Twenty-seven years after filming his “Who Am I? (What’s My Name?)” video on the rooftop at World Famous V.I.P. Records, Snoop Dogg is still the king of Long Beach. Echoing the sentiment of many a Long Beach hip-hop artist since then, Huey Briss said in a 2018 interview, “As an artist, period, you’re never going to get as big as Snoop Dogg. He is Long Beach.”
Throughout the 21st century, Long Beach’s music community has encouraged stylistic diversity like Nate Dogg’s mix of rapping and singing, Rage Against The Machine’s rap-rock, and incredible lyricists like KXNG Crooked. Into the 2020s, Long Beach hip-hop artists continue to grow the SoCal city’s musical character beyond its rock and reggae roots.
Below are some artists from Long Beach, CA who we recommend you support throughout 2021. Some of them are new and some you might’ve heard before. Enjoy our first official list of Long Beach hip-hop artists you should be supporting.
Frank Ocean
Odd Future’s reclusive Frank Ocean is the perfect artist for the current moment. Notoriously private, Ocean was born in Long Beach and moved to New Orleans early in his childhood. He prefers to work in isolation, habitually avoids large public spaces, and communicates mostly through cryptic quotes on social media. Besides being a lone wolf, Ocean’s stripped-down, melancholy music is ideal for an extended quarantine – at home alone, staring out the window, burning a bowl.
$tupid Young
The Cambodian American rapper channels a Long Beach street-smart upbringing into his signature street-rap style. Young’s debut album, From Here On Out, features Mike Sherm and Blueface and narrates his rise from gritty LB streets to success. With more than 132 million YouTube views, $tupid Young reps the underdog who achieves the American dream through hard work and dedication. Listen up to this dope artist.
Joey Fatts
Joey Fatts survived family substance addiction, gang violence, homelessness, and gave up a college football career for music. The late, great A$AP Yams was the first big rapper to recognize something special in Fatts. Lord Flacko used one of Fatts’s beats for “Jodye” on Long. Live. A$AP., and then it was on. Now, Fatts has collaborated with hip-hop OGs like Snoop Dogg and The Game, and he’s ready to drop more heat in 2021.
Trap
Mainstream trap music is made for vibing to, and Long Beach artist Trapac (Trap) Shakur’s songs are stories. They’re strewn with social commentary on the nitty gritty reality of modern life. Young Basquiat 3: Lost Vibes features the dope track, “I Want Moor.” Not one to waste words, each bar on “I Want Moor” is elemental. Trap may be a SoCal secret (so far), but his skills rival some of the major label rappers.
Donnie Waters
Mexican American Donnie Waters inspires and consoles with music addressing traumas, poverty, race wars, and a myriad of other obstacles inherent to immigrant life. His name even tells a story, meshing the idea of Donnie Darko with the reality of blues icon Muddy Waters. His latest album Kunga embraces resilience, feminine strength, and cultural identity. Don’t sleep on dude ‘cause this guy’s music is intent on waking us all up.
Huey Briss
A fan of Greek mythology, wordsmith Huey Briss’s name is an ironic play on the Greek word hubris. Gravelly East Coast boom-bap, crispy percussion, 808 bass, and pensive samples complement Briss’s resonant voice and piercing, autobiographical anecdotes. Every Briss song is West Coast swagger at its finest. Briss might be Long Beach’s brightest rising star, so keep an eye on his media for next-level releases.
Milano
Cambodian American artist Milano Doe’s stand-out style captivates with sassy lyrics, sexy spirit, and trendsetting looks. Milano’s talent and sound have garnered a good deal of success in a short time. With over 600K streams and coverage on sites like Hip Hop Weekly, Hip Hop DX, and Trending all Day, Milano’s been making waves in Long Beach.
Cliff Savage
Cliff Savage’s first hit single, “Uber,” charted on Spotify’s United States Viral 50 in 2019, followed by his debut EP Lone Wolf. In 2020, Savage spoke to fans locked in quarantine through his second EP, Care Package. Music-wise, Savage reps Long Beach with Latin feels and dancy beats. Sounds like he’s fulfilling his heart’s desire – to make music to “vibe to regardless of whether you’re already feelin’ good, or if you’re feelin’ down about life and the world.”
TayF3rd
Although this Long Beach Hip-hop artist comes from the town that produced OG rap, TayF3rd‘s sound takes on a decidedly different flavor, with “I drink, I smoke, I jerk.” TayF3rd loves to collab too, often featuring other up-and-coming artists like $tupid Young, DWFlame, and SMAC3 on his releases. And with dope producers like @KayoeBeats and DamnPocket producing his videos, this dude’s rise might be something to watch in 2021.
KXNG Crooked
After collaborating with hip-hop royalty Ja Rule, 2Pac, Snoop Dogg, Tech N9ne, and Chamillionaire, former Slaughterhouse member KXNG Crooked should have blown up already. He was featured on Eminem’s Music to Be Murdered By last year and Mr. Mathers himself included KXNG on a personally-curated G.O.A.T list last year. This Long Beach great may go underappreciated too often, but in 2021 he’s still at the top his game.
Did we leave an artist off of this list?
Do you know someone we should feature?
Please contact us and let us know!
We encourage artists and record labels to reach out directly to the Respect My Region team using our submissions page or via email at info@respectmyregion.com.
