The Lost Angel Crew Interview - Working with B Real of Cypress Hill and Releasing an Album

If you think there's no new undiscovered talent in hip hop, you would be very wrong. The Lost Angel Crew is a hard working group from Southern California who started with nothing and have achieved much. The past year has been a big one, with the release of their debut album, Hello My Name Is on the highly regarded Latin Thug Records, on the heels of an amazing collaboration with rap icon B Real of Cypress Hill.

According to the group's own biography:
"WestKoast contributes to the group with his intricate metaphors and well thought analogies. WestKoast aspires to paint an invisible picture with his rhymes and wants you to visualize it with your imagination. His delivery is designed to perfection and has the ability to move crowds with authority."

Joining WestKoast is Lobes. who the group calls their "producer of beats, is responsible for one half of the beat creations. Lobes' lyrics are inspired by his sense of humor and taste for psychological metaphors."

The final member is Deviate Minded, who the band's biography calls: "A cinematic beat maker and also one half of The Lost Angel Crew's production team, Deviate Minded is referred to as an emcee of extreme complexity and a producer of complex extremity."

We sat down with the guys via email to find out the latest news from The Lost Angel Crew.

How did you guys get together?

We are all family and it kind of just happened. It started out with Lobes and West and then Deviate One came into the picture a couple years after. How did the group form? We just said it should be and it became.

What are your musical influences?

Just that, Music. We're all inspired by all types of music from all different genres... inspiration comes from life, and family and music and experience, etc. Who did you listen to growing up? Oldies, West Coast and East Coast rap and hip-hop,Eminem, Crooked i, Slug, 2mex, South Central Cartel, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mozart, Bach, Led Zeppelin, Bone Thugs, 2pac, DPG, jazz, Bjork, Radiohead, you name it..all types. Deviate:recently i been searching for producers i've never heard before like Blockhead, Little People, DJ Shadow, Urbs, Bonobo, DJ Frane, Rjd2. these are some amazing producers who gave me a whole new perspective of the Hip-Hop "canvas".

Where are you from?

Born in Los Angeles County and raised in San Diego-North County What is the music scene like there? The scene in North County is dope right now..we're about to put it on the map. it varies in wide ranges. we got that back-packers-b-boy style to gangsta rap, from the really lyrical to the really catchy. mainstream and underground, its all here.

What does Lost Angel Crew mean?

Its really just about a way of thinking more than anything, like we know street life we grew up in the game and our family is from a street gang background and all..we know that life and rep that life in the sense of the rules and laws that come with it but we on another tip..on some new styles, with new ambitions and goals, we're more about responsibility but not all the way right either you know..angels of the lost..The Lost Angel Crew!

How did you get to work with B Real?

They were making a new mixtape for Audio Hustlaz..."The Harvest Vol. II" i think and we sent our music into them for a chance at...we got a response from them saying they listened to some of our tracks and were down to give us a slot on the mixtape for the right price with B-real on the song and the beat ... the rest is history...

What was the experience like to work with him?

It was cool...we did what you would expect to do with the Buddha Master he recorded us on the beat he made..then we did what you would expect again...haha and again...lol..we chilled with Keen, Young De and Brevi...played some ps3...got Brevi to drop a hook on the track..then Mellow Man came through..FredWreck...mad fools..it was tight..

Tell us about the new album - Hello My Name Is-

its a definite banger..west coast lyricism at its finest..we got those west coast street bangers and them underground back packin battle joints, etc... its an all around versatile album in which we all showcase the many different styles we could rock on the mic all while bringin you track after track...its one you can listen to front to back!

What are some of your favorite songs on the album and why?

Lobes: Dankster MC its like our stamp...the beat just pumps me up its our sig. dankster song. West: My favorite song on the album is Tha Saints- just listen to it..you'll see why? Deviate: I like the whole album equally..its my favorite! haha

What's next for LAC?

Next is business..expect to pay to see us and work with us..thats the game...but also expect to get ya moneys worth everytime!

Thank you to The Lost Angel Crew for their time. Check them out performing in a city near you, check online for their schedule. Their new album Hello My Name Is, featuring the song The Harvest with B Real of Cypress Hill is available on itunes and all digital music services.