Coast Contra consists of Ras Austin, Taj Austin, RioLoz & Eric Jamal. They are a lot less underground than I realized but they still deserve a lot more love than they are getting. This Hip Hop group’s lyrical ability and style have an old school feel with some adaptations of newer Hip Hop. The energy is something rarely seen in revivals of this style and between the 4 of them they bring a lot of it. Coast Contra can smack you in the face with bars for 4 minutes straight like in “Pimpin’ Benjamin” or hit you with a club banger like “On Tap”. Whatever style of song they showcase its always quality and they seem to take great care in that. They only have one major release as a group and a few extra ones on Sound Cloud including a freestyle tape to many well-known beats. I still haven’t quite figured out who is who except for their bi-lingual member Rio Loz from Colombia who can effortlessly switch between rapping in Spanish and English. Taj and Raj are twin brothers with talent in their blood and Eric Jamal is known talent from Philly. The group made the song “Queen and Slim” for the movie Queen and Slim so like I said not as underground as I thought but still deserve so much more attention. I can’t begin to dissect their bars because that would start a segment I couldn’t finish in one article. The substance that appears in their songs is everything from smooth braggadocios lines to wise advice. This group brings fresh new music in a faithful Old-school Hip Hop style. Coast Contra’s catalogue will resonate well with fans of many ages. Please check out the Starter Pack Playlist we made of them on our Sound Cloud and Spotify. I hope it inspires you to keep an eye on them for future releases.
