MC Eiht’s first album through Paid In Full/Koch, “Affiliated,” will be released on April 4, signifying the Compton rapper’s nineteenth album release. His first enhanced disc, the special product will contain 14 album tracks, exclusive interview footage and a new music video starring MC Eiht, performing the song “Say Nothin.’”
Among the album’s authentic Compton born and bred tracks is the radio single, “CPT’z Bac (159 Remix Featuring CMW),” produced by Raw Steel. The song received an extra kick when it was added into airplay at the legendary Los Angeles radio station KDAY by Julio G.
Throughout “Affiliated,” MC Eiht comes back strapped with his trademark style on new songs like “Where U Frum (Featuring Gangsta Luv of the Road Dawgs).”
“Just Lean” is a laid back track by Chill and DJ Subflo, a drum and bass producer, who is also a well-known rave DJ. Eiht says, “I got down with my man Sub, because I wanted people to know that we got all types of flavors, not just hiphop, but we got all kinds of diversity. So I did this one on the strength of how we lean in Compton.” Eiht acknowledges the track is reminiscent of much of the feel of his classic album with Comptons Most Wanted, “Music To Driveby” because there are a lot of slow grooves on it. “A lot of down South niggas like to hear their stuff slow and screwed and chopped, so that was my focus when I heard the beat; the first thing I thought about was Texas and down South, and how they be chopping and screwing their shit. I wanted for them to get down, because they’ve always been supportive of MC Eiht, and what I do, so I just wanted to throw some of that back."
“Gangsta Minded (Featuring Jaz and Chill)” introduces Jaz, a female rapper. Eiht says, “Chill made the beat, and she wanted to rip it, so we let her get down, and we decided to hop on down there with her. Her flow is tight, and she is real gangsta with it. No fur coats and talking about sex and diamonds, because she’s hood with it. If a female raps, I want to hear her come like me. When she did it, I was amazed. A nigga didn’t have to direct her, or tell her what to write about, because she knows where she was from. On a solo project, it is the first time I ever got down with a female, and she put it down tight.”
The long anticipated track “Smoke This (Featuring Chill and Jayo Felony)” was produced by Silk some time ago, but was never released. Eiht remarks, “It describes what we’re seeing in street rap, gangsta rap right now. At the time we recorded it, people were rapping about happy stuff like partying and chains and planes and stuff. We were expressing our frustration in the music, and we were fed up with people not wanting to deal with the real in their music. Now people are trying to be hard and trying to be where they’re not even from. So it is still just perfect for today.”
Eiht explains the inspiration behind the track “2 Compton MF’z (Featuring Big2DaBoy).” “I was an old school NWA, Eazy-E fan. Eazy and Ren had a song back in the day called “2 Hard MF’s,” so I wanted to say two Compton motherf*&^%$s, ‘cuz it’s introducing the upcoming artist Big2daboy at my label, West Music. I wanted to showcase it with us both being from Compton. With his being the young generation and me being like the older generation, I wanted to show that we still have it on lock.”
Authentic Compton. Keepin’ it gangsta since 1988, MC Eiht has been releasing genuine issue Compton tracks. Accordingly, he has solidly earned the respect of his fans and peers in the industry. With his solo recordings, his work with Comptons Most Wanted and his stealthy collaborations, this highly prolific artist has previously released 18 albums, and this number does not even include the greatest hits, compilation albums or feature film soundtrack albums that have also resulted.
As one of the early Compton masters, MC Eiht has maintained a career with longevity that is the envy of many other artists. When he first rocked the mic in the studio, it was with CMW, comprised of producers Slip and DJ Unknown, plus Tha Chill, and their luminary scratcher DJ Mike T. Producer/director John Singleton lauded them as the musical inspiration for his classic film, "Boyz In The Hood," and the group’s song, “Growin’ Up In The Hood,” was picked as the single for its soundtrack. Eiht’s releases with CMW, "Straight Check’n Em" and "Music To Driveby" quickly became West Coast underground classics. Eiht, who has graced the cover of the "Source Magazine" twice, appeared in the Hughes Brothers’ feature film "Menace II Society," and he also achieved critical acclaim for his single, “Streiht Up Menace,” which appeared on the film’s multi-platinum selling soundtrack, driving it to the Number One spot on the Billboard Top 100 R&B Albums Chart, and holding that position for eight weeks straight. "We Come Strapped," which quickly achieved gold status, was singled out for attack in a speech by then Presidential candidate Bob Dole.
Always in demand, he has accepted numerous offers to record duets on albums released by other artists, three of whom include Spice One, Scarface and Pete Rock. Relentless, Eiht has released a slew of solo albums. He also played the role of Ryder on Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, and CMW is heard within its soundtrack. More importantly, however, MC Eiht’s music is the soundtrack of the streets, and of the Hub City, Compton, California, a feat that is envied by many other artists, despite their heavy padding from corporate bankrolling that has helped spawn a growing number of wanna-be imitators.
On “Affiliated,” Eiht logs onto this official Compton forum, addressing the fact that corporate sponsored hiphop artists have misconstrued and misrepresented West Coast gang culture. Eiht says, “A lot of what you’re seeing in the videos out there is fake. Because a lot of these niggas who are doing this now were not even doing this shit, gangbangin.’ For me to be the age I am, and to know gangbangin' in Compton since I was 12 years old, a lot of these cats, who are claiming this and that, ain’t but 26 years old. So a lot of them weren’t even around when it started. Also, they’re not even in the geographic areas, the sections that gang banging was even involved in. Like it just evolved a couple years ago in certain areas, and now niggas run with it, and pretend like they grew up with it. To have niggas thirty years later start gangbanging, and saying that they’re original with it is just ludicrous.” Eiht notes that the public gets fooled because of the large amount of money that has been spent on marketing from corporate dollars, as he observes, “The corporations are just trying to market our culture. So now it’s marketable to major corporations to wear tattoos and wear a rag, and claim to be from a neighborhood.”
Designer gangstas versus real Compton is the result, as MC Eiht has watched the commercialization of a culture that came into significance through artists like himself, who grew up in Compton, and who brought its issues to the attention of the rest of the world. Says Eiht, “Bandanas have always fascinated niggas who don’t know the significance behind them. Because niggas putting on white rags, orange rags, and all this, don’t even know the history behind it. However, if you take something and sell it to mainstream America, and mainstream America doesn’t know what the culture of it is, you’re going to be able to feed into the fakery that’s been created. And that’s just what is happening now. You have these high school kids and 21 year-old kids, and you got a new nigga introducing it to them, because these kids didn’t know what was going on back then, when they was two and three years old, but now, through the corporations, it is being taught it to them by niggas who just started doing it, themselves, just two years ago.”
Delivering his latest release “Affiliated,” MC Eiht brings more tracks that are already considered to be Compton, Cali neo-classics. Geah!
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