metroactive.com | sanjose.com | metrosiliconvalley.com | MAY 17-23 2017
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MUSIC
COOKIE P-Lo, co-founder of HBK, will host a listening party for his new LP at C.R.E.A.M. in San Jose
Ice Cream Beats TEN SECONDS INTO album-opener “The One,” P-Lo dispenses with any question of where his sonic loyalties lie. A bouncing xylophone melody combines with a familiar G-Funk bassline to make an unmistakable bay sound. It’s the lead off track to More Than Anything, a project that expands on P-Lo’s past work, but still maintains a lot of the same ideas he’s been experimenting with since he co-founded hip-hop collective HBK with Richmond rapper Iamsu! back in 2008. P-Lo will be celebrating the release of the new record by playing it while serving ice cream to fans in downtown San Jose on May 19. “Anything made in the Bay is something I hold dear to my heart,” P-Lo says, explaining the event.
P-Lo Listening Party
May 19, Free Still buzzing off a handful of strong mixtapes, an EP C.R.E.A.M., and a slew of production credits on albums by Yo Gotti, San Jose YG and Kamaiyah, P-Lo’s star has risen the past few years—which was helped in no small part thanks to his production credit on Yo Gotti’s “Act Right.” He lent the song an infectious combination of steady trap snares and well-placed synthesizers that helped propel it into the Hot 100, which opened some doors for him. “I was able to get more and more placements from that track,” P-Lo says, “I actually ended up getting a publishing deal from that song. It definitely put me in a position to do other things.” P-Lo has been on both sides of the boards since the inception of HBK and the group’s resident production team “The Invasion.” The past few years have marked a noticeable move towards rapping for the Pinole native. “I feel like my focus early on was really production, but these days my focus has been on my artist side. That’s ultimately what I really wanted to do,” P-Lo says. He went on to explain that his focus as a producer was fueled by his desire to find a place as a rapper. No matter what he’s recognized for though, one thing that remains constant is the place his music represents—the Bay Area. On the E-40 featuring “Put Me On Somethin” P-Lo proclaims “Last year they didn’t even like the Bay.” He explains that from his point of view the Bay Area has gone unrecognized for its status as a constant source of hiphop’s innovators. He pointed out that Zaytoven, a forefather of the current permutation of trap music hails from San Francisco. —Yousif Kassab