Youngstown hip-hop group keeping it real

They have to travel a lot because of a lack of places
to play in the area.

By JOHN BENSON

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

The biggest unknown hip-hop act in Youngstown.

That’s exactly the title MC Ralph “Da Riddla" Morales is fighting with his three-member rap outfit Gotta Husle.

“A lot of people at home don’t know what we’re doing, even though we’re doing a lot,” Riddla said. “It’s hard down here to find a place to play. That’s why we started going out of town in the first place. Not a lot of stuff going on down here.

“We were promoting our own shows, but most of the places have closed down like Plush and Choices. So we have to go outside of the city to get recognition.”

Averaging six shows a month, Gotta Husle constantly takes one-tank trips to perform in Akron, Sandusky, Toledo, eastern Pennsylvania and Cleveland. In fact, it’s the latter city that has become their adopted home away from home. The Rock Hall town is where the trio — Riddla, Spoon Dawg and Benny Grimm — staged its CD release show for its debut album, “G.H.N.I.C.”

Riddla feels the disc features a unique hip-hop sound, which the act calls reality rap.

“What we do is, everybody likes the Southern beats and Southern music like crunk style,” Riddla said. “We take those beats and add a Youngstown touch to it where we’re doing more lyrics than just talking over beats. There’s a grittiness and realness to it.”

Tracks such as “Get It In” and “Mean Mugg” may fit squarely into today’s hip-hop world but offer glimpses of the street that Riddla feels aren’t found anywhere else.

“What we did was try to take what everybody else was doing with their music and add more reality flavor to it,” Riddla said. “So it’s not so much talking about your cars and jewelry and stuff like that. We’re trying to do a different form of gangsta rap called reality music, where it’s just everything is based in reality.”

Three years into its career, Gotta Husle appears to be on the rise. Not only was the outfit nominated for an Ohio Hip Hop Award earlier this year, but the act currently has the No. 1 song on an Internet radio station based out of Sandusky.

“One of the main things about us is it’s more than just music,” Riddla said. “We’re trying to make it be a movement. The reason we named ourselves Gotta Husle is because everybody, whatever you do, you have to hustle. Whether it’s working or music. Whatever you do, you have to hustle to get to the next day. And that’s what we’re doing.”

For more information about Gotta Husle, go to myspace.com/gottahusle.