Never Die

Let’s go ahead and acknowledge the glassy-eyed elephant in the room: John Cleese’s epicurean social circles notwithstanding, Humboldt County already has a far-reaching reputation, and it’s for one thing and one thing only: “[T]he best marijuana in the world,” said local rapper José Recendiz, aka KYZ-J. His groups Never Die and Lower Class Alcoholics frequently encounter this reputation on the road. “Everywhere we go, that’s what we get,” he said. “Either you haven’t heard of [Humboldt], or that’s what you’ve heard of.”It’s a double-edged sword. He and his crews don’t shy away from the topic (a Never Die track called “Sweet Sticky,” for example, proclaims, “I’m a stoner, kinda like my mother and my brother/I got a mic in one hand and a joint in the other”). But Recendiz said he gets tired of being pigeonholed. “As a musician you hope to get any kind of recognition you possibly can, but a true artist wants to be recognized for his art.”

He designed a T-shirt logo that he hopes can augment Humboldt’s prestige. The image, based on hip-hop legends Run DMC’s trademark logo, reads “REP HUM” in white block letters sandwiched between horizontal red stripes. He has other ideas, too. “The second round of shirts we’re doing will be fishing boats and logging trucks with ‘REP HUM’ in the clouds,” Recendiz said, “just going to opposite side, like maybe some kids locked up in a tree trying to save it. These are all things people not from here never see or hear about.”

Eureka, California is the city where I’m from
but if you ask me what I’m reppin’ then I’ll tell you The Hum.
— Never Die, Humboldt County hip-hop duo



- north coast journal

Dancehall Reggae Star, TURBULENCE and Underground Hip Hop Star, ABSTRACT RUDE set to Headline Mazzotti’s New Years Eve Party.
Also on the bill is Reggae local, Jah Tory, of Fortuna, who, if you remember, had a baby girl on New Years Eve last year. He was rushed off stage and to the hospital to help deliver his baby.
Never Die will also be performing. Never Die is a local, North Humboldt, hip hop duo, comprised of an artist named HIWAY, and J-KYZ. And coming all the way from San Diego is SWISHER STREETS, a San Diego-based hiphop band.

There will be many drink specials all night and the evening will be filled with music from different genres. There will also be an after party at the Creamery for the attendees of the show.

- north coast journal

More news about Humbold County representative by the name of Hiway. We've mentioned that he released two mixtapes on August 10th. The second one is the volume 4 of his "Wayhi" series that dropped under Beautiful Boi Records. This time you'll receive 15 full-length tracks with all of them being solos apart from one exception by an Oklahoma underground artist Big Slack. This mixtape also features a single "In My Life" that even got some radio play on KJNY 99.1. This mixtape is also available in digital format at CD Baby. Visit Hiway at his MySpace page. Peep the tracklist below: (hide tracklist)

01. Dedication
02. 44ouncez
03. 3Questions f. Big Slack
04. Class Of 08
05. Friendly Competition
06. Give It Up
07. Mr. Ceez
08. In My Life
09. Nice Guys Finish Last
10. Wuts Crackin
11. Wanna Be A Kid Again
12. On One
13. Reppin Real
14. S.T.P.
15. What Shouuld A Club Song Sound Like
- khamenei - bayundaground.com

Hiway is a Humboldt County representative and a member of a large group Thic Family. He has already released 2 mixtapes from his "Wayhi Certified" series. August 10th brought two more parts - volume 3 and 4. Mixtape vol. 3 subtitled "R.T.I." features a lot of 22 tracks with such underground artists as Kyzer J, Big Slack, Lady Twist, Shocase and Peter Parker. You can get a digital version for a good price at CD Baby - $7.99. Be also sure to visit Hiway at his MySpace page. Have a look at the tracklist below: (hide tracklist)

