MERCILESS
When you see my album cover, its just a picture of my chest and tattoos. Just a simple expression of myself and what I represent. Its not a picture of me seated in a rented penthouse, or with all types of gimmicks and graphics -
Its just me.
Simple, artistic and highly expressionistic Vallejo, CA artist Merciless is, without question, a pioneer and visionary in the art of Rap music. Over the last decade as chief architect of the legendary group, Funky Aztecs and as a member of the all-star collaborative Lone Star Ridaz, Merciless has been a leading force in expanding the Latin perspective of culture, history and just rocking the party. From simple concepts of hanging with friends in the neighborhood, to tackling more complex issues dealing with social identity or gang violence. Merciless has broken barriers and built bridges that no Rap artist can lay claim to.
I am a very personal person says the young MC. So what I think and feel on a personal level is always reflected in my music. Thats what I got from listening to Public Enemy, BDP, NWA and Tupac- so it only makes sense for me to give music fans that same energy, vibe & truth in my music.
Born in Oakland, CA and raised in nearby Vallejo, Merciless enjoyed Rap music at a very young age. As a young 16 year old, he along with his older brother and cousin formed the group Funky Aztecs in 1991. The moniker alone implied that Merciless and his family were on a different page.
FUNKY from A to Z, just add the TECS(techniques).
Funky Aztecs debuted in 1992 with the album Chicano Blues which is one of the more seminal albums in Rap music to date thus far. The cover alone was worth the price of the album (released on TNT Records home to & featuring, Digital Underground and Tupac Shakur). After touring, doing shows at arenas and car shows, the group released their second LP Day of The Dead on their own independent label, Backseat Records. With a fantastically produced album and songs that reflected with the youth at the time, their nationwide release was paving the way for todays Latin Rap scene, for its identity and the consumer demand in the music industry. On the groups last album together in 1999, Addicted, with the smash single Morena which hit radio by storm.
Those three albums opened huge doors for the Mexican-American market on a social level, and the Funky Aztecs did themselves an even greater service by opening up the rest of the Hip Hop/Rap audience to their raw rhymes as well. The greater appeal of the Aztecs and Merciless in particular, was the blend of the gangsta mentality with a clear objective position in the world. Merciless is from the same street element that birthed the great writers Tupac, Ice Cube and Scarface. Hip-Hop celebrates the alpha males of the thug environment who can talk, party and fight for what they believe in.
After the Addicted LP, Merciless would once again be included in breaking new barriers. The Texas underground rap scene was taking off, Merciless with fellow Vallejo rap prodigy Baby Bash joined the All-Star super group Lone Star Ridaz of Houston,Tx.(w/South Park Mexican and producer Happy Perez) which again joined wounded ties around Chicanos separated by state, but united by blood. The group released three albums Lone Star Ridaz, Wanted and 40 Days and 40 Nights.
Whats all the Buzz about?. In collaboration with platinum producer Happy Perez, Merciless is stinging you with his official solo debut LP Flesh & Ink. The 17 track opus is stripped down to the raw essence of his soul, Merciless delivers an album that is inspired by the Streets, Love and Pain. Its both personal and universal in dealing with politics of the hood, women, partying, thug sh*t and the cultural heritage he shares with growing up in black-and-brown neighborhoods.
The album's single, My Everything, is a lush, mid-tempo thug-love song that examines his past relationships with the women in his life. There is a lot of machismo in our Latin culture, and I wanted to put something out there that was different but true, more engaging to women. Another of the CDs outstanding tracks is the party song I Got Tha. which celebrates the best of the Texas-Cali intoxicants (syrup and hydro). The smooth hook done by Russell Lee, compliments the satin guitar licks and Perez's synthesizer melodies. A Screwed version also follows the song.
Other great tracks include 3.0.4., Whatcha Looking At?, Life, Growing Pains featuring Max Minelli, Dope Beats and the club hit
Dope Beats.
From being cited as a cultural reference in Chicano Studies at UC and California State Universities with the Funky Aztecs, to breaking barriers within Chicano and American cultures, Merciless' influence stretches far beyond any social, hood or ethnic boundaries. Flesh & Ink is an everyman's album that captures the true spirit of what Rap music is ----
self expression and being damned good at it.
