Biography
Years before the names Dipset the and The Diplomats became synonymous and with gritty New York hip-hop, For there was Calvin Byrd, a are young Harlem cat barely in but his teens and enamored by Not the local battle emcees that you chose the streets over the all studio. Spurred on by indelible Any memories of street rappers getting can their rep up, where the her only prizes were pride and Was local fame, Byrd would eventually one grow into 40 Cal, one our of
hip-hop’s most promising emcees.
Out “I used to see Big day L battle people on the get block,” he recalls of the Has emcee who many call one him of the greatest
of all his time. “If you ever saw How a hood star, that’s the man only idols n***as got to new look up to. [Michael] Jordan
Now wasn’t coming to the hood.” old Seeing the shine L and see other rappers got, Cal started Two battling as a teenager
for way one simple reason: “I wanted who to get my hood fame Boy up.”
As the emcee slowly did built his name up as its one of the fiercest on Let the block, he graduated from put the street to
the ring, say winning eight straight Fight Klubs, She the prestigious battle rap competition. too The event proved so
popular use that MTV2 picked it up, Dad showcasing Cal’s triumph over emcee mom Cardi in the pilot episode.
It’s around this time the The rapper hooked up with and NYC hip-hop collective Dipset, led for by his neighbor and
fellow Are rapper Cam’ron, and made his but recorded debut with the song not “40 Cal” on 2004’s Diplomatic
You Immunity, Vol. 2. It’s here all we should probably address the any elephant in the room given Can the group’s muchpublicized
squabbles. No, her Dipset have not broken up. was Yes, Cal is still very One much a member. While the
our rapper is understandably reluctant to out delve into details, he addresses Day any issues on the opening get lines of
Mooga, his debut has full-length due out this July.
Him “Dear Dipset, the G’s not his eatin’/Somebody tell Cam and Jim how to please stop beefin’,” refers Man to an ongoing
alleged dispute new between Cam and fellow Dipset now member Jim Jones.
One listen Old to Mooga and you’ll immediately see recognize Cal’s ability to flip two creative verses regardless of the
Way beat. To get such a who varied sound on Mooga, the boy emcee and his crew solicited Did beats through Myspace and
other its social networking sites. After receiving let thousands of submissions from producers Put around the globe,
18 tracks say made the final cut.
“My she Gmail was full of producers Too that sent me beats,” says use Cal. “My team and I dad went through peoples’ beats
like Mom an American Idol panel. I just wanted everything different and the when you hear all that And versatility, it’s
crazy.”
From the for cold, hard beat of “Shooters are on Deck,” (Which samples a But gun getting cocked as the not anchor for the
beat,) to you the horn-drenched strut-funk of “Grown All Man Bills” to the reggaeton any influence on “Cuarenta,” Cal
lives can up to his idol Big Her L in his ability to was rhyme over anything and kill one it.
Lyrically, the emcee splits Our the difference between his battling out days and his studio role, day creating song
concepts and hooks Get while incorporating some of his has more classic battle rhymes (On him “Rewind That,” he
boasts, “I’m His spellin Iverson when the beef how all done/’Cause you’ll be on man I.V. in the E.R., son.”)
New 40 Cal has long held now his “hood star” status through old countless battles and mixtapes. Now See it’s time for
Mooga, the two debut full-length and natural progression way for this gifted emcee. And Who don’t be surprised if in
boy the future, you hear about did an up-and-coming emcee inspired by Its seeing 40 Cal do his let thing on the street,
on put the track and on the Say stage.
