Video: The Hoodstarz, “I’ll Be Right There”
East Palo Alto Duo Show The Importance of Loyalty In The Streets In New Video Premiered By DubCNN
2.2.2015
The Video:
Loyalty runs thicker than blood in the streets of East Palo Alto, the violence-riddled 2.5 square mile mini city where Band-Aide and Scoot of The Hoodstarz grew up. Tucked away from the throngs of well-to-do dot-com’ers and Stanford University students of Palo Alto, is the city of East Palo Alto, which had the highest murder rate in the country in 1992 with 24,322 people and 42 murders, equaling a rate of 172.7 homicides per 100,000 residents. Well known and respected in their hoods, Band-Aide and Scoot have been down with each other since grade school and they’ve been through it all together whether that be money issues, family issues, or business issues. Staying loyal to each other through it all has been necessary for survival. From their DJ Drama-hosted mixtape, 56 Months, is the new video premiered by DubCNN praising the value of friendship and loyalty on the track “I’ll Be Right There,” produced by The Mekanix and featuring singer and guitar player Mike Frost.
Taking a departure from their normal subject matter, “I’ll Be Right There,” shows Band-Aide and Scoot as kids and adults running game around their neighborhood, robbing corner stores, shooting hoops, fending off bullies, and jacking fools together. “You stand by your dude’s side through thick and thin,” the duo stated. “You don’t jump ship and leave them stranded…you stand your ground and never switch up.”
Growing up hustling, The Hoodstarz are familiar with harsh realities. After Band-Aide served a five-year bid in San Quentin State Prison and Scoot served 18 months in a juvenile correctional facility, the duo began to take their music more seriously. One of their first singles, “Can’t Leave Rap Alone,” featuring Keak da Sneak, paved the way for several more hyphy-era hits. In 2006 they released their first full-length album Hood Reality on their self-owned Lawless Records and with the hyphy movement spreading nationwide, Warner Bros. distributed their second album, which led to more local radio hits. Amidst their music successes, the duo created a non-profit housing program for local elderly in need and often hold fundraising and donation-driven events for their community. Having collaborated with hyphy producers Traxamillion and Droop-E on past tracks, along with artists such as Ty Dolla $ign and Too Short for their mixtape 56 Months, The Hoodstarz are proud to release another album for the streets.
Watch “I’ll Be Right There”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pzMsRbDieE
Check out the premiere : http://www.dubcnn.com/2015/02/01/video-premiere-the-hoodstarz-mike-frost-the-mekanix-ill-be-right-there/
The Background:
Rappers Band-Aide and Scoot Dogg make up the duo The Hoodstarz, a top-tier rap group in the California Bay Area hyphy scene. The two were friends since grade school, but also were cohorts hustling in the streets of their East Palo Alto, CA, hometown. After Band-Aide finished serving a five-year bid in San Quentin State Prison around 2002 (Scoot previously had spent 18 months in a juvenile correctional facility), they each wanted better lives for themselves and decided to commit to music full-time. One of their first singles, “Can’t Leave Rap Alone” (2004), featuring Oakland, CA, veteran Keak da Sneak, started to put things in motion for the duo, paving their way to become local favorites. The Hoodstarz’s released their first full-length album Hood Reality in 2006 on their self-owned Lawless Records. Its favorable reception, in addition to the hyphy phenomenon spreading nationwide and translating onto the Billboard charts, garnered them a distribution deal with Warner, who issued their second album, Band-Aide and Scoot, later that same year. Winners of the Rookie of the Year title at the first Bay Area Rap Scene Awards, the duo kept delivering to Bay Area radio non-stop hits (as were their remixes) over the following couple of years, including “Grown Man On,” “Waken Them Up,” and “That’s What’s Up.” Successful and signature hyphy producers Traxamillion and Droop-E were consistent collaborators for many of those songs.
Links:
official website | facebook | twitter | mixtape
“I’ll Be Right There” : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pzMsRbDieE