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Topics: Frost, The Natural Movement, Col Piece of Work, Rap, hip-hop, Pain Is Beauty, tattoo, Bakersfield, Bakotopia, Bakotopia.com, Nerd Guy, DJ Kwizz, Hype Man Garvey, Urban, music
Posted by matt Wed Aug 20, 2008 10:09:29 PDT
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0 responses 0 comments Location: 1518 18th st., Bakersfield, CA 93301

Frost & The Natural Movement
Keeping Bakersfield rap on the rise


By Matt Muñoz, Bakotopia Editor
Photos: Holly Carlyle Photography

Being a hip-hop head in Bakersfield isn’t easy.

Local emcees Frost and The Natural Movement can attest to that.

With collective minds full of beats and rhymes, these local talents draw from real-life experience to continue the tradition of B-boy storytelling.

“Bakersfield is a sleeping city that hasn’t fully woken up,” said Frost, who by day runs his own tattoo shop — Pain Is Beauty in downtown Bakersfield.

“The Bay Area had the ‘hyphy’ movement, Texas had the ‘screwed up’ movement, but Bakersfield has something, too.”



That “something” may not be as defined as the two aforementioned rap/dance styles made famous by artists like rapper E-40 or DJ Screw. Bakersfield’s musical “rapscape” is almost as difficult to decipher as the business of hip-hop itself.

“The only way to get more out of the business is to push harder,” explained Frost, whose personal story has the makings of a real-life 8-Mile type “rapumentary.”


Frost

The product of a broken home and rough schooling via various California correctional facilities through adolescence, Frost, 30, is full of attention grabbing stories. Cool, calm and polite, the successfully independent artist/musician is serious about survival.

 “I started rapping about ’94 when I was in CYA (California Youth Authority),” he said. “I used to write raps and making fun of people – clowning on them.”

Describing the nightly “open mics” before lights out at CYA as a teen, Frost draws an outline of the dining hall and to show how guards would line up other residents around a podium — that’s where Frost would make a name for himself.

In between CYA stays, Frost also began recording, developing and upgrading the process along the way.


Frost

“Rapping became a passion for me,” he said. “I eventually started recording myself on cassette tape, then to karaoke machines, but now I’m using ProTools.”

While his passion for words was fierce, he still struggled with the realities of his surroundings. After a few more setbacks with the law, Frost
decided he’d had enough.

“I had grown up doing what I saw happening around me, there were old people in jail and I didn’t want to end up like them,” he said. “So I made it a goal to get a job and keep it.”

Frost set his eyes on opening his own tattoo shop. Like many others with similar backgrounds, Frost took his tattooing skills he honed behind bars and turned them into a business – opening his first Pain Is Beauty shop in June 2006.

His business would move twice over the course of a couple of years, eventually making its way to its current location at 1518 18th St. During this time, his love for rhyming and music making was still buzzing and surfacing by way of underground self-produced releases: 2006’s “Col Piece of Work,” “Unwritten,” a collection of undocumented freestyle recordings, among others under his own music label — Battle Field Records.


Frost

Combining the most potent areas of his life – tattoos and rap, Frost has managed to make a long list of allies. From California to Georgia, the
independent talent roster is impressive.

“Being a tattoo artist has allowed me to guest spot on other recordings and meet a lot of people as I travel,” he said.

Like most music genres, Frost’s rap style comes complete with its own sub genre — West Coast hip-hop, helped made famous by Compton, CA rap legend, DJ Qwik, whose easy-going flow has helped spawn a million imitators.

But it doesn’t stop with Qwik. The list of West Coast hip-hop influence on his style is deep. Frost names some of his faves, including those who made the East Coast famous, but unfortunately died just as their careers were taking off.

“Tupac, Mac Dre, Biggie, Pimp C, Big Pun …Those rappers inspired me a lot,” he said.

Frost’s individual flow is smooth enough for the West, with a strong southern influence. Listening to his older works, it might be easy to hear similarities between tracks, but get to know the artist and you’ll find his heart speaks in rhythm with his family close in all dealings, even outside the home.

His young daughter Aija, has all ready made a guest spot on a new track, “I’m On That Paper Route,” and wife Brandi helps keep it all together.

“My wife is the brains,” he said smiling. “She comes up with good ideas and manages the money.”

Looking forward to the upcoming release, “Who’s Ready For War? Vol. 1 Mix Tape”, in September, Frost has big plans for the future with plans on helping other local independent artists get the word out about their music — a job he feels is often more important than having a hit track in their possession.


New CD drops in Sept. '08

“A lot of people have product, but don’t know how to get it to the public,” he explained. “I like being consistent, and I can help other artists to promote and get people to listen.”

In addition to help with distribution, Frost also offers graphic design and of course, tattoos, for those with a need to take their game to the next level.

Backed by a close-knit group of friends and associates that include: DLOC, Jon Com, Coach Ali, The Beat Boyz’ DJ Editt, and Big Anthony (Cash Only Entertainment,) among other local and out of state brothers in arms, Frost’s goal for growth looks attainable.

