Shows

Now if you consider yourself a fan of Bay Area hip hop and haven’t yet heard at least one Husalah knock, you need to get on your shit.  And if you have no clue where to start, you need to get your hands on his 2007 masterpiece, Huslin’ Since Da 80’s.  On a foundational level, Hus’ hilariously raw and unchecked charisma coupled with his incredible ear for beats make him easily one of the dopest hip hop artists in the Bay, but I’d make the case that it’s his character that makes him more than just your average, slap addicted Bay Area rapper.  Husalah has a fairly extensive catalogue of albums, collabs, and mixtapes that range over a little more than a decade; a few of my personal favorites being 2006’s Dope, Guns, and Religion solo album and his Mob Trial collaboration album with fellow Mob Figaz, AP.9 and The Jacka.

But seriously, Huslin’ Since Da 80’s is a Bay Area classic.  As a complete album, it plays through the same way one would read a book.  Each song is like a chapter of sorts, telling different puzzle pieces that, by the end, give you a complete picture of who Husalah is.  So who is Husalah?  Through his music he is a fresh-ass, ego driven, religiously God fearing, gorgeous, socially conscious, dope selling, schizophrenic who gets hyphy as fuck.  The contradictions in that last sentence are clear, no?  On a basic level human nature contradicts structure, and Husalah gives you an illustration of this paradox going down the tracklist, comparing and contrasting the different pieces of Hus’ character on Huslin’ Since Da 80’s.  From his reflections growing up as a young, paranoid dope king (Talk It Out), to his love for fruit loop orange Lacoste sweatsuits and Gucci overcoats (Gear), to his beautifully candid, yet consciously aware reflection of his moral struggle between capitalistic pursuits and his Islamic beliefs (Husalah Shine), Husalah is a clear-cut mix of originality that has created an individual persona based on nothing more than the experiences that he has encountered in life.

In 2006, Husalah was sentenced to 5 years in prison for intent to sell 14 kilos of cocaine.  He has already been released and I had the pleasure of seeing him light up the stage during one of his characteristic surprise performances at a Jacka concert a few months ago.  Expect more knock in the near future from Young Husalassie. I have a feeling that he is yet to reach his peak musically, he returned from jail with an underpinning Rastafarian influence in his music that will probably have me swangin’ eights and turning up my knock for years to come.

Here’s some slap off of Huslin’ Since the 80′s.  You’ll thank me later.

Tracks:

Gear – Husalah

Husalah Shine – Husalah

Before the Dope – Husalah

Talk It Out – Husalah

Cuttin It Up (Feat. B-Luv) – Husalah

Support Husalah’s music here.