There is a fresh new movement happening in the Bay. From the unlimited talent powerhouse of Text Me Records and beyond, the new guard keeps on rolling and rippling like the waters of the San Francisco Bay and shining brighter than the alloy silks of a Tiffany chain. Never mind the CD towers of your parents and grandparents boom bap canons. The tired coastal polemics of yesterdays obsolete magazines. The oversaturated hype of studio strongarms, bumping the radio rhythms of mediocrity en masse. Cast off the Nostradamus predictions from the jaded haters and wolf ticket scammers of the leachers, wannabes and would be kings of the scenes. While a weary world emerges from the ravages of a full scale pandemic and the big shows return to the main stages; the new schools of innovators and new pop professors are making it happen for themselves. From orchestrating new sounds, new sentiments, new heady vibes for new headspaces and new statements of styles and presences — the new collectives are taking their collaborations to new levels and building new systems of support and co-operative teams from productions, producers, shows, full on festivals and much more.

Introducing the breakout talents of Ricky Lake, Steezxxz and TheMobsJEDi fresh off their performances from Petty Fest in Oakland. Presenting the debut of the ggravee produced / Asa engineered track “Choka”; the cool clique mobs upward into the smoky echelons, complete with visuals directed and edited by Wables411. Blending their deliveries in a melodically stewed unison aided by effect treatments, the lively group indulges in all manners of lyrical hedonism wrapped around a hook centered on an Ed Hardy soldier with a silver chain choker, big blunt roller among other noteworthy attributes. Ricky keeps the vibe dizzying in allusory references to fellow prominent mic maestros Fetty Wap and a bevy of illicit cocktails, as Steezxxz goes all in on a verse about folks on that high roller vernacular as MobsJEDi jets in hard as all get out in rapidly spun bars that fire upwards toward the extents of the galaxy. Blazing beyond the blockchain-fueled artifices of contemporary tech art consumption stands the production supplied by ggravee/Asa that melodically bleeps and thumps like modified vintage Playstations fed through an assemblage of modern (and throwback) beat machines with the mood and momentum of a JRPG adventure quest.

The visuals directed by Gahv & edited by Wables features our protagonists bouncing about from house party soirees, buzzed birthday bashes, bar hopping and exploring the world beyond. Ricky Lake, Steezxxz, TheMobsJEDi and associates translate that audio energy of "Choka" visually to curate a perpetual soiree vibe that won't quit. The entire Bay on this video track feels like one big radical and real resort destination with no prescribed check out or closing time. The collective can be heard, seen and felt keeping the momentum pushing toward a big new dawn in a bright velvet night chocked full of escapades and Escalades without any immediate end in sight. Together the new crew signals the new movement of a new ensemble ready for whatever and entertaining the excitement and inception of all that is yet to follow. This group of friends and wide-eyed creatives showcases the energy and arts of everything that is arriving in the here and now of both today and the unstoppable enrichment of tomorrow's bold new endeavors.

Ricky Lake provided some exclusive insights on the inception, delivery and breakdown on the making of “Choka”, the Oakland-based event Petty Fest, camaraderie amongst artists, friends and so much more:

Five musicians, Ricky Lake, ggravee, Asa, TheMobsJEDi, and Steezxxz, found themselves stuffed into a small home studio in the Excelsior district of San Francisco, setting the stage for a night of substance abuse and making music. Sleep is secondary when it might be the second all-nighter session in a row. While most of the group is recording vocals on one beat, another producer in the room puts on headphones and uses their own laptop to work on the next beat for ultimate efficiency. And that night, when the producer ggravee started playing what he’d been cooking out loud, immediately the room perked up. And then “Choka” was born.

Fast forward to a couple weeks later, Ricky, Jedi, Steez and their homie/camera man Gahv were bar hopping and going to a few random parties when Ricky remembered he brought a small handycam with him. So he mentioned they could just shoot a music video for “Choka”. So they just shot a music video for “Choka”. That’s how this specific group of artists works, the spontaneity is potent yet fruitful and the content remains consistent.

This video drop is an exciting and crucial first chapter for this group of friends and musicians, who produced the song, recorded mixed and mastered it, shot the video, and then edited the video. The video was due to drop on February 4, but the outrageously successful Petty Fest seemed to steal the show. Or maybe the crew got too cross faded, the world may never know.

What we do know is that Petty Fest was a night to remember. When a close friend of the group, Taifa Nia, was approached to play a show at The Starline in Oakland with his own band Same Girls, he quickly uncovered an array of shady promoter tactics, all of which took complete advantage of the artists involved and had ridiculous expectations and regulations. Taifa immediately turned down the promoter and decided to not only reach out and warn the other artists involved, but also to throw his own event titled Petty Fest. He then invited the artists he’d warned to perform at his event instead. He also put his close friends on the bill, including Asa, Ricky Lake, Steezxxz, TheMobsJEDi, and many more.

The show was a complete success with amazing performances, including a live band version of “Choka” during the Ricky Lake set. The future is bright for this group of young men, their itinerary is strong with a plethora of songs yet to be released, a variety of music types and aesthetics, and a strong brotherhood of best friends.

“Choka” is out now, be sure to follow Ricky Lake, Steezxxz, TheMobsJEDi, ggravee, Asa, Taifa Nia, Wables411 and more for all the latest developments and next level breakthroughs.