When asked about how he deals with competition and those who wish him failure, Frost said he looks to poetry for guidance, courtesy of his favorite Japanese proverb that speaks of patience in the face of adversity.

“‘If you sit by the river long enough, you will see the body of your enemy float by,’ is my favorite,” he said. “I’ll stay focused, and when the problems move on, I’ll still be successful.”

FROST can be reached at:
Pain Is Beauty Tattoo, 1518 18th St., 661-861-8282

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THE NATURAL MOVEMENT


Above, from left: Nerd Guy, DJ Kwizz, Hype Man Garvey

Change is always in the air at a Natural Movement show.

Four friends on a common mission to entertain and educate, harkening back to the day when rap was young.

But this isn’t a revival, this is progress.

“I love hip-hop, but this whole thing is bigger than that,” said Natural Movement’s Nerd Guy during a recent sit-down at Fishlips in downtown Bakersfield. “I call it Afro-centric Latino music.”

Crossing paths to bring conscious rap back to Bakersfield, the quartet of Nerd Guy, Hype Man Garvey, DJ Kwizz, and producer Art The Influence have a grassroots mentality that complements their easygoing style.

“We grew to get into this type of music,” explained Garvey. “We didn’t always have this sound.”

Nerd quickly decides to share a bit of the group’s history to explain:

“We used to write lyrics about drinking, girls, high school stuff,” he said with laugh. “Jazz music changed us.”


Above, from left: Nerd Guy, DJ Kwizz, Hype Man Garvey

Taking a cue from Gang Starr’s DJ Premier and ‘90s acts known for sampling vintage jazz beats and creating loops, Kwizz searched for the origins behind his favorite rhythm tracks.

“I was listening to groups like De La Soul and I noticed the beats came from somewhere else,” said Kwizz in his soft spoken tone. “I started listening to artists like Herbie Hancock and Bob James. Hip-hop got my attention, but jazz opened my eyes.”

Friends back in their hometowns of Lamont and Arvin, CA, it was Kwizz and Art who started making music before meeting Nerd, becoming a loose trio of part-time collaborators.

“I met Kwizz back in ’03 at BC (Bakersfield College), and he used to bring his 8-track sampler to school,” said Nerd. “We’d sit there and just make beats and experiment.”



Kwizz remembers Nerd as a familiar figure at house parties, rockin’ the mic when available. Adding Hype Man Garvey into the mix for crowd involvement, the group was ready to make their live debut at Downtown Records in Bakersfield, the Old School way.

“Kwizz had to play the beats himself in the beginning,” laughed Nerd. “We didn’t have music yet.”

Getting inspired after their in-store performance in front of a few friends, The Natural Movement continued to write, make music, maturing musically and lyrically.

Garvey, who had attended UCSB as a philosophy major from ’02-’05, returned to Bakersfield after a brush with the law, and what he calls “ignorance of reality.”



“On and off campus, I saw a weird interaction between the upper, middle, and lower classes,” he said. “Some students would have ‘Bloods & Crips’ parties off campus, like it was something funny, and use the ‘n’-word freely to each other and to me. I got involved in protests against stereotypes that were being perpetuated around the school and helped with financial aid outreach programs.”

Back in Bakersfield, Garvey hooked up with Nerd, and instantly felt the message in their music.

“It was nice to know that this group was into many of the same things I was into,” he said.

Conscious-rap is a rare sight on the rap charts of today, but that hasn’t deterred them from their original goal of making good music for those who want to listen.

One of the group’s signature tunes, “Casual Fridays,” has become a crowd favorite with its light groove and catchy chorus.

“There was guy at a show who said he plays that song every morning to get his day started,” said Nerd. “That’s pretty cool to hear, especially when people in the audience know the words to your songs.”

Hitting the road and experiencing all the ups and downs of bad promoters, cancelled gigs and no money, The Natural Movement’s gig resume is impressive. Recently opening for such legends as Rakim, KRS-One, Hieroglyphics, Afro-Man, and an upcoming show with The Alkoholiks, these B-boys are making moves with the majors.

“We gotta get a manager and start booking some tours,” said Garvey.

The group agreed that while producer Art The Influence couldn’t make the interview (he’s attending Chico State University majoring in Music Business), he is well deserved of personal praise for his creative contribution.

“We like calling him the ‘Suit,’ smiled Garvey of Art’s attitude for creative perfection in the studio. “Nothing is ever right to him, and always has to be done over.”

Nerd laughs in agreement.

“We’ll ask him if he likes something, and he says, ‘Naahhh!’”

Constructing a long-term plan to record, produce and perform, The Natural Movement is one of the strong threads that help keep the Bakersfield hip-hop movement from losing sight of rap’s original message.

“Music is an art form that black people use to change things,” said Garvey.

From hype man to DJ, Kwizz echoes his lyrical partner.

“Our music is based on life experiences, and we’re always looking to improve it.”

For more info on The Natural Movement:

THE NATURAL MOVEMENT AT BAKOTOPIA.COM

E-mail: thenaturalmovement@hotmail.com

STORY ALSO PRINTED IN BAKOTOPIA MAG, ISSUE 35, 8-21-08

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