After building quite a following on the West Coast as well as recognition from industry heavyweights, Pacific Division released their new mixtape Church League Champions. Pacific Division easily recalls A Tribe Called Quest even if the dozens Tribe played was less aggressive than the dozens these days (compare We Can Get Down off of Tribe's classic Midnight Marauders to Pacific Division's We the Champs). They are less skilled than that trio in terms of wordplay, and rely too heavily on the vocabulary of gangster rappers - which they decidedly are not, especially early on in the mixtape.
Their mixtape however is as rousing as any Native Tongues collection, and in this day and age of stalled projects, it is not hard to foresee that many West Coast hip-hop heads and Pac Div fans will count this as a definitive part of their discography rather than a promotional tool. (Honestly, with the original production, and number of original tracks, one would be hard-pressed not to).
If you haven't heard them before, it takes a minute to adjust to their vocals, which all sound extremely similar upon first listen. They are not overly self-conscious; indeed, they seem to be having as much fun with rap as Bobby Ray. The second half of the mixtape contains the most musical innovation and the best all around tracks. The Underdogs (Interlude) enjoys the same sort of lush production often heard on Organized Noize productions, such as Dungeon Family's Even in Darkness. No No is a winner, with a catchy call and response hook. Knuckleheadz is even better with a synth heavy beat that flits in and out at just the right place, and then switches up into a bass-heavy number perfect for car rides to the club. Shut Up is stripped down, bass-heavy electro-funk, with an old school hook. And Young Black Male brings the kind of social reportage that was the rule, not the exception in the early nineties over a lilting beat.
Their mixtape however is as rousing as any Native Tongues collection, and in this day and age of stalled projects, it is not hard to foresee that many West Coast hip-hop heads and Pac Div fans will count this as a definitive part of their discography rather than a promotional tool. (Honestly, with the original production, and number of original tracks, one would be hard-pressed not to).
If you haven't heard them before, it takes a minute to adjust to their vocals, which all sound extremely similar upon first listen. They are not overly self-conscious; indeed, they seem to be having as much fun with rap as Bobby Ray. The second half of the mixtape contains the most musical innovation and the best all around tracks. The Underdogs (Interlude) enjoys the same sort of lush production often heard on Organized Noize productions, such as Dungeon Family's Even in Darkness. No No is a winner, with a catchy call and response hook. Knuckleheadz is even better with a synth heavy beat that flits in and out at just the right place, and then switches up into a bass-heavy number perfect for car rides to the club. Shut Up is stripped down, bass-heavy electro-funk, with an old school hook. And Young Black Male brings the kind of social reportage that was the rule, not the exception in the early nineties over a lilting beat.
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