Husalah Announces MOB Maniac, His First Full-Length Since 2012
Mac Dre’s Torch Bearer, Original Member of Mob Figaz, and Bay Area Legend Goes Off with a Certified Slapper Debuted by Noisey
07.11.2017
Critical Praise:
“As an artist, Hus’ music is both intuitive and deeply considered, a reflection of a man with an unending intellectual curiosity whose approach to hip-hop nonetheless reflects a tradition more dependent on capturing his in-studio energy, performing with an improvised, on-the-spot musicality, rather than aiming for rehearsed precision. He combines the bold, shocking energy of Too $hort with the syllable-dense percussive style of Kool G Rap, but those influences fall short at capturing the heavy, singular dose of style that makes Husalah an original.” – Noisey
The News:
A critically acclaimed cult hero and member of the legendary Mob Figaz, Husalah’s new music hits the Bay like an earthquake. This past May, Husalah released with the relentless banger “M.O.B,” his first new solo song since 2012. “‘M.O.B’, is no ordinary return-to-form,” raved Pitchfork, “it’s a bona fide slapper, triumphant and devilish all at once.” Today, Husalah announces the MOB Maniac project, featuring “M.O.B” and the FADER-premiered “Protect Your Soul,” his first full-length project in a decade. Packed with mob anthems of every stripe and color, MOB Maniacfinds its strength in Husalah’s unshakeable cadence, elastic voice, and slick rhymes, tirelessly mutating to fit the cinematic mob instrumentals. A staple in Bay Area hip-hop culture, Husalah is often seen as the heir apparent to the late and legendary Mac Dre, and he’s maintained a high level of regional popularity despite his infrequent release schedule. Thirteen tracks long and boasting a list of some of the Bay’s best producers, MOB Maniac is an exhilarating listen, sure to be one of the most talked about albums in the Bay Area and beyond. Look for MOB Maniac, inspired by the 2015 death of Husalah’s Mob Figaz cohort The Jacka, to hit stores later this summer.
To accompany the album announcement, Husalah shares the raucous video for “M.O.B.” Matching the relentless intensity of the original audio, the video finds Husalah rocking a leather jacket with no shirt underneath, commanding a crowd of friends in the backstreets of his Bay Area neighborhood. Featuring rapidfire cuts of Husalah and his mob go-karting, dipping & yoking old school cars, roasting blunts, hanging out of moving cars, and wilding out to Young L‘s robot funk instrumental, which Stereogumpraised saying it “sounds like someone taught R2D2 how to become supremely funky.” “M.O.B.” paints a picture of all the best aspects of Bay Area rap – premiered with an extensive interview by Noisey, it is one of the most energetic videos of the year, and a perfect encapsulation of why we need Husalah in our lives in 2017.
“I decided to put the music out for the sake of preserving the culture and legacy of what we’ve been doing,” Husalah explained to Noisey. “From the historian aspect. Keep it going, keep it perpetual. Let the people remember what dope is, basically.”
Watch “M.O.B.”: https://youtu.be/
Check out the Noisey premiere and interview: https://noisey.
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The Background:
Raised in the El Pueblo Housing Projects in Pittsburg, CA, from a family of esteemed criminals, Husalahwas introduced to the trap at an early age. Now a legend in the Bay Area, Husalah first began rapping as a child, and caught his first break when founding father of Bay Area gangsta rap C-Bo, discovered him in 1997. C-Bo went on to start the Mob Figaz, whose members included Husalah, The Jacka, AP.9, Rydah J Klyde, & FedX. Since the release of the Mob Figaz first album in 1999, he has been a part of numerous compilations, singles, and featured appearances, staying relevant on the music scene. Husalah quickly became one of Bay Area icon Mac Dre’s favorite artists, and the two recorded many songs together. After Mac Dre’s death, he was expected to become the new torchbearer for the Bay Area movement.
However, before the release of his first solo album Harsh Reality (still unreleased), Husalah was a passenger in a car that was pulled over with more than 10 kilos of cocaine and became embroiled in a federal drug conspiracy case. After several years on the run, he was sentenced in 2006 and turned himself in. His first solo project Dope, Guns & Religion was released just prior to him going to jail and his second project, Huslin Since da 80’s, was released in April 2007 while he was incarcerated. Gaining his freedom in 2010, Husalah spent several years laying low, performing and releasing music strategically. Following the death of The Jacka, though, Husalah was pressured to release more music and keep the MOB movement alive. Finally, in 2017, he’s decided it is the perfect time to pick up the torch, and set fire to the game.
Links:
twitter | facebook | spotify | instagram
“M.O.B.”: https://youtu.be/
Huslin Since da 80’s: https://open.spotify.
Dope, Guns, & Religion: https://open.
Bio, photos, and streams available here: http://www.