Two of LA’s most buzzing up-and-comers, Drakeo The Ruler and 03 Greedo, link up for the celebratory video to “Out The Slums,” from Drakeo’s recently-released Cold Devil. The irreverent, yet street-rooted South LA pair hits Beverly Hills’ famed Rodeo Drive to blow some stacks on designer goods but take care to remind listeners that they’re both still about that life, crowing that they’re “in Cavalli, but still out the slums.”
Drakeo’s muted, stoic delivery clashes magnificently with Greedo’s unhinged yowl, creating a perfect yin-yang chemistry that seriously makes me reconsider my “no more collaborative albums in 2018” policy. It’s a good thing too because they just announced that they’ll be releasing a joint album titled, naturally, Out The Slums. If they can keep the same energy for a full project, I might just issue an official retraction — or make an exception, at the very least.
Greedo and Drakeo have both been toiling away independently for the last few years, releasing the vast majority of their tapes under the radar. That may change in 2018, with the continuing resurgence of Los Angeles gangsta rappers whose wave appears to be cresting of late. Fellow South LA representative G Perico released not just one but three projects in 2017, promising more to come this year. Likewise, West Coast mainstay Nipsey Hussle is also prepping the release of his long-awaited major label debut in February. With so much attention focused on the City of Angels, it’s only a matter of time before Drakeo The Ruler and 03 Greedo become household names as well.
