WESTURN UNION - House Shoe Musik Vol. 1 | Review By: Conan Milne


Release Date : April 8th 2008

Label : Doggystyle Records

Rating: 4/5

Dub Quotable: Both a celebration of hometown pride and a middle finger to those that oppose their stance, Westurn Union have delivered a fine introduction to their movement. Damani, Soopafly, and Bad Lucc are clearly on to something that does the term justice.

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A lot of rap cliques claim to be at the forefront of a “movement.” Through omnipresent DJs like Miami’s DJ Khaled, not to mention rap moguls like 50 Cent, “movement” has become Hip-Hop’s latest buzzword. Few of these music stables claiming to lead a movement, however, display a clear and relatable goal. Impressively, Westurn Union knows the cause that they relentlessly fight for all too well. Hell, it’s referenced in their moniker. The MCs stand for unity within their disillusioned environment. Soopafly, Damani, and Bad Lucc are sick of their native West Coast’s Hip-Hop output being spurned by local radio personalities and television networks. With the DJ Crazy Toones assisted “Houseshoe Muzik Vol. 1,” they’re being vocal about their displeasure, whilst laying the foundations for a California resurgence.

Conceptually, the trio runs the gamut on this project. From scathing attacks on Governmental hypocrisy (“Bird In The Hand”) to hilarious laments over psychotic girlfriends, (“We Both Know”) the Union members are never shy about speaking their minds. Granted, some might presume that such contrasting subject matter overextends Houeshoe Muzik, but Damani was right to praise Crazy Toones involvement in the mixtape. The charismatic DJ lovingly blends every track with dusty vocal samples, holding things together expertly. Just as pivotal to the cohesive tone is ‘Fly’s production. A welcome mesh of clattering drums, funky key loops and mushy synth lines provide reassuringly familiar West Coast rhythms for the troupe to state their aims.

The reasoning behind these aims is never more obvious than on notably heartfelt closer “Next Time.” Those used to Soopafly’s smarmy pimp talk will raise an eyebrow when the industry veteran gripes, “Nowadays I don’t laugh too much/No questions – just blast you punks/ I got four kids/Please God, I don’t ask too much/But don’t make me have to cream these chumps.” Shunning forced materialism and instead referencing a desire to protect his family, the listener quickly starts to realize why a flourishing – and, crucially, profitable – West Coast Hip-Hop scene is so important to these men. Music is their livelihood, and they’re willing to play their position in getting their genre back to its triumphant heyday.

Both a celebration of hometown pride and a middle finger to those that oppose their stance, Westurn Union have delivered a fine introduction to their movement. That word might be thrown around in rap circles, but with a fiery passion displayed throughout Houseshoe Muzik Vol. 1, Damani, Soopa, and Lucc are clearly on to something that does the term justice.
 

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