Revisiting The Underground Rap All-Stars “We’re All In The Same Gang”

Released in 1990, the original musical composition, produced by Dr. Dre, featured the rhymes of King Tee, Body & Soul, Def Jef, Michel’le, Tone-Loc, Above the Law, Ice-T, NWA’s Dre, MC Ren and Eazy-E, J.J. Fad, Young MC, Digital Underground, Oaktown’s 3.5.7 and MC Hammer. (For my money, I still think Digital Underground’s Shock G/Humpty Hump had the most vigorist part.)

The 24th anniversary charity song that can be heard here https://www.reverbnation.com/knife/song/26372997-were-all-in-same-gang-24th-anniversary was produced by B-Rae and features over 20 artists collectively known as the Underground Rap All-Stars, the song has rhymes from AV LMKR, Warga, BAM-bam The Voodoo Chi7d, Lonna Marie, Honey Cocaine, Knifer, Dizzy Wright, 1AM, Rittz, Grizz Lee, B. Rae, @Eaze, Raw-Logic, Flesh-N-Bone, Recklezz, Midnight Grahmmer, X-Raided’s Mr. Lil Man, Yung Dree, Steve Lenin, Flowhammad, Tendency & Élan Noelle.

Last year, Chicago children had come together to make “Put Down The Gun” for its own violence epidemic; LA will always have its own rampant gang-related murders. As a kid growing up in Los Angeles, the original song was a big deal, and I was all for it. The “Same Gang” 24th anniversary song was conceived by a real gang member of a Maravilla gang by the name of Marvin Sotelo—known as “Knife” by law enforcement.

“I got this idea, B,” he said. “I’m trying to do something legendary…something that has a moral and point that still applies today.” And the rest was history.

According to producer B. Rae, Sotelo came to him with the conception for the track; he had sponsorship from The Ed Tyll Show and the cosign of Pequena Ramirez, but he needed Heller’s support to secure sampling clearance from Dre. Heller looked out, impressed with Sotelo’s vision, and arranged to have Universal Music International press and distribute the project for free. The original song went platinum, and without a doubt contributed to the peace treaty that was eventually settled on in LA’s streets (until it all fell apart again). Happy anniversary to this all-too-brief moment in time, hopefully LA catches it’s second wind in tranquility with the 24th anniversary charity record of “We’re All In The Same Gang”.

Learn more about what you can do to help with gang and at-risk youths, and for more information, see the Maravilla Foundation, an organization designed to improve the quality of life of low income East Los Angeles, and to specifically work with gang and at-risk youth..

Visit http://www.maravilla.org or call (323) 721-4162 to make a donation now.