Words by: Andres Reyes
San Diego, California is known for its beaches, good weather and overall chill atmosphere. It isn’t normally associated with real, grassroots hip hop but Johaz, Brea, Mr. Brady and DJ Artistic are in the process of changing all that. Together the foursome makes up Deep Rooted, one of the premier hip hop groups to emerge from SD. They are set to release their third album, D.E.E.P. R.O.O.T.E.D. on Tajai’s Clear Label Records.
The group formed in 2004 after a chance encounter between Johaz and Mr. Brady at a local open mic. The addition of Brea and DJ Artistic finalized the group’s roster and almost immediately they began to make their presence known on the San Diego scene. Their first two albums, 2005′s A New Beginning and 2006′s The Second Coming, were the recipients of the Best Hip Hop Album award at the San Diego Music Awards twice in a row, cementing their status as local torchbearers for real hip hop. “We’re on some soulful, blue-collar hip hop,” explains front man Johaz. “We represent the cats that’s working a 9-5 job or going to school for four years and just getting by that want to hear some shit that speaks to them. It’s some soulful, grown-up hip hop.”
Get it straight though, grown-up by no means implies stiff or boring. Their kinetic live show immediately differentiates Deep Rooted from most acts out now. While many rap cats struggle to bring the intensity and energy of their recorded performances to the stage, Deep Rooted is among the few crews in hip hop that know how to put on a full-on show. Between Johaz’s aggressive and energetic stage presence, Brea’s cool and breezy vocals, Brady’s stoic demeanor, DJ Artistic holding down the cuts and dance crew Urban Dynamics accompanying the group with their ill routines, a Deep Rooted show is more of an experience than a regular concert.
Their latest album, D.E.E.P. R.O.O.T.E.D., shows the world the full scope of what this SD crew is capable of. Johaz explains how the group decided to expand their sound a little more to showcase their skills, “our last two albums, which were dope too, were a little more chill, like some smoke-out music, but on this album we wanted to present a little more of an up tempo sound, a little more aggressive.”
Aggressive is the most fitting word to describe many of the low-end heavy beats on the album. Underground powerhouses like DJ Exile and DJ Rhettmatic bless the album’s production along with the in-house production from Mr. Brady and DJ Artistic. However it’s the production duties from two young cats, Kas One and G Rocka, that might have heads checking for the liner notes, proof that you never really know what to expect from Deep Rooted.
After spending half a decade grinding in their own backyard and beyond, Deep Rooted plans to use their third album as a tool to showcase the talent that exists south of Los Angeles, and any self-respecting hip hop head would be wise to pay attention. San Diego, stand up!
D.E.E.P. R.O.O.T.E.D. is out now on Clear Label Records
