Premiere: Forest - "Movie"

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Southern California has long been a hotbed for rap, and until recently the sound championed by artists from Los Angeles and its surrounding areas had a very distinctive style. Recently, however, rappers like Vince Staples and Boogie have followed in Kendrick Lamar’s footsteps, expanding what it means when we say something sounds like it’s from the West Coast.

Enter Forest, a 23-year-old Compton native with a debut project UNDRWATER coming down the pipe. Forest was all set to go to school on a football scholarship, but he was shot in the leg shortly before starting to play. The injury forced his attention elsewhere, and luckily, he’s a man of many talents. “Movie” pairs a slinky electronic riff with massive percussion, led by some vicious hi-hat trills.

Forest proves himself more than capable of handling the beat (produced by AC and August Grant), and he finishes it all off with a hook that will run through your head long after the song finishes. The rapper is intent on keeping his city at the forefront of his musical conversations, saying that “Compton usually gets a bad rap for gang violence and crime, however, the recent release of Straight Outta Compton gave the city a bigger platform to do other things rather than music & expand the culture’s diversity.”

Stream “Movie” below, and hear more from Forest here.

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