Da Lou has done it again. Thats right, St. Louis, Missouri, the hotbed where no love lies has spawned another potential platinum powerhouse; this time by the name of O.T.C.G., Off Tha Chain Gang. The fresh young rap trio is comprised of three brothers, (reminiscent of the Hip-Hop and R&B groups of old) Coby, SU-K (Stick Up King), and Tezz, who have been rapping for about three years. Up and coming producer Fedarro, aka FreQ Beatz, has concocted the perfect tracks to compliment their distinct interlocking styles.
Kicking it off is an upbeat but smooth hometown anthem simply titled, "St. Louis". Driven by a sinister baseline and outstanding snare sequence, a la the movie Drum Line, this is the perfect single to get the masses attention. They cover the genre well with three different styles of flowing. SU-K, the eldest sibling, is labeled as the spitter, with a laidback persona and gangsta edge that holds it down for the streets. Coby, the middleman, is the most commercially versatile member with easy to remember verses
that seem to surf over the beat. Last but not least is Tezz, the youngest and crunkest member with the most aggressive delivery. He represents the new age of rap and uses his voice like an instrument adding infliction where the beat dictates.
When asked to describe their sound, Coby described it as Gangsta but commercial. Not commercial in a cheesy sense, but marketable. We got something for everybody and were not selling our souls for riches or a record deal. According to FreQ Beatz, their name also describes their stage show.They have great chemistry, not just because theyre brothers, but their styles compliment each other. Theyre sh-tting on a lot of groups out here.
Their self-titled debut is tentatively set for an early 2008 release, with "St. Louis" as the jump off. They'll do their North Side stomping ground proud with cocky phrases like: "Im from St. Louis/ the real St. Louis/ and we dont shake our tail feathers/ not in St. Louis/ Especially where I live/ Man that sh-itll getcha killed/ And we dont rep this sh-t just to get a record deal"; and a hard, straight to the point, hook: "Yall can rep where yall want/ Imma rep where I stay/ Imma rep it all night/ Imma rep it all day!"
The only thing left to say is L-up!
Be sure to check the trio out @ www.myspace.com/otcgstl
