The West Coast’s Silent Killers: Veteran Lyricism Meets Pure Boom-Bap Cohesion

Released April 10th 2026

While some of this generation may remember him for “Pimp My Ride,” those of us in the know are privy to the flame-spitting West Coast former member of Tha Liks who made a name for himself with classics like “What U See is What You Get” (and one of the greatest Hip-Hop videos of all time) and “Paparazzi.” Add in the Cypress Hill frontman B-Real and round it out with unheralded frequent collaborator Demrick, and how can you miss?

The answer is you can’t. With their recent collaboration, This Thing of Ours, you get pure, unadulterated West Coast Hip-Hop at a high level. While not a perfect release, the OGs prove they haven’t lost a step.

Coming in at a tight 11 tracks, the trio doesn’t waste time, going straight into lyrical assault mode with “SK Anthem,” “This Thing of Ours,” and “Call the Cops.” It is the perfect blend of classic boom-bap laced with that West Coast energy. “Fired Up” and “Levels” mellow things out a bit but still fit within the frame; however, “Hand Grenade” mimics its title, switching it up by going full rock/Linkin Park. While not a terrible track, I can’t say it’s my cup of tea.

Outside of that, the highlight of this tape is the top-notch lyricism coupled with the mostly uptempo production and great synergy with Scoop Deville. The drawback: if you are a fan of more contemporary-sounding production, this project may turn you off with its distinctly early 2000s feel.

With a supergroup album featuring a trio, don’t expect many features. The only credited spots belong to Chuck D (via sample) and the producer Scoop Deville. However, given the nature of the group, it’s not that big of a deal. As mentioned before, the pros and cons of a single-producer project is that if you don’t like the style, the entire album may be hard to get into. For me, the production fit the style of the rappers perfectly and added to the cohesiveness, making it feel like a complete project instead of a collection of songs.

Long story short: THIS IS HIP-HOP in its purest form. Beyond drama-laced rollouts, theatrics, and overproduced, feature-filled slop, this is simply three of the best veteran ambassadors showcasing their skill level. This release should be in heavy rotation for any Hip-Hop Head, and I am honored to give these OGs their flowers while they are still spitting at a high level.

Album Rating: 👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑 (8/10)

Standout Tracks: SK Anthem, Call the Cops, Levels, High Energy