L.A. Symphony's Cookbook and Uno Mas return with "When You Rock & Roll" armed with a slickly produced video clip directed by Carey Williams. The video casually shifts gears from solemn to humorous as fellow rapper, Styliztik Jones plays the part of aspiring pop-rapper dolling himself up, and later shimmying around for his character's imaginary video shoot. Jones' performance kept the mood light on set with the duo stating "our favorite part was watching Jones filming his dance parts." The song, a cautionary tale for artist's seeking the quick route to success is bolstered by a guest verse from Evidence of the legendary Dilated Peoples. The emcees take turns giving heartfelt renditions of their own struggles with life as an artist: the ups-and-downs, successes and failures that come with being a musician staying true to their art. There was a time in hip-hop when the very idea of "selling out" could end your career. Cookbook and Uno Mas successfully remind the hip-hop nation of this golden rule without coming off as frustrated or preachy. "We were inspired by the large amounts of artists who lose their souls for this music thing. We all do to a degree, and we wanted to address it," Cookbook explains.
Seriousness of subject matter aside, the track, is another triumph for the duo who have been making music together since their childhood. A lush and dreamy loop hovers over thick drum hits and a haunting vocal sample used for the chorus. It's easy to imagine the duo hunched over in their fabled garage studio surrounded by thousands of records and the machines that make their special brand of magic happen. If the lead single is any indication, the crew's album C&U Music Factory will spread that magic a little bit farther. - Watch it here
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