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| | Arts Calendar / November 4 / Concerts |
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20:00 | La Coka Nostra (USA) |
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 La Coka Nostra (or short LCN) is an American hip hop supergroup, comprised mainly of all former members of House of Pain, Ill Bill, former member of Non Phixion, Slaine, and various other MCs and producers. La Coka Nostra was more a loose collective of artists connected through Danny Boy than a group. Having taken time off from rap after the break-up of House of Pain, Danny Boy took to working in video production and fashion as well as mentoring other artists. He met Slaine in Boston and, impressed with his writing, brought him to L.A. to record some tracks. Eventually it turned into more of a group effort including the former members of House of Pain and Ill Bill, as well as associates from Psycho Realm, Special Teamz and others. It was not until early 2006 that the current line up solidified, plans to release an album were first voiced later the same year. The group's name is derived from the notorious criminal organization (La) Cosa Nostra, which means "This Thing Of Ours", with the Italian word Cosa ("thing" meaning "business") being replaced by the Spanish word Coka which stands for Cocaine. Slaine has noted the idea for the name was to incorporate some slang with the gangster theme, so the name would mean "This Dope Thing Of Ours", with "dope" being slang for something trendy, and not actual drugs. In late 2008 the group signed to the punk/hardcore label Suburban Noize Records and released the long delayed debut album A Brand You Can Trust on July 14, 2009. The album took so long to complete due to Danny Boy's refusal to have the artist collaborate via e-mail; instead, he would gather everyone at the studio. This took time due to the recording of Ill Bill and Everlast's solo albums as well as various tours and other commitments. A Brand You Can Trust features 15 tracks and guest spots from Snoop Dogg, Bun B, Sick Jacken, B-Real, Sen Dog, Immortal Technique, Big Left and Q-Unique. Though similar stylistically to the group's prior online releases, it features songs grounded more in reality. Some subjects touched upon include politics, death, drug addiction, raising a child and terrorism. La Coka Nostra is a breath of fresh air in these days of contrived airbrushed rap music. LCN isn't trying to gloss shit up in the least they like it ugly and gritty the way rap music should always be. Somewhere along the lines people forgot about groups like the mighty Wu-Tang clan or Cypress Hill and the dirty raw esthetic these groups had but LA Coka sure didn't. They embrace the darkness and the dirt and ain't afraid to be ugly with it. LCN's music is a much needed return to the days of sex, drugs & rap n roll a sentiment that hasn't gone unnoticed by the groups growing legion of fans. La Coka rocks for the kids that dig hardcore punk rock and rap and don't give a fuck who knows about it. Comprised of members Ill Bill, Slaine, Everlast, Danny Boy, DJ Lethal and Big Left. La Coka ain't rapping for the Hollywood set even if you see them on the mean streets in the city of angels. Always known for tackling controversial topic matter, the group's sophomore project, Masters Of The Dark Arts, (2012) finds them once again in torch-bearing mode, addressing subjects that most artists shy away from as Ill Bill illustrates "as conceptually and musically dark as this album appears to be, there's also a flip side layer to it that you may not notice until you listen to it a few times. Masters Of The Dark Arts is a storm before the calm and a celebration of the good things in life that can only be achieved by walking directly into the heart of darkness and facing your inner demons head on." "I think we approached Masters Of The Dark Arts with a chip on our shoulder and really took it back to our original mission of hardcore Hip-Hop amidst all the circus bullshit that is so prevalent in the current landscape of the genre. We are aware of the perception that somehow the group has suffered a loss we can't recover from and in response we made an album that is the most conceptually focused and hardest hitting soundscape in the group's history," Slaine asserts. "Masters Of The Dark Arts in my opinion is the quintessential La Coka Nostra sound, It has both bark and bite like true hardcore Hip-Hop should," says Danny Boy. In 2014 La Coka Nostra are going in Moscow with his their album. More info
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