IB Rap Duo The Loozers Trying to Win

I first met Woodrow Roberts of up-and-coming local hip-hop act The Loozers about a year and a half ago, when he and Tommy Tapia, his then partner in lyrical crime, came into the recording studio at the IB Sports Park to lay down some tracks.

It was readily apparent then that Woody was a hugely creative lyricist and storyteller.

These days Woody is one-half of the production/songwriting team that is The Loozers, along with Brendon Jensen aka Big J.

Their music is highly engaging and emotionally evocative, and perfectly reflects the microcosm of our little town through the laid-back beats and intelligent rhymes the duo shares in each of their songs.

The group will soon release a seven song album through iTunes, as well as an album of seven instrumentals to display their production savvy.

Having rocked the mic at more than a few local house parties, the group is eager to get their sound out onto the streets and hope to start performing at a variety of venues. Be on the look out for them, these guys have the talent and drive to do great things.

Understated jazz and dub elements play counterpart to the raw hip-hop undercurrents on the track “One Love”, that creates a somber, wistful bed upon the verses lay on, describing that “one love that got away” that everyone has lost.

In this week's interview, The Loozers dish the dirt on their creative process and what makes them tick.

IB Patch: When and how did you guys get your start in music?

Woody: Back in high school we made a "diss song" as a joke about a friend we had. That was the first time we ever recorded. We had been writing but never actually put it onto a beat.

IB Patch: How did you guys link up for this project?

Big J: We have been good friends since high school and I moved from New Jersey to Imperial Beach. We got an apartment first thing and started making music non-stop.

Woody: I had already been living here and knew that it would be a great decision for our music. J came out here and we pumped out nearly 70 to 80 beats in the first two months but still managed to find time to write, produce, and record a new album.

IB Patch: What’s the general flow for putting together a track for The Loozers?

Big J: It usually starts with me making a basic beat.

Woody: Then I put down some melodies and/or a bass line. Then it's a process of going back and forth, adding instruments/sounds and mastering until we think its complete.

Big J: Some would say we're perfectionists haha.

IB Patch: What’s the plan for you guys? I know you have an instrumental album in the works as well, are you trying to present yourselves as either artist/songwriters or producers primarily, or both?

Big J: We just love making music. Since the beginning we've always made our own beats and recorded everything ourselves. They both came very natural to us. It seemed as if we were forced to choose whether we wanted to be rappers or producers. We love doing both so that's what we decided to do. Push both an album and an instrumental album. Both unlike anything we/anyone has ever heard.

IB Patch: What’s your studio setup like, and what other artists and producers have you guys worked with?

Woody: We do everything in our living room. No set up at all really just a mic and Propellerhead's Record on J's laptop.

Big J: Two tracks on our new album WERE produced by my man Tyler Grouser. He's been holdin’ it down for a long time now and we want to thank him a lot for that.

Woody: Also we've done some recording with local artist Kinke (Ken-K) and picked up many useful recording tips.

IB Patch: What do you think of the scene in and around IB?

Woody: IB is paradise. We surf all year and live two blocks from the beach.

Big J: You can find us on the basketball court on the beach almost everyday. One of my favorite things to do besides rap. As far as the music scene here, it's just waiting for a big name to come put them on the map.

IB Patch: Any last words you’d like to leave us with?

Woody: We want to say thanks to everyone in the past that has inspired us or given us something to write about. Keep an eye on us and check out our website loozers.com (coming soon) or check us out on Facebook.

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