41Fivin And 5th Wardin

"The reason I formed 213 with Warren G and Nate Dogg is because Richie Rich had a group called 415. I was lovin' his style and voice which I incorporated into my style when I first started rapping."
- Snoop Doggy Dogg

415 - Groupie Ass Bitch
415 - SideShow

In the late 80's a few dudes from Oakland came together to form 415. Those dudes were D-Loc, DJ Darryl, JED, and Richie Rich. In 1990 they released a 12" on Big League Records that was titled 41Fivin. The record got fools checking Richie Rich and he released his first solo album, Don't Do It. There was some talk about 415 going to sign with Priority but unfortunatly Richie Rich got busted for coke so that pretty much fucked all that shit up. After that 415 pretty much dissappeard. When Richie Rich got out he would hook up most of the bay area artists like the luniz, Tupac, B-legit, E-A-Ski, MC Breed, and the RBL Posse. Richie Rich went on to have a fairly successful solo career. In 1995 he got signed to Def Jam. He never really blew up nationally but as far as people who were checking for bay area shit (anyone affiliated with Too Short) he was definetly known.

you can buy Big League Records Greatest Hits cd here



5th Ward Boys - Underground G's

5th Ward Boys were the next act signed to Rap-A-Lot after the Geto Boys. They consisted of 007, E-Rock and Lo-Life. In 91 they released Ghetto Dope, an album that no one really gave a fuck about because everyone was paying attention to the Geto Boys. In 1992 they followed that release up with Gangsta Fuck EP. I remember around that time hearing people talk about them a little more but the general perception was that they were just some lowbudget Geto Boys. It wasn't until 1993 when I heard them on the Geto Boy's album Til Death Do Us Part. The last track on the album is the posse cut, Bring It On, which happens to be one of the greatest posse cuts ever fucking made. It was at that point that I thought it might be a wise maneuver to actually listen to them. In 1995 they released Rated G, which was their most successful joint pretty much because it relied on banking off g-funk. But yeah that 1992 joint had the 5th Ward Boys best song ever, Underground G's. The rapping is about the same speed and style as what they did on Bring It On, which is what I like to hear from these dudes. That aggressive cipher shit when you're just mobbin with a crew of dudes yelling "buck buck" ready to beat down the cameramen for the videoshoot. The beat is has just a touch of a piano with this whiney synth that brings that dark early 90's get hype feel to the beat.

5th ward cds here