Knuccleheadz | Steel City Crippin

If you take a glance at P A L M’s page, you will see that I am a huge supporter of the Pittsburgh hip-hop scene. From chopping it up with The Company Only (Seas, Sh’Mi, and Joel Kellem just to name a few) to reviews of Mac Miller, Wiz Khalifa, and Choo Jackson projects, it’s not hard to tell that P A L M has love for the 412. Through talking to friends and artists from that area, I’ve noticed that there’s somewhat of a connection between us southern Californians and those from the Burgh.

That connection couldn’t be more prevalent when you listen to Knuccleheadz. The three man group from The Homewood area of Pittsburgh takes on a vintage sound extremely reminiscent of the 90s Death Row/G-Funk era sound. I listened to their song “Cuz of You” featuring PrettyGangg and Chuck Global practically four times in a row and swore it was a b-side off The Chronic.

Just like the ways of early Snoop and Dogg Pound, Knuccleheadz claim Crip affiliation in their music. Even in their videos, Left Cide Kelly, Jiggy, and HeemLoc sport blue bandannas and flannels with Chuck Taylor’s and khaki’s.

Being from Pittsburgh, it’s no question that Knuccleheadz are also down with Taylor Gang. Jiggy has collaborated with Wiz Khalifa and Taylor Gang producer Ricky P, on the song “On My Soul.” To spite not having a complete project out, Knuccleheadz have a handful of tracks on their soundcloud page, and that’s really all you need.

The connection between L.A. and Pittsburgh is a little deeper rooted than you may think. Back in the 90s, Dr. Dre signed a worked alongside a Pittsburgh based producer named Mel-Man, who’s also collaborated with the likes of Gucci Mane, Yung Dro, and many more. Not to mention Snoop Dogg and Wiz did their album and movie together Mac and Devin Go to High School and Snoop’s always been a die hard Steelers fan.

But wait, there’s more.

We can’t forget to mention Dock Ellis, the infamous star pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates during the 70s was from Compton. Plus there’s a steel port city in Northern California called Pittsburg (without the G, but you already know which city is the OG). Not to mention that there’s a city in western Pennsylvania called California… Go figure.

The connection between these two cities on opposite coasts needs to continue. From our love of versatility and diversity in music, to both being hubs for pot-head culture, Pittsburgh and California are down with one another. Let’s keep it that way.

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