Prototype Issue
Turf Talk Fuses LA and The Bay
By DJ Trasha
(page 1 of 2)Turf reps a whole new breed of West Coast rappers, who not only give props to the birthplace of hyphy—the Bay Area—but to California and the West Coast as a whole.
It’s been a long time coming, but Yay Area hip-hop, better known as the hyphy movement, is finally getting the worldwide respect and recognition it deserves. One of the hyphiest tracks banging in clubs around the world right now is Turf Talk’s “Supa Sick Wid It” featuring E-40 (aka Charlie Hustle or Fonzarelli), the godfather of hyphy. And it’s Turf who officially branded the term “L-Yay,” which means LA to the Bay. His latest album, West Coast Vaccine, out on his own Sick Wid It Records, features a host of Bay Area talent, including E-40, Yukmouth, Phenol and Killa Keise. Party people get yo’ W’s up in the 213, 323, 626, 562 and 818 and make some noise! Turf Talk’s in the building! New West Coast stand up! —DJ Trasha
Yeah man, Turf Talk in the building. Wuddup? How you doing, man?
So let’s talk about the new album. West Coast Vaccine, you know what I mean, that’s the name. It’s the cure; just dropped in April. It’s waking people up to the new West Coast—a rebirth of gangster rap coming at you. I’m bringing back that old-school feeling of how it was back in those NWA days, back in the Death Row days, Ruthless Records days. We’re just bringing that real California West Coast feeling back to the game.
West Coast certainly needs that. Yes, please believe it.
Your single “Supa Sick Wid It” is blowing up the club right now. Yeah, that’s my dude F.A.B. That’s a single we put together—me, E-40 and Mistah F.A.B. I got a new single called “Can You Feel It” produced by Rik Rok with E-40 coming out. And I have another song on the radio called “The Groupie Song,” ’cause out here in the Bay Area, I have a big fan base. I had to give my ladies a shout.
Yezzur, always for the ladies. Who did the beat on “Supa Sick Wid It”? That was Droopy, E-40’s son. He hot. Super hot. He got five joints with me on the album.
Let’s get back to the album. What producers and guest artists you got on there? I got Rik Rok producing most of the album and a couple of joints by Droopy. He’s on fire. New-millennium mob music is what we call it. I got a lot of slaps on there: Freeway from Philly, Yukmouth, OG Short Dog, my gangsta partner Phenol. I got Killa Keise from Frisco, E-40, B-Legit and a lot of Turf Talk. You really get to see the versatility of Turf Talk on this album. Most people are used to hearing me with a character style in my voice, but on this album I changed it up to show people I can really rap.
Let’s talk about the hyphy movement finally getting the worldwide respect and recognition it deserves. It’s a big thing that we need to keep supporting out here on the West Coast,’cause they checking for us right now. It ain’t just about dancing. It’s about how we get down out here in the Bay. Everything we do is hyphy. I’m hyphy talking to you right now. It’s big. Hyphy’s big. Turf Talk was here before hyphy and I’m gonna be here after the hyphy. You gonna hear a lot from me.
Bay Area’s running West Coast hip-hop right now. Well, I wouldn’t say that, but it’s playing a major role. I’m a California boy. I claim L-Yay ’cause I’ve stayed in LA and now I stay in The Bay. I was born in the Bay so I claim both sides. You got Snoop Dogg holding it down for the West and The Game’s bringing it back. Now it’s time for Turf Talk to come in the middle and play my role; bring the new West Coast, a new breed.
I know hyphy is a buzzword all over the south right now. How do other parts of the States feel about the hyphy movement? Well, you know, each place I’ve been, I get mixed feelings. A lot of people think we on some dancing and clown music, clowning around joking. That’s why I’m glad I got the fan base I got, so I can show people another level of the hyphy movement. It ain’t all about fun and cheerful shit, we gangstas out here. I don’t rap about ghost-ridin’ the whip, hanging out of the car going dumb. I rap about what I went through in the ’hood. That’s Turfy. I think certain people got a view of the hyphy based on a couple people who they’ve seen bring it to them. So now they gonna see Turf bring them another side.
So people outside of the West Coast just see E-40? Yeah, 40, Keak Da Sneak, Mistah F.A.B. and The Pack. 40 is all street, he’s OG. He’s got his fan base, he’s been there.
I gotta say, coming from London and living on the West Coast now for ten years, I believe E-40 is one of the most underrated rappers in the game. Yeah, he is. It’s been like that.
I’m just glad that E-40 and cats like you are getting the light. So who else are you feeling in the game right now? I’m feeling my crew for the simple reason that I’m trying to pattern my career after Ice Cube. When everybody was on the Tupac hype, Ice Cube stayed true to himself. I like Ya Boy, Yukmouth, of course, Killer Keise out of Frisco, Tha Jacka, my boy Phenol, there’s a whole lot of talent out here in the Bay. They just need to focus on coming to the stage. A lot of times people don’t really see where the hyphy movement started or where the music is really coming from.
"I’m a California boy. I claim L-Yay ’cause I’ve stayed in LA and now I stay in The Bay. "
And where’s that? The hyphy movement started in Oakland with cats like Mac Dre. It’s just how they live and it spread out from there. No one can say they really invented hyphy; a lot of cats played a role. We got artists bringing different parts of the hyphy. You got The Team making hyphy juice songs for the ladies, hip-hop artists like Locksmith, Left and me, bringing a cross over into the main. So each city in the Bay played their part in the hyphy movement. Just so happened that everyone went dumb at the same time.
How much of a role did other Bay Area rappers, like JT Tha Bigga Figga, Cellski, Dre Dog and Master P, have in laying down the foundation for hyphy? They laid down the path for us to follow, they put out the blueprint for us to manipulate and find new ways of doing it. They did it that way, we doing it this way. I respect all OGs in the game; all the people who came before me, I learn from.
Mixtapes were a big part of that too. Yeah, man, people gotta know, when we go out we demand a certain level of respect. We stars out here in the Bay. We got our own luxury cars, homes. It’s hard for a major label to come sign us because we already out there eating independently. So they gotta come with some serious bread. We independent hustlas.
Planning on putting out any mixtapes? I just recently hooked up with DJ Warrior.
Hah! Cali Untouchable DJs? Yep.
I used to be the Dancehall DJ in that squad, but I quit ’cause Warrior didn’t do nothing for me. Ooh, I ain’t getting into the politics of that situation.
It’s cool, we cool, no big thing. So the Turf Talk mixtape coming out with Warrior? That’s a good look. Yeah, mixtape with him and then I got one coming out with DJ ERoc. He’s with Whoo Kid and ShadyVille on Sirius Radio. Maybe one with my DJ Rah2K from San Jose, he got hella mixtapes out right now. I never did mixtapes. I just came up with my albums, so it’s new for me. I’m putting the West Coast Vaccine album out chopped and screwed too. Trying to hit everyone everywhere, south, east, worldwide. Actually, I gotta redo the mixtape ’cause DJ Drama just got by the feds. They took him away; he got busted in the A-T-L [Atlanta] for putting out mixtapes. So now cats gotta come with all their own material on they mixtapes. They can’t use anybody else’s music.
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