Here’s the latest dispatch from the Broad Street Elite crew. So !lla, who appeared in a recent print issue of RVA Magazine and who is apparently now calling himself OG !lla, at least for the purposes of this video, is the ringleader of this particular local posse, and his protege Rich P shows up with a verse on this track as well.
Here’s the latest dispatch from the Broad Street Elite crew. So !lla, who appeared in a recent print issue of RVA Magazine and who is apparently now calling himself OG !lla, at least for the purposes of this video, is the ringleader of this particular local posse, and his protege Rich P shows up with a verse on this track as well. Directed by BCMusic1st, who does a lot of visual work in the local hip hop scene, the video features So !lla and Rich P dropping their verses from a pathway overlooking the James River from the south. This shot is interesting because it creates an RVA-centric version of the look that so many New York rappers have used when they rap alongside the Hudson River with the Manhattan skyline in the background.
As the song begins, !lla and Rich P emerge from the shadows to rap in harsh, intimidating tones, while the video intercuts various shots of drugs and paraphernalia (which I hope everyone’s using in moderation… there’ve been too many death notices about RVA emcees lately. OK, I’ll stop preaching now). Rich P’s deep, gravelly voice contrasts nicely with So !lla’s slightly higher timbre, and where !lla sounds hyped up and ready to throw down, Rich P has a smoother tone, putting across an air of menace even through his seemingly laid-back delivery. Overtop of a 90s-style foreboding jazz loop, the whole thing adds up to a defiant anthem with an old-school flavor that lets everyone know Broad Street Elite is on the scene and representing.
The original version of So !lla’s mixtape, #ForTheFuckOfIt, dropped back in November of last year, and is still available for free download on Bandcamp (grab it here). However, “Cold Shoulder” will be included as a bonus track on the Elite Edition of #ForTheFuckOfIt, which is coming November. So !lla is planning a release party for this new, augmented mixtape on Friday, November 15 at Addis Ethiopian Restaurant, located at 9 N. 17th St in Shockoe Bottom. The event will kick off at 10 PM, and will feature appearances by the whole HLGNLIFE/Broad Street Elite crew, with host Mickey Cohen and music by DJ Gringo 101. A $20 advance ticket gets you admission, a raffle ticket, and a copy of the brand new mixtape–for details on how to score a ticket for yourself, shoot So !lla an email at HLGNLIFE@gmail.com. Until then, grab yourself a copy of “Cold Shoulder” right now over at Bandcamp! Or just play this video over and over–that’s never a bad idea.
