www.myspace.com/dagobraves
A Couple of Kumeyaay Cool Guys
November 19, 2008
San Diego Natives Dago Braves' "Native American Hustle" won the Native American Music Award for "Best Hip Hop Album" in 2008. Cousins Terence "Poodeezy" Brown and Mike "Odoe" Allen are both members of the Sycuan Band of Kumeyaay Indians in San Diego.
The CD is dope. Most Native rappers can't stop talking about the fact that they're Indian, and they're from the reservation, and they're Indian. I'm sorry, but that theme needs to disappear from this genre of music if we really want to make some progress in the music business. Not the case with Dago Braves on "Native American Hustle."
I would describe their sound as "California Living." They have songs about going to the club, pulling girls and spending money. Both "Poodeezy" and "Odoe" have a laid-back, "playeristic" flow, that reminds me of Bay area rappers Keak da Sneak and Mac Dre. They even have a couple of featured verses from Keak on the album.
They have a song called "Something Special" geared toward the ladies. My personal favorite on the CD is "We So Cool." Songs like "When You Think of Cali" are also an entertaining breath of fresh air in the Native hip hop scene. They do get a little political on "Don't Think It's All Good." This beat is so West Coast. I also like the Ice Cube sample, "Tryna F*** Me Out My Land and My Manhood."
I don't hear too many Native rap albums that I feel like listening to more than once to give it a review. This album gets regular play in the MP3 player. The girlfriend is usually the biggest critic of the music I listen to, and "Native American Hustle" stays in rotation on her car.
Dago Braves deserves a "4 out of 5" on my rating system. If you like California rap, you'll definitely dig "Native American Hustle." Dago Braves also have a new album released in October titled "Kumeyaay Cool Guyz." You can listen to a few of those songs on their MySpace profile.
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