01. R.T.I. Intro (skit)
02. We Attack f. Kyzer J & Big Slack
03. U Know It
04. Ill Give It Back
05. Bic Napperz
06. 3 Weed Warriors f. Shocase & Peter Parker
07. Im Not Perfect
08. Tweeker (skit)
09. Tweeker Song
10. U Shouldnt Wear That (chix)
11. U Shouldnt Wear That (dudes)
12. R.T.I. Commercial (skit)
13. Skinny Kats
14. H To Tha Double
15. Preperation
16. Just Curious
17. Wordplay f. Kyzer J
18. Work It Out 2010
19. Closer
20. 80/20 f. Lady Twist
21. Robotic Bitch
22. R.T.I. Statement
- khamenei - bayundaground.com

I wrote about my first encounter with the Humboldt County, 707 area code rap scene not that long ago. That was in the review of Hiway's mixtape - a third part of the "Wayhi Certified" series that you can read over here. The hereby article is about the fourth installment that was released shortly after its predecessor. At the beginning let me also mention that this Eureka representative has again recorded a solo with a discouraging, low-budget graphic artwork and without a bar code, which limits the availability. Nevertheless the history repeats itself: you should never judge the book by its cover, because the "interior" of the currently reviewed album contains a surprisingly nice material.

The white rapper Hiway once again serves you a set of lyrics that are far from contemporary West Coast scene standards. You will in vain search for any gangsta, street related bragging, threats, flossing jewelry, fashion show, disrespecting women etc. Basically everything typical got turned upside down. The artist clearly says that he's not going to talk about the above mentioned subjects, because neither do they concern him nor does he find them attractive. Well, it's a matter of taste, nonetheless you can't deny that Hiway is indeed original and tries not to comply with the standards. Even the opening song "Dedication" firstly seems to be a simple listing of people and entities whom this material is dedicated to, yet in-between the lines you will find references to the surrounding reality, including social-economical situation. I'm glad that thought-provoking lyrics are not only present on hooks - typical for many other rappers - while verses themselves drift into random directions. For example "3 Questions" talks about three important information you need to take from a girl before anything happens - whether she's 18, clean and has a man. And, as I've already mentioned, you will hear various aspects of this theme throughout the whole joint. By the way, this particular track is the only one out of 15 that features any guest appearance. The remaining rest consists of thoroughbred, full-length solos performed by Hiway. Get ready for cuts about needless competition on the rap scene ("Friendly Competition"), taking care of women during sex ("Nice Guys Finish Last"), representing Eureka, dreams ("Wanna Be A Kid Again"), beloved dog ("Mr. Ceez") and even eating pussy ("S.T.P.") - didn't see that coming! Hiway came out really nice as a rapper. He can change a tempo, blend with various melodies and shows emotions with his high-pitched voice that kind of reminds me of Mistah F.A.B. What is more, he doesn't let down when you consider rhymes, as they are equally non-standard and polished, just as the lyrical layer. Have a look at the random quote:

Listen to me making club records
I've been collecting respect and I ain't breaking under pressure
If it came to that, I'd have a gun up in the dresser
And put myself out of the misery with little effort
God forbid
I just smoke lots of cigs
Smoke lots of pot, listen to Pac and Big

"Wayhi Certified" is supposedly a mixtape, because even producers names weren't mentioned, so all the beats were most probably taken from various sources. I personally didn't recognize a single one, thus had a feeling of listening to something entirely new. The artist selected untypical melodies, mainly reaching out for calm, laidback, instrumental vibes kept in slower or mild paces. On the other hand though you'll also receive a hardcore "44 Ouncez" filled with electric guitars. I really enjoyed this record - one of its important factors is a balanced, decent quality level. I feel a slight lack of motives bringing in more diversity, something that would keep you awake all the time. I especially mean hooks out of which - from what I remember - 100% were handled by Hiway himself. After 15 songs, where you hear the host for all the time, it might get a bit monotonous. I honestly think that an occasional additional vocal would do good, like a nice R&B from time to time. I wasn't satisfied with "What Should A Club Song Sound Like?", mainly due to partial, weak bass line. The already mentioned joint about a dog ("Mr. Ceez") seems to be too abstract and not that funny in the long run - I'm not fully into lyrics about a dog shitting on other people's front lawns. The hereby album is sometimes close to lyrical hiphop, in the same way Equipto, Mista Cane or Mistah F.A.B. (on "Son Of A Pimp") do. If you want to hear something more than street life, parties, going dumb and such standards, I recommend that you get familiar with the discography of this up-and-coming Eureka, Humboldt County representative.

