Strong Arm Steady

Cali underground rhyme-slingers Strong Arm Steady (S.A.S.) team up with long-time friend and West Coast beat maestro Madlib on this innovative full-length that couples the crew's hard-edged raps with Madlib's incomparable, smoked-out, Cali nu-soul. Krondon, Phil Da Agony and Mitchy Slick utilize their rap Rolodex, calling upon everyone from Evidence and Roc C to the CEO of their Blacksmith label (Talib Kweli) to help them bless the Cali funk that Mr. Otis Jackson serves up. On "Chittlins and Pepsi," the boys wax poetic about women, good food and exercise over a blissful backdrop that borrows a Donuts-era Dilla sample. On the skuzzy garage rock clatter of "Bark Like A Dog," guests Phats Bossalini and Montage One take turns with S.A.S., name-checking their favourite rappers, which include greats like Rakim and Eminem. With the momentum they have built up with this solid effort, and follow-up Arms and Hammers set to drop later this summer, Strong Arm Steady are solidifying their spot in the emergence of the New West Coast scene.