The West Coast has always been a little…out there. Even during the peak of the gangsta rap’s/G-funk’s cultural relevance in rap, there was a constantly bubbling underground of left-of-center, progressive, and arty hip-hop, much of it emanating from The Good Life Cafe, which would later spawn LA’s own Project Blowed. The extended cast of Blowed luminaries includes critically celebrated acts such as Busdriver and Aceyalone, as well as burgeoning stars (and occasional battle rappers) like Dumbfoundead, Sahtyre, Rheteric Ramirez, Open-Mike Eagle, and Nocando.
Like a lot of battle rap vets, Nocan’s battles were not just about a competitive drive but a side hustle, a dedicated grind that led him to win ScribbleJam in 2007 and infamously live off the winnings from the grip of competitors he’s bodied. That hustle didn’t stop there, and Nocan’s been steadily dropping boundary-pushing LA rap for more than 5 years, starting with the group Customer Service, then solo with The Impatient EP, Walk the Void, the LA vs Holly Wood mixtape, and culminating in the acclaimed Nocando is a Virus EP and his debut album Jimmy the Lock.
Building on a showy and hilarious guest verse on Busdriver’s Jhelli Beam album, the pair recently released their own off-kilter take on mainstream rap as Flash Bang Grenada to much positive press, and Nocan aka Jimmy the Lock is releasing the Zero Hour freEP. Check out the self-titled single from the release and Nocan’s trippy video for “Two-Track Mind” from Jimmy the Lock below.
Like what you hear? Into uncommon West Coast rap that’s as grimy as it is weird? Check the links below for album and tour info, bios, and updates on Nocando.
Download the Zero Hour FreEP
Download Nocando is a Virus for free
Nocando on iTunes
Nocando on Twitter
Nocando on Facebook
Official Nocando page via Alpha Pup site
Nocando on Soundcloud
