Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Part of the Lost and Found Generation putting Santa Cruz on the map as an up-and-coming hip-hop community, Coley Cole might just be the region’s enigmatic ingénue. Lacing philosophical lyrics over flawless tracks, Goldplated Straightjackets is an unexpected surprise coming way out of left field, but will be sure to delight hip-hop heads of all kinds. Cole produced all but two tracks on the LP, showing off his immaculate production skills and uncanny ability to create consistently commanding verses and beats. His choice of featured artists, ranging from Aesop of Living Legends to Grayskul, doesn’t serve as a gimmick or distraction, but builds around the LP’s solid core. The music is hard-hitting yet intricate, especially on the first single, “Goldplated Hustla.” Cole builds on an already solid beat by incorporating scratching, ambient sounds, and a little funk, creating a pastiche of all things that make hip-hop great. He also speaks his truth; there’s no sense of any studio gangsta-ism trying to appeal to the rap stereotypes that have become the cash cow of the industry. “I don’t hustle with guns and keys / I hustle with drums and beats” is the anthem on “Goldplated Hustla.” “The Eternal Curse” echoes the harrowing ills of our society, evoking emotion as the rapper navigates through the song. Cole switches brilliantly between lyrical styles, drumming up a fast Twista-like energy, and then slowing it down to emphasize his point. Basically the record is stellar, which is a rare occurrence in this world inundated with bad, poorly produced music by both well-known and unknown artists. Goldplated Straightjackets is definitely a dark horse in the running for best breakout album in 2005. It spits out raw talent like a wood-chipper, and any rap fan who knows what’s up will be awestruck for all 17 tracks. (Grad School Music) - Performer Magazine
A name like Coley Cole just wasn’t begging for a listen. But I did anyway, cause who knows? It may be dope despite the goofy name. And it is dope. The beats are solid all the way through and Coley Cole possesses a jaw-dropping double, triple, quadruple-time delivery. He also uses a grip of dope movies samples, so he wins again. My biggest point of criticism would be that his impressive delivery doesn’t always flow with the beat (ie. Tonedeff). Definitely worth checking for though… - HipHopDX.com
Based in Santa Cruz California, a new breed of Hip Hop is slowly emerging in the form of the emcees slash producers like Coley Cole. The youngest member of the SC crew Lost and Found Generation, Coley brings an inventive collection of beats and lyrics, that hands down will make anyone in the game today have to get back to the lab fast. His solo debut entitled "Goldplated Straightjackets" takes you into the mind of a young cat that understands the relationship between Hip Hop and the world around us. The gritty atmosphere of "Goldplated", meshes Coley's savage rapid-fire lyricism with a extremely diverse range of beats, produced by both Coley, and his Central Valley colleagues. Tracks like "Sequoia Slump" produced by DJ Hecktik give the rest of us a feel of what it's like to stomp thru the left coast. The droning organs and the marching beat are matched only by the raw cadence of Coley's flow. The title track "Goldplated Straightjackets" means simply that. Take anything that gets in your way, and make the best out of what your given. Turn the negative into a positive outlet, it'll help you get through rough times. Produced by Mr. Hill, "Straightjackets" serves as one of the main highlights of the album. Some of Coley's crew from LFG get in the mix of things on the Coley produced "The Eternal Curse (Money)". Concept and Avie help Coley explain the root cause of evil in the world. On "Goldplated Hustla'", Cole shows that he can stand up to any emcee lyrically, while his beat shows his ability to create any style of canvas. "Pirate Broadcast" features emcee Sole Profit, and while he and Coley bless the track with ill vocals, the star is definitely F-Plus with his razor sharp cuts shredding through the brass filled beat. The album also features appearances by The Living Legend's Aesop, Bishop I and Sleep (Oldominion), Onry Ozzborn (GraySkul), and the rest of the LFG collective. Coley Cole brings to the table, an album that speaks to many different people, in many different ways. "Goldplated Straightjackets" is one of the illest releases of 2005, on any front. It's an album that could permanently connect underground Hip Hop with the rest of the masses. Only time will tell how long it take Coley Cole to conquer to rest of the world with his infectious goldplated sound. - HeavyContact.com
Emerging fresh from the seemingly undiscovered and underrepresented sounds of the Central Cali/Santa Cruz hip-hop scene comes this power-hitting voice preparing to unload new ammunition onto the underground. Armed and dangerous with his solo debut album, Coley Cole delivers rhymes that are creative and distinctly dark, ignited by psycho-styled intros and stuttering wordplays that imaginatively depict his battles of ongoing determination to remain original and over-waited patience for recognition. True, at times his fast-paced lyricisms make it hard to decipher what the hell he's saying, but the bass-intense beats combine with a few killer buts by DJ Hecktik to produce head-nodding hits that no doubt keep the listener steadily interested and in-tune. Tracks worth checking include "Awesome," with its sped-up vocals, catchy rhythms and raw rap techniques, and "A Stroll in Santa Carla," an inventive beat-bangin track featuring Onry Ozzborn of Grayskul and Sleep. - URB Magazine
Ill wordplay from this member of Santa Cruz's Lost & Found Generation crew. Hip-Hop from Santa Cruz? Oh yes, kids. Check "Goldplated Hustla'" or "A Stroll in Santa Carla" featuring Onry Ozzborn and Sleep from Oldominion - XLR8R Magazine
Discography
Lost & Found Generation - Pacific Avenue LP (2003)
