Be My Love

Play It Safe

Half A World Away

Runaways

In Your Arms

Duality

Insignificant Positivity is a concept-based work that reflects the insignificance of positivity in the current realm of Hip-Hop. Produced with a half-and-half construction, the former portion of the tape is typical of Cal Combs' ability to communicate positivity through the genre, whereas the latter portion of the tape is a series of music that lyrically lacks the same significance as the first. Insignificant Positivity took approximately three months to complete and includes features from artists in Tokyo, Japan, California, New York, Kentucky, and Indianapolis.

Insignificant Positivity

Long Distance Ft. T-gainez

Carmel is Cal Combs first major distribution album with features from Mad Squablz, Aya Smith of Chicago Loud 9, and Korean vocalist Gena Hwang. The album was written, recorded, mixed, and mastered entirely by Cal Combs with production by Yondo. 

I wrote this album to reflect on my life as a high school student because now I am a high school teacher and I think that the expression of who I was at that time is pivotal in how I will teach my students in the future. Everything that comes from this album is dedicated to the empowerment of education and the restructuring of the institutions that have been long overdue for an upgrade. I have dedicated myself entirely to this cause because I know that a good foundation of role models and influence can make the changes in the world that we are all up praying for at night.

Free Bird Ft. Conway

Fight Or Flight Ft. Gena

Sunshine

Perspectives Ft Gena

Roundabouts

Heart

Backpack Ft. Mad Squablz

Cowboy Bebop Ft. Shiori Haraguchi

Parachute Ft. Conway

Man Up

Maxima

Survival

Cal Combs was born in Los Angeles, California, but spent most of his life moving city to city with his father's job in the Federal Bureau of Prisons. He now lives in Tokyo, Japan. Cal holds a degree in English Education and is currently meshing together the two worlds of art and education against the grain of the modern institutions. He lives by the idea that life is not as serious as people often make it out to be and that positivity, transparency, love and adventure fuel creativity and shape a better future. As a teacher, Cal has been recognized for his extravagant efforts to not only teach content, but to make an impact in the lives of his students in any way that he can. Before the start of his teaching career, Cal raised money, held a large fundraiser, and successfully built a small recording studio in the school where he was completing his student teaching practicum. When asked about it, he said "I just know about untapped talent and I am always prepared to be amazed by kids, probably because when all my teachers were wasting their time trying to make me do things their way, they never thought about what I could already do my way and how we could bridge the gap; the studio is a manifestation of that. These kids need more outlets of free expression and less of these tightly outlined ways of  doing things, if we allow them to open up we can see where they are at and then move in when teachable moments occur. All of the hard work was worth it if just one kid finds his voice behind these microphones, theres no telling what we have started here, but I am excited to see what comes next..." There are stories of Cal still being told at MCHS to this day, and even a small framed picture of him with a funny story can be found in Susan Cintra's classroom. Cal was quoted as unsure in college because the closer he got to a profession in education the more he saw the all to familiar statutes and limitations of institutionalized education. For several reasons, Cal did not know if he could continue his work as a hip-hop artist and teacher simultaneously. If it weren't for a very specific event that occurred during his student teaching, who is to say that this article would have ever been written or that Cal would still be making music. His passion and motivation is clear, he has no lofting dreams of fame and fortune, but speaks with lights in his eyes about students; he really just does everything as an example and tries to improve himself only so he can use what he knows to bring other people up.  It is a strange dynamic to consider his place in the two worlds of hip-hop and education, but I am hopeful as ever for what it may become

Cal Combs

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