Beeda Weeda - Turfology 101

Straddling the Bay Area fence between the Hyphy and Hieroglyphics camps, East Oakland native Beeda Weeda’s debut album “Turfology 101″ carries 16 tracks, the majority of which are produced by his own in-house production team PTB (Pushin’ The Beat) Productions. So where and how does Beeda Weeda fit into the scene in which currently has a large Hiphop spotlight shone on it due to the media interest in the Hyphy movement (to the point where indie cats like Zion-1 are dropping rapid paced, club-friendly records)?

Well, vision this if you can, fair reader. Take a pinch of the electronic sounds that the likes of E-40, Keak, Messy Marv, Mistah FAB and co have pushed to the forefront. Add a dash of the more indepth lyrical style championed by the likes of Casual, Tajai, and the rest of the Hiero clique, but temper it with 50 Cent levels of swagger and braggadocio. Throw in a shitload of bass. Bingo - “Turfology 101″.

The opening title track provides the perfect example - over a vibrating synth, a thumping bass, and insistent claps, Beeda kindly informs us of his daily activities - “Streets tryna swallow me / Cops tryna follow me / Block keeps callin’ me / They say I need psychology”, and while this reads like the life story of every other studio gangsta you’ve ever heard of, its delivered with a believable edge that urges you to continue listening. ‘Turfs Up’ and the later ‘Stomp’ also deliver similar messages over similar blinky bleepy beats with devastating effect.