For those who don’t know, Dejon Paul is a rap critic and creator of “A Day in LA” blog site and magazine. Paul, a Los Angeles native, came to prominence in 2022 after releasing the infamous “LA Rap Report Card” which caused controversy amongst the LA rap scene and even landed him an interview on “No Jumper” where he confidently stood his ground and gave clarity to all of his grades. His unapologetic tone mixed with his hot takes garner a lot of attention, but his pure honesty and musical knowledge is something that is needed in a media industry that has been dominated and monetized by sources outside of the culture. In this article, we’ll cover his latest report card that highlights 27 Bay Area and NorCal rappers. Just a reminder that music is subjective and people consume and interpret it in their own ways. No one is ever right or wrong in their opinions about music, it’s just that, an opinion.
the Larry june debacle
Larry June received a “6” in originality because Paul believes that he stole Dom Kennedy’s style, flow, and cadence. A few Bay Area artists and fans acknowledged similarities between the two, but were ultimately displeased by Paul’s statements of Larry biting his swag. Paul held a Bay Area workshop space via Twitter, where he went in depth about his opinions and grading process. He went on to argue that Larry June started out making music that sounded more Atlanta based. With the rise of Dom Kennedy’s impact after the “Yellow Album” (2012), Paul goes on to say that Larry June began to change his style and musical approach to sound more west coast.
Musically, as it pertains to vibe and beat selection they share obvious similarities. Lyrically, they’re two totally different artists. Both are in the same “hustlers mentality” lane, but the delivery and subject matter is what sets them apart. Dom is the laid back LA non affiliate, who makes regular look stylish and uses other people’s money as a mantra that also ties into his lifestyle of using what he has to get what he wants. Larry is the laid back Bay Area “P”, who makes healthy living look stylish and uses his knowledge of the game to maneuver through life and the music industry. Both are great artists, just different in their respective talents.
What’s the verdict?: I think Larry June at least deserved an “8” because his style is original in the Bay Area rap scene where a lot of the content is the same. Unlike Dom, he also sings and harmonizes on a lot of records which makes him original in that aspect. Also, in Paul’s “LA Rap Report Card” (2023) he graded Kalan.FrFr a “10” in originality when there’s a lot of artists across California and beyond who are making the same style of music.
LARussell got a b-
It’s still unclear why LaRussell felt so much disdain about Paul’s list, even though he was graded very highly. Although he didn’t go into detail publicly about his thoughts on the list, he questioned Paul’s relevancy and wanted to know what qualifies him to critique Bay Area artists. In Paul’s Twitter space, fans argued that LaRussell’s “8” grade in impact was a snub seeing that he’s singlehandedly sparking a new generation renaissance of independent artistry that the Bay Area rap scene hasn’t seen in awhile and to this capacity. LaRussell has gained a cult following through his immaculate branding with “Good Company”. He’s also shined a light on various artists through his live performance series he does via Youtube. He proved to be a marketing genius with allowing his fans to pay what they want for merch as well as tickets to his concerts that he throws in his backyard.
Paul’s rebuttal was strictly musical. He argues that LaRussell’s doesn’t have a “10” in impact because he’s not a household name and his music is not recognizable or requested in other areas outside the Bay Area. He never downplayed LaRussell’s talents, he just believes that he doesn’t have a hit song.
What’s the verdict?: No verdict for this one, this is a classic case of miscommunication between an artist and media outlet. I think artists should be appreciative of media outlets for covering them without hidden agendas or biased opinions. I think media outlets also have a responsibility to thoroughly research artists before covering them. All in all, a restoration between media and artists needs to be established because both are essential to each other.
the thizzler connection
In Paul’s Twitter space he spoke candidly about the inception of the “Bay Area Report Card”. He explained that the idea to do a list of NorCal artists was presented to him by a rep at Thizzler. Thizzler is a Bay Area based media outlet who stands on an island alone as far as prominent music blogs in the region go. They also have a label division where they sign and partner with local up and coming NorCal artists. Yes, they’re a media outlet who also sign artists. Paul was given a proposition to drop this list exclusively through Thizzler, but he declined stating that they wanted him to manipulate the list so that none of their signed artists would receive any bad grades.
Although Paul declined Thizzler’s offer and opted to drop the list independently, he still received backlash from fans for putting a majority of Thizzler signed artists on the list specifically the members of Stockton based rap group “EBK”. In the Twitter space, he was accused of pandering to Thizzler’s agenda but quickly dismissed the claim by saying he has nothing to gain from posting their artists and that they were merely suggestions. He’s since vowed to not depend solely on Thizzler’s suggestions and research more artists in the region.
What’s the verdict?: Everyone that’s apart of the Bay Area music scene should play their part to make this a well-oiled machine. We’ll never get out from under Thizzler’s chokehold if we aren’t open to other media outlets critiquing the culture. Everyone talks about building this ideal Bay Area infrastructure, but both artists and fans need to be receptive and supportive of anyone covering our music scene because we don’t have many outlets.
Honorable Mention
Lil Kayla: got a “5” in impact, but I think she deserved a “10”. If Kamaiyah is the queen of mainstream Bay Area hip hop, then Lil Kayla is definitely the underground queen of this region. No female rapper in the Bay Area or California can compete with her bar for bar and she has become the standard for her peers. Songs like “Come Get Cho N****”, “One More Chance”, and “Make His Pockets Hurt” have all become classics in the Bay Area and beyond. She’s had countless Tik Tok sounds go viral and countless celebrities have used her songs on social media for personal post and even business campaigns. Lil Kayla’s impact reaches far beyond the Bay Area.
IAMSU!: got a “6” in flow and that’s honestly absurd. Off the top of my head I can count about five flows that he interchanges between songs. He sings, he harmonizes, he can rap fast, slow and everything in between. For reference, listen to “Hipster Girls”, “Shang Hai”, and “Smoking Gun Barrels” back to back and you’ll hear a clear difference in flow. I think he deserved at least an “8” in flow.
Rexx Life Raj: got a “7” in lyricism when he undoubtedly deserved a “10”. There is no one in the Bay Area right now who has better metaphors and meaningful lyrics than him. He’s in a tier of his own with his clever wordplay and witty punchlines. His subject matter and delivery sets him apart from his peers. Listen to “Yellow Brick Road”, “Running Man”, and “Handheld GPS”.
Artists that should have made the List
Lil Pete
22nd Jim
ZayBang
FredoBagz
Jay Anthony
D’Barbie
Project Poppa
D Lo
Shootergang Kony
Guapdad4000
Stunnaman02
Lulbearrubberband
WantMoreN8
Lingo
Chippass
Ally Cocaine
Trifln’
Yhung TO
Semiautocec
Kool John
Gee2x
Sonnie
Bosslife Big Spence
Bez19
Lil Yee
K8d0
Lil Sheik
Tio Greezy
Gee Pop
Bla$ta
1100 Himself
UC Kayla
Mitchell