Got hip to this from that blog Fresh Selects. Jyeah!
If you’re from SoCal and its surroundings or an long-time hip hop internet geek like myself, then you’ve heard of the infamously legendary Root Down Soundclash beat battles. In these battles, some of the best beatmakers from California went head-to-head on some true hip hop shit. Mind you, they did wa-aaaay before Red Bull got involved. Essentially, the winner only got braggin’ rights, but that did not seem to stop the contestants from bringing the heat. Now you all can see it for yourself… on DVD.
Thes One from People Under The Stairs released a CD of his contributions for his battle against Black Eyed Peas’ Will.I.Am on P-Vine Records. I have the awesome fortune to own a copy (What up Thes!). In fact, if you squint, you can see it in the Frying in Vein photo above behind the eLZhi Witness My Growth 2CD and his Out of Focus cassette tape. Beats are superb, believe that. From the sounds of Will’s joints, you’d think Thes won, but I hear that Will’s growing popularity at the time won the crowd over (it was around the same time Fergie ruined the group). You need to buy the DVD, because I hear their battle was something else! Something about Thes coming as an alter ego and Will.I.Am doing … yeah, just cop it.
You’ll also find battles between some no-names like Madlib vs. Cut Chemist and Oh No vs. Exile. Yeah, whatever on those guys… LOL
Because I’m a nice guy, let me share a couple tracks from Thes One Presents: The Baron Wolfgang Von Thes vs. Will.I.Am Live At The Rootdown Soundclash.
Peep “Want You Back” and “Joints and Gyms”