The West Coast has a new movement. The whole Jerking & Dougieing phase came and left thank God, because in all honesty, I’m not with it. The dances are cool (in the confines of your own home or in the club), but the West was once a powerhouse in hip hop when NWA, Tupac (R.I.P) & Snoop Dogg (of course there were others) were in their Golden Years. People said that the west fell off, and their Resurrection came when The Game came on the map. That MIGHT* have been the case, but the West had other ideas. In this Artist Profile, I highlight an artist that will definitely be around for a long time, given the fact that he’s young and full of promise. I only stumbled across him in December 2011, but oh how glad I was that I saw the light. This dude, Chuuwee is a breath of fresh air in the world of hip hop where it is full of mediocrity.

Hailing from Sacramento, California (also reps Oakland. Geographically, they’re not that far apart, unless I’m wrong), Chuuwee has with him a flow that would leave you nostalgic with memories of the 90s. His rhyme scheme, the subject material, the metaphors, and most importantly, the DELIVERY are similar to when AZ was rapping back the day. It’s quite the comparison, but I assure you that this boy is HUNGRY, and he’s determined to get out there and really turn some heads.

The first Chuuwee song I heard (watched the video on YouTube) was ‘Post Mortem,’ which I found out was on The Community Mixtape hosted by Talib Kweli & Year of the Blacksmith . The vocals and the delivery caught me right there, and I was like, “damn this guy can spit, I won’t even lie.” Afterwards, I went ahead and downloaded his most recent work Watching The Throne (not to be mistaken with Watch The Throne by Jay Z & Kanye West, but it’s somewhat of a precursor). Listening to more of Chuuwee made me more of a believer this just may be the best rapper I’ve heard in recent years, aside from Blu, Earl Sweatshirt, J Cole & Kendrick Lamar (3 of the 4 I listed are from the West Coast by the way).

When you listen to Chuuwee, you’re looking at a deep introspective individual who’s mind is just so out there and complex. When it comes down to his wordplay and metaphors, you wouldn’t think that the average youth would think of stuff like this. The producers that he’s collaborated with have definitely brought out the 90s feel if you listen to mixtapes like Hot N Ready & Be Cool, and he even took his hand at remaking the great ‘So Far Gone‘ and calling it So Far Good. His attitude when he comes on the mic is raw and authentic, and that’s what the game is missing, AUTHENTICITY! Too many cats are sounding too much like each other, and honestly, that’s what’s saturating hip hop of today (Example: YMCMB, Wiz – A$AP Rocky – Lil B – Souljaboy sounding alike, and Curren$y impersonators). There’s not a lot to really be hopeful for in music, but there are few artists around that just prove that Hip Hop isn’t dead, it never died, and it never will. I’m hopeful for this artist, and I can only hope for bigger and better things as the days float by and the calendar pages turn. His crew TUS (The Usual Suspects….also one of my favourite movies) is also full of rappers that could take the scene this year (Abstract Ninja caught my attention in Smoke One For Doom so I’ll be looking out for him especially).

Download all of the mixtapes that were mentioned & also follow him on Twitter @ChuuweeTUS, and become a believer for yourself, but for now,

That’s My Word & It STiXX

NEW UPDATE

OLDER MIXTAPES

The Date Tape

Sunday Afternoon