Gangsta rap is L.A.’s birthright, and with last year’s tape Shit Don’t Stop, G Perico showed he’s worthy to carry and continue the sound. Even though he’s not yet 30, he favors new jack swing on his car stereo and stormy g-funk in his beats, like the wistful synth chords and slightly mournful melody on “All Blue,” the title-track from his debut album, out today. Coming of age under the tutelage of OGs in the last violent era of gangbanging in the city, his lyrics are too detailed to be dreamed up. “Don’t ever walk with your back against traffic/Niggas pull up right behind you, roll down the window and clap,” he advises. “You see them smokers? They be buyin’ dope for undercovers.”
If anyone could write a manual on how to not only survive, but thrive, in South Central, it’s G Perico. After all, rapping was an afterthought for him. Jumping off the porch and into the streets when he was still a boy, he wanted to bang for a living until he died, most likely young. He got a second chance, and left one game for another, albeit a less physically dangerous one. But when he offers to walk you through his hood and show you the ropes on “All Blue,” trust that he knows what he’s talking about, even if he hopes he never has to tread those sidewalks again.
