Let’s Call It A Movement is a weekly column where we highlight a group from around the country. In it, we provide you with some background information on the crew, songs to look out for, and projects you need to pick up.
Collectives are running the game right now, from A$AP Mob to Wu Tang Clan. Artists are more group orientated nowadays, in the hopes of not only putting themselves on, but also their friends or teammates. This may be the altruistic explanation–one could easily point out that a team has a greater chance of success than a single person alone, therefore any pragmatic, self-interested, ambitious, career driven egotist would join a group to quickly build their own fan base—as to why there are so many of them in hip hop, but thanks to their increased presence in the game, they clearly deserve our attention.
So every week, we look at an underground crew that is beginning to make waves in their local scenes, as well as, the national landscape. Normally, the crew is slowly rising their way into the mainstream. Perhaps their leader has garnered some national attention, but never enough to even be nominated for a Grammy. This week’s collective shatters those previous assumptions.
HS87 is a record label and crew that was founded by Hit-Boy, the Grammy winning producer/artist from Southern California. He has worked with artist such as Kanye West, Jay Z, Pusha T, A$AP Rocky, as well as many others. Additionally, his work with Chase N Cash and the Surfs Club has garnered him a lot of praise and recognition. Hit-Boy is taking the lessons he learned from being successful in the industry, and applying them to up-and-coming artists under his label.
The company’s acronym stands for “Hits Since 87,” which is the birth year of Hit-Boy. While HS87 may be small in number, they pack a powerful punch. Five artists strong, this crew is gearing up to take over the game. Their collaborative album, All I’ve Ever Dreamed Of, shows their great group dynamic and how far they are headed.
Let’s meet the aspiring members of HS87.
Jimi (@Nativejimi)
