G59 Records rapper Ramirez and Virginia singer-songwriter-producer Rocci release their collaborative album Tha Playa$ Manual via G59 Records / Caroline. The entire album is co-produced by Ramirez and Rocci and influenced by classic G-Funk sounds blended with Mid-West and Southern Rap vibes. Guest features include Ramirez’s G59 Records labelmates Night Lovell and Shakewell as well as Miami underground rap star Pouya.
“What inspired my project was the music I grew up with… that old Bay Area gangsta rap. San Francisco had a very unique sound when it came to the 90s. You have the Rappin’ 4-Tays, RBL Posses, Cellskis, Andre Nickatinas, Dush Trays, San Quinns and the get low production. My neighborhood was full of low riders and the gang bangers would treat me like family cuz I grew up there.
I decided to work with Rocci on this project for the simple fact that he understood my vision. We sat down in the studio running through vinyls I grew up on and although he’d never heard them before, he got the vision and executed it like no other. Most of my older projects are more harder hitting in-your-face with a fuck you attitude. This project is one you could play at a cookout and groove with the kids and older generations. I want my fans to experience my album with an open ear and feel how I got inspired as a child living in San Francisco listening to 90’s rappers. I want my fans to understand that this is my way to show respect to the artists who basically raised me.
And it’s not only just from San Francisco, but also Houston Texas, Memphis Tennessee Cleveland Ohio, and Tulsa Oklahoma. The 90’s was a beautiful time for gangster rap and G funk and everything other than mainstream rap.”
Tha Playa$ Manual lead single “The Fo Five” is a west-coast style banger that delves into a gangster’s homicide. The music video directed by ABOVEGROUND has over 2.5 million views and the song has gained over 6 million combined streams with 2.5 million streams on Spotify alone. The song started playing on SiriusXM Hip Hop Nation this week as part of their First Alert campaign.
CLICK HERE to stream Ramirez’ new album
