By Peyton S Owen
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| Courtesy - Acid Reign |
For music, 1993 is remembered as a time when Nirvana and
Alice in Chains were international grunge stars, creating a genre of their own.
It’s also around the time of the East Coast crews vs. West Coast crews deadly
rap war, most notably Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. However, hip-hop was emerging
as an underground favorite in L.A., with Project Blowed making a name name for
itself with two 13-year-old kids, Gajah and BeOND, making their mark and becoming a part of this
close knit group of MC’s. They were starting to define their existence as Acid Reign in the growing Los Angeles underground hip-hop scene.
“Back in the early 90’s when we were young and starting out,
the underground scene was very clickish, and all about your own crew. Everyone
had their own crew.” Gajah explained. “Project Blowed was a huge circle of many
different, competitive MC’s, but everyone was still very close, so when
outsiders came in you had to test them.”
Project Blowed was an event at which those tying to become part
of it, or are already part of the inner circle, would test their
skills of clever lyricism and creativity through rap battles. It was also a
place that many went to see what skills some of the aspiring hip-hop artists
really had. As young as Acid Reign was at the time they paid their dues to
bring notice to their born talent and whole hearted love for music. They were
earning the respect of their mentors and influences.
BeOND explained,
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| Courtesy - Acid Reign |
Gajah then stated, “As we got older we realized that everything we did
back then stood positive. It was a great way to start because it allowed us to
rap with more substance , and deepen our conscious beliefs.”
Paying dues and becoming acknowledged by people who had been
already been rapping for decades, was a massive feat of determination and hard
work from Acid Reign. They were so young, but had the right enthusiasm and
talent to be taken seriously. Instead of giving up they kept trying to learn as
much as they could from those who were older than. The observations and ears put them in the position to experiment with what
worked for them until a process was discovered, which worked for Acid Reign.
“We definitely put ourselves in the right place to see the
underground grow and be a part of that change.” Said BeOND. “Because there
weren’t many Hispanic rappers around, seeing us on stage was influential and
motivational to many aspiring artist’s of all races.. We opened the door and
gave people confidence to go do you and we showed people that through hard work
it doesn’t matter if you’re black, white, Hispanic, Asian or whatever , if you
got skills and heart, you will be recognized.”
As Acid Reign progressed as writers, finding their styles
and observing other artists to figure out what works and what doesn’t in all
aspects of the music industry, there was little attention paid to the
ridiculous antics going on with the West Coast vs. East Coast battle. These
guys had other things on their mind; making music and growing as a group. There
was a separation of crews that wouldn’t collaborate with each other, because
that’s what they were taught. It wasn’t anywhere near as extreme and hateful,
but there was a mentality that was hard to get over and cost Acid Reign some
major exposure.
“We were invited to many sessions, but because of that whole
mentality that you’re not part of my crew so you’re not as dope, we closed the
door on some people.” BeOND continued, “Nowadays if we’re asked to be on a
track or album by any respective artist or crew, we will gladly do it. It’s all
about the power of networking with people, and making moves, something we
didn’t realize back then.”
“We were young so we followed the example and learned from
the older cats. It was hard and there was some doubt and slander going on, but
over time we proved ourselves.” Gajah added.
A few years went by and MC, Olmeca became a member of the
Acid Reign in ‘98. Olmeca, Gajah, and BeOND put out their first
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| Courtesy - Acid Reign |
Ready Yet?,
released in 2003 was what to some, put Acid Reign on the hip-hop map. This
album showed each of their skills and dedication to music. They came together
like fire and smoke ready to light up and crew’s ass. Ready Yet? also helped them to continue paving their road to success as
independent hip-hop pioneers and members of the Project Blowed/West Coast’s top
players in the underground hip-hop world. It wasn’t something that fell into
their lap, but straight hard work, integrity, and determination unlocked many
doors for the L.A. natives.
Gajah’s quick and smooth flow is perfectly combined with his
metaphorical and witty lyricism making his rhymes define his style. He makes sure
you hear every word pouring out of his mind like it’s high tide. This
intertwines with BeOND’s captivating tone and what could be considered
‘to-the-point’ rhymes. His use of words gives you the impression that his hand
is a pen and his palm is a piece of paper always with him. They’re writers
whose goal is to keep laying out lyrics, much of which if not all of it, is
poetry. With practice they had refined their talents and become better writers,
falling into their own.
The two came together creating their unique style, lyrics
you want to laugh with, consciousness behind the music, which has made them some of
L.A.’s most influential underground hip-hop artists. However, each record they
decide to put out is a departure and attached to the process of moving forward
with their music. They still stay true to their style with no regrets. This can
be heard on their latest EP, Synergy.
Synergy is unlike
any of Acid Reign’s previous album since they constantly experiment with their
sound. For this EP they teamed up with French electronic DJ’s/Producers, Chrono Triggers,
to make the beats and help produce Acid Reign’s project Synergy.
Chrono Triggers’ influence on Synergy is most prevalent on the track “International” where you
hear rhymes in French, Spanish, Japanese and English in the form “gymnastic
linguistics.” The beat for this track also has a dance hall vibe to it, but not
to the point where it’s overbearing and taking over Acid Reign’s sound.
“The album was produced by Chrono Triggers from Paris,
France…we decided it would be a good idea to break out and do something
different” said BeOND, “And that’s what this album is, a departure from anything we’ve done in the
past. That’s what we like to do, throw 180’s and keep the music progressive.”
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| Courtesy - Acid Reign |
Since the creation of Acid Lab Records and studio, Acid
Reign has had more freedom to explore who they are as individual
musicians. According to both BeOND and Gajah it was a refreshing move on their
part because they now have the ability to experiment, get weird, and creative
with their music at will. Synergy is a prime
example of this and just how dynamic this group really is.
On Synergy, Acid Reign’s flow is still poetic and engaging,
but the beats and samples used are a sign of how their music can change at any moment. Chrono Triggers use their electronic background as a piece of the Synergy puzzle where Gaja and BeOND then use their smooth,
conscious rhymes to make this unique record stand alone.
Synergy is also
completely outside the generic hip-hop box, yet takes a shit on many of those
trying to escape hip-hop standards. It may not appeal to fans who just like one
album and can’t open their mind to their favorite band taking a risk. However,
if you can’t embrace originality music stays monotonous. We all pitty you…
The track off Acid Reign’s 2006 release, Time and Change called “You and Me” says it perfectly, “…We’re not like you…we’re not like you…”
Acid Reign may have started yet another revolution in music
with Synergy. They stay true to their
hip-hop upbringing, but twist it into a genre of its own. It’s along the lines
of underground “static hip-hop” or “synergetic hip-hop.” Listen to the album
and decide for yourself, but seeing this incredible dynamic and bond that makes
Acid Reign’s music so amazing, can only be seen and truly felt by going to one of their live shows.
Project Blowed is still alive and going, with some of the
older guys like Aceyalone, coming together every so often to create a compilation album on Project Blowed Recordings or just get together with different
artists to lay down a track. Their experiences throughout their career have
given Gajah, BeOND, and Olmeca the tools to inspire others and keep pushing their
music along.
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| Courtesy - Acid Reign |
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