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  • » Name: Brillyance
  • » Age: 25
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The Reality From out West

West Coast Future Fridays Returns with...Substance Abuse


September 28, 2007 | Tags: Hip Hop, West Coast, Substance Abuse

             Hip hop is ever changing. The true reason why the south took over hip hop is because mainstream hip hop fans got tired of the same shit. New York isn’t coming back because people are tired of dudes with the broccoli Timbs in pissy stairways pushing crack to cop the new Benz. The West is remaining dormant because people are tired of dudes with khaki’s and chucks hitting switches in the “lo lo” that are quick to slap a hoe. People want new shit. While a few artist have been able to do numbers using their regions tried and true formula, overall, it doesn’t really work. The south has constantly changed its’ “Hip Hop Capitol City” and mainstream representation during its reign over the rap game. It’s not that different types of acts don’t exist in the West and east, it’s just that the mainstream audience doesn’t want to take the time to search for them. If El-P isn’t force fed to the mainstream, they assume every rapper from NY is pushin’ packs and collecting stacks. If Dilated Peoples don’t get production from the extremely “talented” (more like extremely hyped up) Dr. Dre, the mainstream audience will never be able to tell the difference between Evidence and Tony Touch. (Or at least Scarface won’t)That’s why I do “West Coast Future Fridays”. I plan to represent the overlooked cat’s repping my region. I don’t intend to push an artist or group from “underground status” to triple platinum (while I wish I could, my influence is NOWHERE near that large), but if I get to find new fresh shit to bump, expose the people who show me love and read my shit to dope west coast music, and help push some real artists who really love this hip hop shit like I do to new people, I feel I’ve earned my spot here at HipHopDx 100 times over.  So here it is…the return of West Coast Future Fridays…like only Brillyance can do it.



            They say don’t judge a book by its cover, but I have to admit, the name Substance Abuse is the whole reason I decided to give these two dudes from the land of Lost Angels a listen. The name speaks for itself. The Duo of Eso Tre and Subz team up to form Substance Abuse, which sounds a lot like the next west coast….Substance Abuse. These dudes definitely have their own sound. My intro to the duo was a track titled “Withdrawals pt. 2”, a track that seemed short, yet lasted long enough to let me know I was in the right place.  From there I checked two other tracks, “Fake Contacts” and ”Profitless Thoughts”, both with dope vintage hip hop type beats, but very modern lyricism (the latter of the two tracks features MF Doom). My favorite of all the tracks on their MySpace was “Collateral Damage”. On “Collateral Damage”, Subz and Eso question if the terrorist are really out there or here running our government.  These tracks can all be found on their MySpace Page, and along with other fresh tracks on their album, “Overproof”, which is out now. I’m not gonna hang too much on stuff you can hear for yourself, I figured this time around, I should give you some words from the artist themselves. So I hollered at Subz and Eso and asked them some questions about their music, hip hop, the west, and other things.






1. Can I get a Brief History of Substance Abuse?
Eso: Two homies since elementary school from the Westside of L.A. that started exercising our vocal talents through the art of freestyling, which eventually evolved into us making songs.  We put out an underground tape in '98 called Brand New Crime with a dope group called mic.edu, and just recently released our first full length, "Overproof".



2. Some people may say your music doesn't have a "west coast" feel, how would you reply to that?
Eso: I think a lot of that is rooted in stereotypes about the west not being a haven for lyrical types.  We were influenced by a lot of West Coast and East Coast shit, and I think that shines through in our music.
Subz: I was raised in Los Angeles and love that.  To be honest I love Cali in general.  I can see why so many people come out here, I love a lot of other places on this earth too. We make what we make. Either you feel it or you don't.

3.Most people actually spitting lyrics have a hard time getting on out in the west coast, what are you guys goals as actual west coast lyricists?



Subz: I think our music encompasses the world.  So yes we want to help put our Cali roots on the map but there is an audience for us all over the US and abroad and we want everyone to listen because we have some things to say.
Eso: Personally, I would like shit to go back to just being identified as dope hip-hop, not "underground hip hop" or "independent hip hop" or whatever.

4. Why aren't you guys really feeling the whole "backpack" label thrown on rappers?
Eso: The only time I ever approved of that label being used was when Too Short said it in that song "Paystyles" (ha ha).  I really never heard the term until the late 90's, as it seemed to be a favorite among new booties who were trying to define themselves as not being down with a certain type of hip-hop.  Yet if you use the criteria they use, you end up calling some of the greatest hip-hop ever made "backpack", which is straight up ignorant.
Subz: I thought that was like 10 years ago. I didn't even know it was still an issue
 
 5. Who are some of you guys favorite west coast emcees of all time?
Eso: Compton's Most Wanted, N.W.A., Too Short, E-40, Freestyle Fellowship, Hieroglyphics, Hobo Junction, Ras Kass, Alkaholiks...
Subz: MC Eiht, Freestyle Fellowship, Ice-T, Hiero, E-40, Cube, Saafir, Eazy.