**Coley Cole is a primary member of the hip hop group Lost & Found Generation.
Coley Cole - Goldplated Hustla 12" b/w The Eternal Curse (2004)
**Lead single from Goldplated Straitjackets album that peaked in March 2005 on charts for Rap Network (#12), Rap Attack (#13), and Insomniac Magazine (#20).
Coley Cole - Goldplated Straitjackets LP (2005)
**4 Stars in URB Magazine. Features guest appearances by Grayskul, Aesop (Living Legends), Sleep, Oldominion, Lost & Found Generation, Diego Redd, and more.
Coley Cole - It's a Hustle Mixtape (2006)
**features new Coley Cole solo songs, plus Coley Cole produced tracks with Zion I, O.C. (DITC), Grayskul, Oldominion, and many more
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Goldplated Straightjackets is definitely a dark horse in the running for best breakout album in 2005. Performer Magazine (April 2005)
Coming out as one of the leading artists from the burgeoning Santa Cruz, CA hip-hop scene, Lost & Found Generation member Coley Cole is primed take the next step to national prominence. His solo debut album, Goldplated Straitjackets, and subsequent collaborations with Seattle group Grayskul, established him as one of the most innovative, unique and intriguing voices in contemporary underground hip-hop. Blending the elusive wordplay of Aesop Rock, the psychotic creativity of Kool Keith, with a powerful production style deeply rooted in the West Coast, Coley Cole sounds like nothing youve ever heard.
A native of Visalia, California, Coley cut his teeth in local battles, culminating in his being crowned champion of the prestigious Streetrock battle in 2001. 2001 was the same year that Coley joined the Santa Cruz based collective, Lost & Found Generation. The crew released their debut album the following year to critical praise, but label problems left it under-funded and under-promoted. Nevertheless, the crew was able to use that album as a foot-in-the-door, performing with the likes of Mos Def, Talib Kweli, KRS-One, Dead Prez, De La Soul, and Twista.
Through his affiliation with LFG and extensive performing experience, Coley built relationships with many of the more prominent indie artists on the West Coast. Members of Living Legends, Grayskul, and Oldominion chime in with guest spots on Goldplated Straitjackets, an album that URB magazine gave four stars. Following up the success of his solo debut, Coley Cole produced two limited-edition albums for Grayskul, which were made exclusively for sale on tourdates. In late 2005, he joined Sleep of Oldominion on approximately 10 dates as part of the Knowmore.org Tour with Sage Francis and Sole. In January 2006, he joined Grayskul on the road for almost 40 dates across the country. For his first national tour, Coley introduced Its A Hustle Vol. 1, a mixtape consisting of brand-new solo tracks, and over 20 Coley Cole-produced songs that feature artists such as Zion I, O.C. (DITC), Grayskul, and Lost & Found Generation.
While it would have been easy to latch onto the existing scenes in Los Angeles and the Bay Area, Coley Cole is determined to bring national attention to his home, Central California. There is a lot of talent waiting to be heard out here, he says, Whenever something is supposed go down in Central Cali, there ends up being problems
police shut it down, the shows get cancelled. Thats why a lot of the talent just ends up in LA or the Bay. But Central Cali is my home. Surrounded by artists who are on the verge of stardom, and armed with both lyrical and beatmaking ability that sounds like nothing else in the marketplace, Coley Cole is poised to deliver on his promise.
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