Pacific Division

Dismissing the seemingly ubiquitous hip-hop clichés, California trio Pacific Division was regarded as a breath of oxygen if they surfaced from your underground in the late 2000s. Originally made up of ten-plus users, the group came into being when brothers Like (Gabe Stevenson) and Mibbs (Michael Stevenson), who relocated from LA to north suburb Palmdale, CA, for his or her freshmen yr in senior high school, discovered like-minded hip-hop mind within the school’s golf ball team. They produced Pacific Division the official team in 2002, but shrank right down to Like, Mibbs, and third member, BeYoung (Bryan Youthful), around 2005. Their 1st major providing, the 2006 mixtape Covered for Freshness: The Blendtape, was a total departure from well-known West Coastline rap music. Rhyming over traditional hip-hop instrumentals, the whimsical and witty trio sounded similar to a cross of Slum Town, the Pharcyde, as well as the Wu-Tang Clan. Using main maker/collaborator Swiff D, Pacific Department could build a reputable following via the web, particularly through the use of their MySpace website. Leaked singles like “F.A.T. Kids ’08” and “Ladies Complications” garnered plenty of press, getting them many “Designer to view” features in a number of mainstream magazines. The threesome finally agreed upon with main label General in 2008 after engaging several different presents. In March the next calendar year, the label released the digital-only, three-song Pacific Department EP, anticipating their debut, Grown Child Syndrome, to become released afterwards that year.