The Frontline
Encyclopedia
The Frontline, commonly known as Frontline, is a rap duo from Richmond, California
consisting of Left and Locksmith
, also known as Lock. The group is associated with West Coast hip hop
music.
's Freestyle Battle in 2003. He reached the final round, but lost to a rapper named Reign Man.
They initially recorded mixtape
s and released their debut album, Who R You, in 2004, selling it themselves from the van in which they travelled to performances. After gaining popularity through airplay on local radio stations, the album was reissued with additional tracks in 2005 by Ryko as Now U Know.
Despite gaining popularity around the time of the Bay Area hyphy
movement, The Frontline are not associated as hyphy artists. Their lyrics are more socially conscious than most Bay Area rappers. One of the issues that has been brought up in multiple songs is being positive role models for youths. While they are not opposed to gangster rap and rapping about previous transgressions, Lock and Left don't consistently make records about violence and do not romanticize it. Their hometown, Richmond, CA has one of the top homicide rates not only in CA, but in the United States. Neither rapper smokes or drinks alcohol, nor glorifies it in their songs. While promoting their second album, Lock & Left, on Bay Area radio station 106.1 KMEL
, they discussed the downside to drugs and alcohol abuse. Much of their work has been produced by E-A-SKI.
Lock and Left are both UC Berkeley Graduates (LEFT is currently earning a PhD
in African Diaspora Studies). Their dedication to youth and education is also reflected in their after-school mentoring and tutoring programs they have set up in the city of Richmond California. There are also two as-yet unreleased tracks named "I'm Still Livin'" & "Loco", which were released in underground and Bay Area Complication Disc. Locksmith has recently re-entered the battle arena and has emerged victorious in all of his recent battles (all of said battles are on youtube.com).
Locksmith said if the duo's approach: "We're trying to let them know that there's an alternative to the alcohol and drugs and violence that's going on. We don't down anybody for what they do, but at the same time we will show them that there's another route."
In 2009, Locksmith was working on his own solo album, Frank the Rabbit, produced by E-A-Ski.
The group has had three videos on MTV:
"When U Want It" / "The Truth" was MTV Jam of the week on MTV Jams and MTV U
Richmond, California
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a residential inner suburb of San Francisco, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been...
consisting of Left and Locksmith
Locksmith (rapper)
Locksmith is a rapper of Iranian- and African-American descents from Richmond, California. He is one half of the underground duo The Frontline.-Biography:...
, also known as Lock. The group is associated with West Coast hip hop
West Coast hip hop
West Coast hip hop is a hip hop music subgenre that encompasses any artists or music that originates in the westernmost region of the United States, as opposed to East Coast hip hop, based originally in New York alone...
music.
History
The two rappers were both born in Richmond and met while at Richmond Junior High School, and formed The Frontline in 1997. Group member Locksmith first got national exposure appearing on MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's Freestyle Battle in 2003. He reached the final round, but lost to a rapper named Reign Man.
They initially recorded mixtape
Mixtape
A Mix Tape or Mixed Tape is a compilation of songs recorded in a specific order, traditionally onto an audio Compact Cassette.A Mix Tape, which usually reflects the musical tastes of its compiler, can range from a casually selected list of favorite songs, to a conceptual mix of songs linked by a...
s and released their debut album, Who R You, in 2004, selling it themselves from the van in which they travelled to performances. After gaining popularity through airplay on local radio stations, the album was reissued with additional tracks in 2005 by Ryko as Now U Know.
Despite gaining popularity around the time of the Bay Area hyphy
Hyphy
The word hyphy is Conor Devlin's preferred short word meaning "hyperactive." It was created by Bay Area rapper Keak Da Sneak when he used the term on an album he recorded in 1994. From the USA Today article: "Every record label was getting at us at that time, but we fumbled the ball," says E-40,...
movement, The Frontline are not associated as hyphy artists. Their lyrics are more socially conscious than most Bay Area rappers. One of the issues that has been brought up in multiple songs is being positive role models for youths. While they are not opposed to gangster rap and rapping about previous transgressions, Lock and Left don't consistently make records about violence and do not romanticize it. Their hometown, Richmond, CA has one of the top homicide rates not only in CA, but in the United States. Neither rapper smokes or drinks alcohol, nor glorifies it in their songs. While promoting their second album, Lock & Left, on Bay Area radio station 106.1 KMEL
KMEL
KMEL is an Urban Contemporary-formatted radio station located in San Francisco, California, and owned by Clear Channel Communications....
, they discussed the downside to drugs and alcohol abuse. Much of their work has been produced by E-A-SKI.
Lock and Left are both UC Berkeley Graduates (LEFT is currently earning a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in African Diaspora Studies). Their dedication to youth and education is also reflected in their after-school mentoring and tutoring programs they have set up in the city of Richmond California. There are also two as-yet unreleased tracks named "I'm Still Livin'" & "Loco", which were released in underground and Bay Area Complication Disc. Locksmith has recently re-entered the battle arena and has emerged victorious in all of his recent battles (all of said battles are on youtube.com).
Locksmith said if the duo's approach: "We're trying to let them know that there's an alternative to the alcohol and drugs and violence that's going on. We don't down anybody for what they do, but at the same time we will show them that there's another route."
In 2009, Locksmith was working on his own solo album, Frank the Rabbit, produced by E-A-Ski.
Albums
- Bootleg 2.1
- Who R You (May 10, 2005) - Billboard Independent Albums #48
- Now U Know (2005), Ryko - Billboard Independent Albums #46
- Lock & Left (September 25, 2007). The single, "It's Goin Down," is a hidden track on this album.
Singles
- "What Is It" (2004)
- "Uh Huhh" (2004)
- "Bang It" (2005)
- "Take That" (2006)
- "When You Want It" (2006)
- "It's Goin' Down" (2007)
- "R.I.P." (2007)
The group has had three videos on MTV:
- "Bang It"
- "When U Want It" / "The Truth"
- "R.I.P."
"When U Want It" / "The Truth" was MTV Jam of the week on MTV Jams and MTV U