Year in Pop: 2016

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Greenova South

Greenova South (from left); Squadda Bambino & Pepperboy; press photo courtesy of the artists.

Greenova South (from left); Squadda Bambino & Pepperboy; press photo courtesy of the artists.

Little Rock, Arkansas’ own Pepperboy combines delivery craft with none other than his Green Ova comrade Squadda Bambino with Young God (aka Ian Taggart of Blue Sky Black Death) production to catapult the Greenova South project on reality. Squadda stands as one half of the influential Main Attrakionz cloud rap pioneering duo (releasing the lauded 808s & Dark Grapes trilogy & countless albums & mixtapes & too many collaborations to name with fellow East Oakland collaborator MondreM.A.N.) with Pepperboy (oka Jerry Davie) delivering further stories and inspirations from Little Rock’s southern side as heard in his works chronicled from his Bangin’ in the Rock origins, Str8 Off tha Block, Pt. 1, bouncing from the boilerplate street-warrior style (after serving a 30 month of a would be 10-year prison sentence in the Varner Unit over “possession with intent and a firearm: just protection”)—these South by the Bay combinations are further brought under the same atmospheric umbrella courtesy of Taggard’s hazy production cadences. The Greenova South celebrates the southern connect, Pepperboy delivers words and modes of inspiration information in subdued breaths while Squadda speaks learned gospel with that signature gravelly delivery with the weight of a gavel slam.

The two toast up words of self-preservation and PMA on “Keep My Head Up”, the opener of Kome Ryde With Us, that moves onward with tales of “making it & spending it” on “G.O. Sound”. Ft. Robbie Rob”, searching out the situations on the pensive project “Find A Way”, as the crew lifts up the nostalgic, head-tripping trails of yore on “I Miss Them Days” ft. Ian Taggart reminiscing about being 16, listening to OutKast, & more before the world started spinning too fast. The title track ft. Lil Flip presents the group in their most hedonistic mode yet, while “Tears In My Eyes” finds Squadda pouring out some tears, fears & beers for the Jacka, A$AP Yams, Pimp C & more as Pepperboy moves the narratives from survivor tales to living that high-rolling life on “Lamborghini Dreams” ft. boasts & toasts by 2 Lettaz, to pushing the instinctive impulses heard on “Fight Or Flight”. Perspective and obfuscation of vision vibe forward on “Soul Blinded” ft. the powerful presence of Mr. Sche’s mighty sermon-like delivery, right before the whole squad gets into full mobbing formation on “Can Ya Blame Us” featuring contributions and prosodic exposition from Jarv Dee, Dope G & Ace Diego. Squadda provided us with the following exclusive intro to the new Greenova South family expansion:

Green Ova South time! We put our all into this release and hope that with time it connects with people on a deeper level than any previous work of ours has accomplished! Grateful that we even have the chance to get listens in the way that we do through the music today! Listen and zone out in your own personal zone and feel good, that’s all we want!