Though our collective hip-hop and R&B scene is comparatively small in the shadow of Houston’s enormous one, there is a growing community of artists here who are rising up amongst the bubbling of indie pop rock and psych/garage bands in the Alamo City.
Rappers like Milli Mars and Kree23 are holding it down with their respectable flows, while R&B singers Alyson Alonzo and newcomer Amea show us that sultry vocals definitely still have a place over a thick hip-hop beats. Quite frankly, we think SA deserves a little more recognition on this front. So if you haven’t heard of the two piece rapper/producer funk duo who have been opening for acts like The Temptations, Zro and Cypress Hill, it’s time you meet Cadillac Muzik.
Cousins Beseja “Caddymack” Moses and Scott Campbell were always drawn to music as kids growing up on the east and west sides of San Antonio, but it wasn’t until 2003, when the duo were in their teens, that they started writing and rapping with their cousins in the local rap group THK (Texas Hardknocks). Like most artists working to find their niche sound, Campbell and Moses would continue to collaborate with other artists until 2010, when they finally landed on their funky hip-hop tone.
“We’re heavily influenced by '70s soul bands” Moses told the Current. The rapper/producer listed a number of musical influences from Houston’s UGK to alt-rappers A Tribe Called Quest and the psychedelic funk collective Parliament — all of which totally makes sense when listening to these dudes’ music.
Within the first moments of their latest single “Mind Play,” it’s clear Cadillac Muzik want you to jump on some acid-laced cartoon train ride to Funkytown, outer space, Stankonia or wherever the wild futuristic funk party is happening nowadays. A bass guitar-driven beat opens the track with “Alright y’all ready to rock? I know y’all came to funk the night” then jumps right into the kind of psychedelic, synth-laced hip-hop and R&B that's reminiscent of Ceelo Green and Outkast.
These guys aren't buying their beats online or dishing out cash for a producer or engineer to record them in a studio; all of their music is done in-house. “I’ve been mixing and mastering since 2005,” Moses says. "I’ve built my own ear for what I want [Cadillac Musik] to sound like."
Now, we’ve all endured that excited friend showing us their raw, unmixed, lo-fi home recordings of their new project, but let us assure you — there's nothing lo-fi about anything that these two put their hands on. From the quality of the production to the sophisticated musicianship and attention to detail this duo puts into their work, Cadillac Muzik is a template for the modern day musician: hard working, high caliber, and refreshingly original.
Saturday, June 10, 10pm, $10+, Little Jamaica Bar & Grill, 8800 Broadway St. For more information visit their website
