The west coast kept it simple in the nineties you were either mobbin with that straight lace smash danked out dark vibe or you kept it funking with the feel good chill laid smooth playa summertime vibe. It was a good time with good music but for every known artist there were probably just as many unknown’s trying to make good music. Oregon was no different at the time drawing influence more so from either the west or the east due to the Mecca’s they were building. While independent artists really bubbled in the nineties it wasn’t really until the turn of the century that a lot of artists really felt like they had what it took as well. Dubl J was an artist coming out of Portland with his Platinum Penny Productions label when he released his “Full Contact” album. Lyricism is one of those things they use these days to really set artists apart but back in the days it was not as important. Dubl J like a lot of west coast artists relied on just being able to go hard on a beat. Let the mobbed out sounds do their job and he would compliment the rest by just telling his story with a catchy hook for the songs given occasion. As simple as the beats were back in the day we loved them and Dubl J along with Patrick Brewer did all the beats with features coming from Cach, D-v-iss, Ru, No dozz, plus Lee Lee.
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Believe it or not Portland has a rich history of the pimp trade and has had its share of coveted pimps. Covered nationally on media outlets it is often a frequent occurrence in the northwest and is probably happening daily without general knowledge. Rap has always been one of those platforms where street trends are commercialized but oftentimes fake vs real is actually happening. When it comes to rap and pimpin a few solid names come to mind but a group coming out of Portland called Pimpin & Panderin took it to a whole new level with their album “Unlimited Game” which was released in 2003. Pimpin is nothing new when it comes to the rap game as we know but often more used as satire and imagery. Difference with this Portland based group consisting of members Million Dollar Mouthpeice, Playboy Day The Mayor, MacDezie, and Suave P The Pimp is their whole album is talking about nothing but pimping. Macking, sex, prostitution, playing your position, pimping, breaking hoes, hustler, mack daddy, and you get the rest this is pretty much what you envision when you hear the word pimp. Produced by Sporty, DJ Chill, Mad Zagg, C Anthony, and many more.
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Portland was really trying to put on back in the 90’s even into the 2000 era the city had its fair share of groups and labels taking notice not just in their locale. Labels like Jus Family, Green Leaf, and 2 Real Records all had established themselves with solid releases during this time period. More of a wildcard group in terms of recognition but definitely worth mention was Qrewshall Game which was made up of three members Flossy, T-Hogg, and J-Lin. They released two group albums as a collective with their debut “Game Time” dropping in 2000. The album mostly recorded in the late 90’s maintained that west coast macking mobb sound that was influenced due to in house production from T-Hogg who also contributed heavily on the vocals for several songs. Torry Ward also produced as well as features from long time Portland vet Mackin Rob and Ms Devious.
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