The term “West Coast hip hop” may stoke reminiscences of the 1980s gangsta rap and 1990s g-funk but the scene that emerged out of Los Angeles in the 2000s birthed so much talent that it was only a given for some acts to not find their own space in the spotlight. OverDoz. were a rare group that cohabited this era alongside solo acts or collectives that still remain in relevance to this day. OverDoz. were synergy in its truest meaning with four distinct personalities that blended together to create beautiful music in their essential decade of existence. Kent Jamz was the rapper-singer with effortless charisma, P was the rapper with natural cool, Good Joon was the rapper with playful lightheartedness and Cream was the comedian … who was truly the comedian. Sure enough, OverDoz. was composed of three rappers and one comedian. These were close friends who thought it best that their musical group exist with the inclusion of a non-musical member and made him to be as important as anyone else. I always appreciated the representation. In addition, OverDoz. maintained a long creative collaboration with Calmatic who directed the majority of their music videos. The end result is a wide range of impressive imaginations that defined the group’s image.

OverDoz. were formed in 2008 and released four mixtapes over a five-year period. Their peak – and, to me, magnum opus – was in their 2011 mixtape Live For, Die For which is a remarkable effort that encapsulates the feeling of carefree early adulthood with its emphasis on house parties, romantic pursuits and California living. 2012 saw the release of their biggest single, “Lauren London” which was to be included on their 2013 mixtape Boom. They signed with a major label in Sony’s Polo Grounds Music that same year but – ironically as is depicted on the cover of Boom – the air had been smashed out of the balloon of anticipation by the time OverDoz. finally released their debut studio album, 2008, in 2017. It was to be their last release as a group. Here are a few songs by a great group.

1. “District”
2. “The Funktion” (with C-San)
3. “Killer Tofu”
4. “Last Kiss”
5. “Lauren London”
6. “Pasadena”

“District”

“District” is a maturation of efforts that opens with ominous keys and spoken instructions that feel like preparation for something to come. It then arrives with Kent Jamz’s chorus, “rollin’, slidin’”, repeated before that first beat ends and instead changes to an airy instrumental that gives space for the group to share their confessions. Kent Jamz mentioned that he “survived two drive-bys in front of my house / don’t see me cryin’”, Joon admits that he “is ignant as the rest is” and P is still on “streets [which are] so infected.” What could have been a lighthearted hook (“I’m with the homies in the district”) is instead surrounded by emotions of entrapment and despair.

“The Funktion” (with C-San)

The 40-second introduction to “The Funktion” sounds like it was audio recorded live from a party with drunken accusations of drinks being stolen, observations of female attendees and random vocalisations. The beat arrives for Kent Jamz to deliver an absolutely gorgeous hook about plans for the evening. Good Joon, P and their guest C-San rap about the easy goings of life and all feels well.

“Killer Tofu”

“Killer Tofu” is carefree as Kent Jamz and Good Joon go back-and-forth with observations of women and boasts over the men who chase after them. It concludes with a set of rhetorical questions asked to the listener about their compatibility with partners. All of this is done in less than 2 minutes which makes “Killer Tofu” as succinct as it is effective.

“Last Kiss”

OverDoz. earned the attention of Pharrell Williams who turned in both the production and backing vocals for their song “Last Kiss”. With an emphasis of moving on, Kent Jamz, Good Joon and P reminisce on both their past and present romantic exploits over a magnificent instrumental composed of a playful bass and guitar plucks.

“Lauren London”

“Lauren London” is OverDoz.’s tour de force. Kent Jamz opens with a bashful confidence, P follows with a mission statement for OverDoz. and Good Joon concludes with his abstract observations. OverDoz. stated in a 2015 interview with Microphone Check on NPR that Calmatic encouraged them to make a song “for the fans” and sure enough they deliver with perfect encapsulations of each member’s personality. “Lauren London” remains their crowning achievement and for good reason.

“Pasadena”

Late night escapades are captured on “Pasadena” which sees the members of OverDoz. searching for women across the city. Kent Jamz paints the scene of what they are doing, P’s verse is presented in the form of a phone call while he is in the midst of deception and Good Joon laments about those who have abandoned him in his search for the perfect partner.