You can buy the album at CD Baby, yet I also encourage you to visit the artist's MySpace profile.
Big Daddy Promotions, thank you for providing a copy for the review.
- khamenei - bayundaground.com

When the 707 area code is mentioned, people mainly think about Vallejo; sometimes about Fairfield or Vacaville, because a couple of artists have emerged from these cities recently. However rarely do I hear anything about Humboldt County. Probably due to the fact that not too many people represent this region. Among few you will find Hiway hailing from its largest town - Eureka. The currently reviewed mixtape is the rapper's third part of "Wayhi Certified" series and it was released shortly after two previous ones. This time it's subtitled "R.T.I.", which stands for "raping the industry".

Hiway has a point saying that rap - especially mainstream - is filled with cliches. If an artist is not going to follow the standards, he shouldn't expect major acclaim. This series tries not to comply with the rules, even break them, hence the title "rape" of the industry. The only thing to win the favor of a potential listener, who most probably hasn't heard of Hiway yet, are jacked beats. Some of them were taken off the Internet, while some are well-known, sampled, instrumental melodies. You should note that indeed instruments play an important part out here, because on most of the tracks you will receive distinct, not really typical for the West Coast sounds of piano, guitar etc. It sometimes even reminds me of hip-hop where samples are the order of the day; which is only emphasized by occasional scratches and Hiway's flow. I might be wrong, but this cat - at least judging by the voice - sounds as if he were white. I namely mean his high-pitched tone, often filled with emotions. The artist definitely brings a breath of fresh air when it comes to lyrics. First and foremost he spiked his verses with multi-storey rhymes, uses non-trivial vocabulary, ends bars with polysyllabic words, which sometimes is close to classic lyricism - once again not that popular on northern California's scene.

Thought-provoking lyrics and merit emanating from almost each and every song are definite advantages of this project. Predictable subjects are a small minority of the cd and include for instance an ode to smoking ("3 Weed Warrriors") and representing Humboldt County ("H To The Double"). What is more, get rather ready for a dose of personal confessions ("I'm Not Perfect"), joints about music industry ("I'll Give It Back"), dope fiends ("Tweeker Song") as well as good advices for the ones who don't know how to dress. What's interesting, this particular cut is available in two versions: one dedicated to women, the other one to men. Moreover, "80/20" tells you that if negative aspects of a person exceed 20%, then there's no reason to hang out with him/her. Truth is that rapper's lyrics sometimes tend to be funny, so also expect a dose of irony and farce. Hiway is definitely a skilled craftsman, as he smoothly follows both fast and slower-paced beats, blending with a rhythm at the same time. It's a pity though that a volume level has not been unified, as certain tracks are a bit more quiet than the rest. "Wayhi Certified Vol. 3" will be undoubtedly appreciated by the fans of intelligent, diversified rap, by the ones who have nothing against samples and hip-hop elements. If you are looking for songs about street gangsta stories or bragging about one's jewelry, then you came across a wrong project. I myself wasn't particularly pleased with the beat selection, as I'm more into traditional, hard or g-funk type of West Coast vibes. My favorites cuts include "Tweeker Song", "H To The Double", "Preparation" and "Closer", in contrary to those funny, sarcastic ones.

You can purchase the album at CD Baby, yet I also encourage you to visit Hiway's MySpace page.
Big Daddy Promotions, thank you for providing a copy for review purposes - khamenei - bayundaground.com