Being from the East Coast, I often find myself gravitating toward music from one side of the country. As a result, I’m admittedly a little out of the loop on a lot of West Coast acts, but have made a conscious effort to change this ever since I was put onto Big Sad 1900 and his fantastic album, Don’t Forget, a few weeks back (“Find A Way” is my personal favorite track). After hearing the project and gaining some insight on this burgeoning new scene of LA talent, I did a deeper dive and stumbled upon “Mainline” — an undeniable concoction of Los Angeles talent, joining the forces of P4K, Top5ivee, and 5Much with Big Sad 1900 and Slumlord Trill.

Three minutes and forty seconds in length, “Mainline” lets each of the five featured artists give their own take on a breezy, West Coast instrumental, offering a sampler plate of uniquely compelling styles. Between wordplay, storytelling, and vocal inflections, “Mainline” matches substance with effortless, LA-bred style, marking itself as a perfect introduction for listeners like myself who are looking for an “in” to the current lineup of buzzing West Coast artists. Needless to say, this combination of slice-of-life lyricism and true-to-self style is an effective one, and needs no more explanation than the music itself.

Tune into “Mainline” below and give this one a few listens through to really capture what each artist is saying. West Coast rap is in a great place, and these artists are some of the main talents making it happen.

Directed by @yourjustntime