Orko Eloheim celebrated his birthday last weekend, which is clearly not headline news by any means. But, coincidentally, I just found out about this song with Orko that was released back in February. Eloheim, formerly known as Orko the Sycotik Alien, carries a long history in the local hip-hop scene. As one of the original members of the Masters of the Universe crew, he helped organize the Improv, an open mic in the mid-'90s that was instrumental in developing many rappers in today's scene. Meanwhile, in his own music, the intergalactic prophet was bending time by innovating a style of drum-n-bass-influenced rapping.
"Give My All" is a song by Japanese rapper Kaigen, but Orko spits the first verse and also provides the instrumental. The gut-wrenching soul of the production immediately reminds me of something from the late J Dilla's magnum opus, Donuts (I even went back to search for a song from Donuts that uses the same sample as "Give My All" but I had no luck spotting one). The vocal samples are clipped in a way similar to many songs on Donuts, where the vocal sample sounds clipped and ghostly. The production even has this warm, vinyl-like feel to it. Orko's verse is trademark Orko, with his speed-of-light flow, New World Order paranoia, and music-based societal upheaval. Though I can't understand Kaigen, to his credit, he also seems to spit adeptly to a double-time flow.
Kaigen's "Give My All" was released as the B-side to "In the Clutch." You can stream "Give My All" on Kaigen's Soundcloud page. Both "Give My All" and "In the Clutch" are available for purchase on iTunes. Or you can be really cool and get the limited edition vinyl at Access Hip Hop.
Quan Vu Quan Vu is the founder and editor of local music blog SD Raps.com. He has also written about local and national hip-hop acts for San Diego CityBeat and the San Diego Reader. You can nerd out on rap trivia by following him on Twitter or e-mailing him directly.
