Kamaiyah's 'A Good Day In The Ghetto' Is That Perfect Summer Weather Slap

 

The Bay Area rap scene has been lacking for a decade-plus, let's be real. Indeed, hyphy had its relatively short stint in the Billboard spotlight. But once people started to get tired of running alongside their driverless cars, there wasn't anything to replace it.  Fortunately, artists like IAMSU! and his HBK gang; as well as the rise in internet popularity of Lil B and the continued relevance of legacy rappers like E-40 and Too $hort have made sure that the general public didn't forget about Northern California and it's, ahem, "unique" brand of hip-hop music.
   
    Unique in the best way possible. Since it's 1990's heyday, the major cities of the Bay Area have produced some of the most creative, diverse rap music available; as well as paving the way for how that music is distributed outside of major label influence (for the most part). And the most-productive city on the Bay Area map was and still is Oakland. Since the late-70's, when hip-hop music first started to trickle out of the South Bronx and across the nation, Oakland has been putting in work. It was a prime breeding ground for new musical talent due to several factors. There was a sudden influx of fast cash due to the burgeoning sales of narcotics, specifically heroin. East Oakland's Felix Mitchell and his M.O.B. Crew were pioneering that trade while a young Todd Shaw aka Too $hort observed it all. Then wrote it all down into rhymes, recorded some tracks, and sold the cassettes back to the very dealers that inspired his rhymes. Times changed, as did the drugs being sold and the way music was created - but the very hustle remains. Street-influenced raps over some super funky, bass-heavy rhythms and drum patterns.  

   And these days, nobody is doing that better than newcomer female rapper Kamaiyah. She's apart of what's simply being called "New Oakland". Cats like the already-mentioned IAMSU! and HBK Gang are apart of this generation. As is Nef the Pharaoh and (kinda) J.Stalin. Now, adding some much-needed female perspective to the mix is Kamaiyah with her debut mixtape 'A Good Day In The Ghetto'. And it's fucking awesome.

  Per the title, Kamaiyah's debut is basically a loosely-conceptualized mixtape about exactly that - having a damn good day in the ghetto. It's perfect summer weather music. Kamaiyah takes us through HER good day in the Oakland neighborhood she calls home...which means basically a lot of drinking, (no) smoking, and bragging and boasting while checkin' out the fellas. And most-times out-flossing those same dudes her own damn self. AGDITG is basically a 90's throwback of the highest caliber. It reminded me of listening to classics like In A Major Way, People's Instinctive Travels..., and Doggystyle, 100% (track #14, 'Freaky Freak' is practically a remake of 'Doggy Dog World'). That type of album you throw-on when your going to the summer cook-out, or maybe just cruisin' down Broadway in your drop-top on a sunny Sunday afternon. The 90's references are abundant. As is Bay-Area-centric slang and music. 'One Love', one of AGDITG's finishing and stand-out tracks, is obviously referring to the E-40 classic '1 Luv' (as is the track's production). Kamaiyah comfortably borrows an eeriely effective Cash Money flow from 9-8 on tracks such as 'Mo Money Mo Problems' and 'How Does It Feel'. On other joints like 'Come Back', Kamaiyah plays with 90's R&B instead.

It's impressive how she's able to move back-and-forth between styles so effortlessly. And more-so, how Kamaiyah is able to so effortlessly create a musical brand that harkens back to a more golden-era of rap music; yet sound updated and current at the same damn time. More than anything, 'AGDITG' is just damn FUN. Kamaiyah has brought back that hip-hop dance party-type joy and innocence from a bygone era, mixed with that Oakland grime subject matter that comes with living in the Town, gave it a funky-ass soundtrack, and updated it all for millennials everywhere. And I can't wait to see what she has in store next.