If you want to get a sense of how deeply respected Kalan is among his peers, just look at the shortlist of his collaborators, a who’s who of modern West Coast hip-hop and R&B: Ohgeesy, Blxst, G Perico, Mozzy, Dom Kennedy, BlueBucks Clan, 1TakeJay, and Westside Boogie. As Pitchfork once said: “when you’re talking about L.A.’s new wave of shit-talking, designer- obsessed rappers, Kalan.FrFr should be included....”

On the Los Angeles asphalt, he’s a mythological figure who has somehow avoided corny myth-making. We can list his hits starting from when “Right Wit It” became a mandatory drop at every house party from San Diego to Seattle or mention the “Hot N’ Ready Freestyle,” where Kalan proved that he could spit as hard as any rapper in your Top 5. We can talk about his scene-stealing performance on Destiny Rogers’ “West Like,” where Kalan comes off like a young Roger Troutman. We can cite his melodic reveries on the Puma Mixtape. But when new album drops, the overarching vision will become crystal clear. The story of how he got here isn’t as important as where he’s going.

The Most Intelligent Gangsta Rapper Alive

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