Four years later, Shoreline Mafia’s debut album has finally arrived, and it was well worth the wait.
When the rap collective, composed of Fenix Flexin, Ohgeesy, Rob Vicious and Master Kato, officially launched back in 2016, the concept of a prolific career run in music was non-existent at the time. In fact, when you analyze how the four-man group came together, it was damn near fate at this point.
From a graffiti-filled past that subsequently led to a meeting of the minds, everything pretty much fell into place shortly after a commonality of interest was established — or as Ohgeesy mentioned in a past interview with XXL, “I met Fenix doing graffiti,” he shared. “We were getting super tight, started making music. Then eventually we just put Rob and Kato in.” With a collection of hit records attached to their namesake and a cult-like following that redefines the term stan, in retrospect, I guess it’s fair to say that a wise decision was made that day.
Sonically, Mafia Bidness is Shoreline Mafia’s most polished offering to date. Throughout the entirety of 21 tracks, supported by electronically produced chords and layered synths, the LP introduces listeners to Shoreline’s signature sound, recruiting a list of heavy-hitting guest features from the likes of; 03 Greedo, Future, Wiz Khalifa, Duke Deuce, Lil Yachty, Kodak Black and Drakeo The Ruler to name a few.
It’s evident the genesis of Shoreline Mafia is best attributed to the West Coast’ industrial soundscape. Frenetic production, record sampling and drug-induced prose, Mafia Bidness is sophisticated ignorance at it’s finest. Candidly speaking, this project is the culmination of hard-hitting anthems and a steadfast grind that transcends mere sonic influence — it’s like digital crack atop of G-funk inspired beat patterns.
An hour in length, Mafia Bidness channels a cash rich attitude that’s seemingly forthright, divulging a multi-perspective logging of life through the eyes of the Angeleno quartet. Drug culture and high-spirited innuendos provide an element of consistency across Shoreline Mafia’s debut effort. With a cantankerous psyche that elucidates a stony pen game, this project is filled with a medley of experimental collaborations that define tonal versatility. Frequent collaborator Ron-Ron The Producer’s hypnotic bassline is a great addition to the mixture of creative tones on display, citing production credit from Helluva Beats, AceTheFace, Bruce24k, Cypress Moreno and more.
In terms of subject matter, Mafia Bidness is all about c-notes, sex and an untamed lifestyle saturated with bawdy belles. It’s like listening to four bachelor’s converse about life and what’s most important, bands, guap, scrilla and havin shit.
Check out Mafia Bidness below, released via Atlantic Records.
