About Redcloud

Redcloud's debut album "Is This Thing On?" by Syntax Recording was released in 2001. Raising the bar in so many ways it was outrageous, the album is a wild ride leavened by plenty of humor.

After a humorous intro track, we get a taste of what's in store with "Last of the Mex-Hee-Cans." It features a none-too-common beat, and unique vocals (some have found them slightly annoying, others just love them). Following is one of the songs that got Cloud noticed, "When Kenpo Strikes," a martial arts anthem, of all topics. But the usage of the chorus from Carl Douglas' "Kung Fu Fighting" (albeit, a slightly revamped usage) makes it one of the catchiest and entertaining songs on the album.

And with lyrics like "I walk out the front he follows closely/Reaching for his pistol, he's trying to smoke me/Backflip kick and chip his front teeth/His homeboys blocking off the whole street... So freaking close I wrecked my clean clothes/Koreans multiplying like sheets from Kinko's," you start to see the talent of his flows. That's not an example of when he's at his peak, but it's good wordplay nonetheless.

Redcloud's sophomore effort was Traveling Circus, released in 2003. This gem of a release was originally issued in 2003 although there is a new enhanced version featuring a "Battle Star Galactic" music video. Anyone who's heard the tracks "Travelling Circus" and "My Way" will know that this is fresh, gutsy hip-hop with hand claps, shakers and drums kicking up raw rhythms over which the rapper expounds his powerful spiritual messages. There are plenty of guest spots here with Braille of Lightheaded, Kaitlyn Cassels of Sackcloth Fashion and ragamuffin king Sherwin Gardner all adding powerful contributions to the mix. One of the best hip-hop releases of it's time.

Redcloud's album, Hawthorne 's Most Wanted (2007) brings a new light to gangsta rap. 

This time around, Redcloud and DJ Wise decided to use rap beats that are a little more reminiscent of old school rap, much like the older days of Dr. Dre or Snoop Dogg. The songs still have the same unique flow that only Redcloud can bring, but most of them have a West Coast vibe, and he makes sure to let you know. The hip hopper has always been very proud of his heritage, not only as a Hispanic who grew up in Southern California, but also as a Native American. That love and pride is spoken of often, in songs like "405," "Battle of Little Bighorn," and the title track.

One of the topics Redcloud deals with on the album is the superficiality of some people. "Guns & Roses" challenges the listener to examine one's heart. Along the same lines, the album closer, "Death of a Salesman," is all about dying to yourself and giving your life to God. Redcloud's love for Christ is apparent is this album. In "Songs They Sang," he says "God's a blanket, I'm Linus." He knows he needs to hang on to Christ for dear life.

The album’s forceful title track features Kurupt and finds Redcloud detailing how he navigated through the treacherous streets of his gang-infested Los Angeles-area hometown in his younger days. Named after the late ‘70s cult classic film, the somber “Boulevard Knights” features Redcloud at his most personal. Here, he raps about the death of his father, a stoic gangster who succumbed to heroin while Redcloud was on tour in 2005. “I usually don’t write that personally,” he says. “I don’t like to let everyone know everything about me, but that was just a subject that was real dear to me, my connection to my pops.”

“Original hip-hop was uplifting and positive,” he says. “It gave somebody hope and changed people’s lives. It was street poetry that anybody could relate to. Now, people are rapping about things that your average person can’t relate to -- the cars, the diamonds, the money. I rap about average person stories, issues that people don’t usually deal with. I want to let them know what’s going on.”

Redcloud has definite street credibility, and his artistry has been highly acclaimed earning him TV and Game spots.  “ Hawthorne ’s Most Wanted” is an excellent example of his ministry in motion.