this out.
Hispanics are on the attack as L.A artist teams with Robbs from the 818 in the San Fernando Valley. We don’t get too many 818 artists so I’m excited about this one since that’s where I’m from. The two rappers pay homage to the late 2Pac as they rhyme over the “All Eyez On Me” beat. Others who are also paid tribute in the video include the late Kobe Bryant and Nipsey Hussle.
Drakeo the Ruler continues his rise on the West Coast and the hip-hop scene with this new song and video “GTA VI”. If you are not hip to this artist yet, you better wake up! Drakeo is going places.
IamBillyDee remains consistent with a new visual “Don’t Wake Me”. If you are into R&B and like creative vibes, with dope production, IamBillyDee is the one you want to check out.
Ice Cube was a guest on The Breakfast Club, on yesterday’s (July 6) episode and spoke with Charlamagne Tha God and Angela Yee about the status of the much-anticipated Mt. Westmore album.
Around the 18-minute mark of the conversation, Cube said, “We getting our ducks in a row. When we did Fight Club Triller, we had a lot of opportunities coming at us and we had to kind of sift through them and see what was the best route. I believe we figured it out so we getting cocked and loaded. We getting our visuals together because when we hit, we want to keep rolling.”
Cube also confirmed that his former N.W.A cohort Dr. Dre will be rapping on the album, but he’s unsure if he will be contributing any production for the supergroup of West Coast icons Cube, Snoop Dogg, E-40 and Too $hort.
“He rapped on it for sure. [Dre’s] definitely on the verse, but I’m not sure if he gave us any production,” the Don Mega stated.
Check out The Breakfast Club interview with Ice Cube below:
It’s time to learn who some of the new kids on the block in Los Angeles and to see who’s got next. Enter 1TakeOcho, an artist who has been killin’ it locally in Los Angeles and now he’s ready to spread his wings and venture outside of Southern Cali. 1TakeOcho has just released his new EP “Ocho III” and although it’s out on all major streaming platforms, we also have the Soundcloud stream for your convenience:
Prominent Los Angeles DJ, DJ R-Tistic, has just released the Summer 21 mix that mixes the hottest 40 songs of this summertime. This is definitely a must if you’re looking to keep things heated up musically as you cool down in the pool or party up on the dance floor. Our good friend DJ R-Tistic just finished DJ’ing at Diddy’s 4thof July party so he knows how to keep the music moving!
This mix is on Mix-Cloud so an account is needed to stream the the full mix but it’s an easy sign up.
The first single off of the OG Funk album is out now called “Every Week”. It features JAYWORTHY, KOKANE on the hook and Spanky Loco delivering that Cali coastline music with good vibes and relaxing rooftop views from Los Angeles to Seattle.
The song was produced by none other than LDN DRGS. Preorder the “Da OG Funk” album at http://SPANKYLOCO.NET
NEW MONSTER JAM ALERT 
chunky Snippet from our new Anthem 
ENJOY!!! 
THIS FOR YOU!!!
Bless UP
