Deep Cut: Horseshoe Gang "We Them Muf**kas"

Crooked I's crew Horseshoe Gang deserve more recognition.

Image via DatPiff

Mixtape: Mixtape Monthly Vol. 3
Producer:
Unknown

The first thing most people know about Horseshoe Gang is that they're four guys who are also Crooked I's brothers. Well, if they are up on them in the first place. These dudes have been on the fringe, and dropping stuff fairly steadily since '09. Their fanbase is mostly those looking for traditional West Coast rap in a drought, or those who can’t get enough of them Slaughterhouse stylings. In the last few months, they've started to drop a monthly series of mixtapes. When Volume 3 dropped on the 21st, a quick skim of the tracklist on DatPiff suggested "We Them Mufuckas" would probably be the best place to start.

They go straight into the 8-bit production, which can make you apprehensive about what’s about to go down. But then it drops out and transitions to some straight rapping-ass drums. Each of these guys just goes in on some rapping about being the "motherfuckers in this motherfucker" and you need to "get the motherfuck out the way" because they "ain’t worried about a motherfucking thing." The whole crew has pretty much learned to rap from Crooked I, and the influence comes through in each of their styles, but all of them are capable rappers on their own. This is the most aggressively-rapped song on the tape, and, as it turns out, the highlight.

Horseshoe Gang tends to get pigeonholed as just a team that Crooked I pushes as a side project, but they got songs that are worth checking for. Who knows if they can break out of confines of that LA bubble that too many West Coast street rappers get caught up in. TDE levels of success would be a stretch, but they could at least get noticed beyond those who know too much about the structure of C.O.B. 

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