6. What if anything, do you like about the west that you feel you can't get, or don't get anywhere else?"
Eso: West Coast hip hop has a special vibe to it, because there are so many different influences that shape it. If you are from L.A. you know what a crazy place this city is, how there are people from all different backgrounds and walks of life interacting with each other. I think West Coast lyricists convey the complexity of what it means to be a person residing out here, how you aren't just one thing, but many things.
Subz: The two obvious reasons are the best ones to me. Can't beat the weather, and it's fresh to be close to the ocean. That creates that cool, unmistakable west coast vibe.

7. What do you guys love most about hip hop?
Eso: I like that fact that it gives me a platform to express my feelings on things, and how I feel about my place in the world.
Subz: It's my generation, it’s me. It's a legacy.  Music evolves and transforms but never loses its roots.  We want to leave our mark as lovers and connoisseurs of our generation’s music.

8. What’s normally the first thing you think about when writing rhymes?
Subz: It depends, I try to come up with something that is fresh and will grab your attention, and then I try to outdo that throughout the song
Eso: Usually the first line is the hardest, but I just get an idea and run with it. More often than not it's inspired by something someone says or something I hear on TV. Then my subconscious just kind of works shit out.

9.  What's your favorite place to perform at?
Eso: I like The Mezzanine in SF a lot.  
Subz: Knitting Factory LA, Mezzanine SF.
.

10. Favorite spot (to eat, to chill, whatever) out here in Los Angeles?
Eso: Don Antonio' s on Pico is a bomb spot for Mexican food.
Subz: C.J.'s diner (eat), beach (chill), Amoeba (whatever).

11. A lot of West Coast artists feel west coast lyricists don't get the respect they deserve...why do you think that is?
Subz: If you mean respect by moving units, then I don't know… could it be lack major label support, the dollars to properly promote and push your project and get them crucial radio spins?  You hear garbage enough times you'll at least know the hook.
Eso: I think there is a sort of geographic prejudice, an idea that cats out here (if they aren't rapping about gangster shit) are doing some way out left field stuff that is compromising what some people see as "real hip-hop".

12. Why is Cali the worst place for an atheist to get lost? (A line spit on “Withdrawals pt.2”)
Eso: I'll leave that one to Subz.
Subz: There are so many people out here who'll smile in your face and tell you whatever to get over and try to influence you that you must hold some sort of divinity regardless of a faith to see clearly.

13. You guys have a song called "Withdrawals pt.2" which is hella dope, is pt.1 on Overproof? If not, where is it, and what made you guys come with a pt.2?
Eso: The first version is on the "What the Fuck You Rhymin' For" 12" we put out back in 2000.  We felt we needed a more updated version, so there you go.

14. How did you guys get the MF Doom feature on “Profitless Thoughts”?
Eso: The song we did with him was originally supposed to be for a compilation put out by a label we were fuckin' with at the time, but they folded and we were left with the track.  Say la vi.

15. Anything you guys wanna say about your album "Overproof"?
Subz: We're happy with it.
Eso: Classic, don't sleep.

And now for some non hip hop/west coast questions….




16. Who's the best looking female in the entertainment industry?
Eso:   I have a thing for Famke Jennsen, the girl who plays Jean Grey in the X-men movies.
Subz: It's a toss up, I can’t decide between...

17. What are you guys favorite sports teams and why?
Subz: Lakers, Ivory Coast National soccer team.  They both have tremendous athletes who changed the game.  I like the freedom and interpretation of plays those games allow to be made within a time frame.
Eso: My Pops was a Yankee fan (He was born in the BX), and he raised me to be one. I was a Yankee fan back when they weren't that good and I still root for them even though I couldn't tell you who's on their roster
18. What are you guys favorite Video games? 
Subz: NBA Live, FIFA, Madden, Tiger Woods, Galaga, Street Fighter, Tekken, old school Shinobi from the Sega Master System.
Eso: New video games intimidate me, give me some Street Fighter 2 and I'm good



 



Substance Abuse’s Album “Overproof” is out now, so go get that. Here’s a video for a track off the album, “Night on the Town” featuring Kool Keith.







Here’s Eso kicking his verse of a track entitled “Broken” (Not on the album) acappella so you can focus on the type of lyrics these dudes bring to the table.







 



I know I didn’t do this much for the artists I covered already, so I’m gonna get back to covering them again. In the meantime, be on the lookout for Substance Abuse’s “Overproof” out now, Somobe’s “The Great Communication” out now, and Bambu of Native Guns has “I Scream Bars for the Children” out now. I’m gonna see what Kiwi has in the works, and “West Coast Future Fridays” will return in two weeks, cuz I’m doing it bi-weekly. (If you’re gonna do something, take the time to do it right)…in the meantime…love, peace, and nappiness, I’m out.



 



 


The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HipHopDX.com or Cheri Media Group.

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