Shoreline Mafia

Shoreline Mafia isn't a rap group- it's family. For OhGeesy (real name: Alejandro Coranza), Rob Vicious (Robert Maggee), Fenix (Fenix Rypinski) and Master Kato (Malik Carson), hip-hop follows an organic friendship from their native Los Angeles. The group's inception happened when OhGeesy and Fenix linked through MySpace in 2012 while doing graffiti in high school. "I had this nigga in my Top Friends," OhGeesy laughs. "When we met, we had no idea we were gonna make music. But as we were hanging out, doing crazy shit. I got a laptop and began recording myself. Then, Fenix heard it and he was like, 'I'm trying to make music too!'"

After recording one song, they clicked and immediately founded Shoreline Mafia. "The name incorporates the beach and water. The waves start at the shoreline," says OhGeesy. Fenix remembers the early days; recording on a "$100 mic and Garage Band" and putting music on SoundCloud. "That shit started getting views and we just kept it up."

Two years later, Rob Vicious and Kato were introduced. "We were just doing regular, teenage shit," says Rob. By 2017, the newcomers officially joined Shoreline Mafia. The quartet garnered widespread attention with 2017's "Musty" (produced by Ron-Ron). With over 12 million plays on YouTube, the track propelled Shoreline Mafia onto hip-hop's larger radar, including an appearance at the Rolling Loud Festival. "It's a hard ass song," explains OhGeesy of the viral track. "All of our songs are that hard. That was so catchy, everyone caught on to it."

In November 2017, Shoreline Mafia released its first full-length mixtape ShorelineDoThatShit, which spawned tracks like "Nun Major," "Spaceship," "Serve A Boat" and "Whuss The Deal," amassing millions of fans on SoundCloud. In 2018, the group signed to Atlantic Records. Wrapping up a 12-city, sold-out tour during the first quarter of 2018, they've already enjoyed early press coverage from XXL, Noisey, Forbes, PassionWeiss and other music blogs.

As they prep their debut project, each member maintains his own unique vibe. "We're a group of kids, going crazy and having fun," says OhGeesy. "I bring that, 'I don't give a fuck vibe.' I'm really exclusive," says Kato. Rob describes his sound as "real street, dark shit." As for Fenix, "I be coming with straight bars. Bring that energy. Keep that crowd going. You feel me? That's what I be going on." It's not always easy fusing four voices-and personalities–into a group. So how does Shoreline Mafia do it? It's goes back to their genuine love. "Honestly? I don't know how this shit be working," laughs Rob. "I think it's off the fact that we really fuck with each other." Adds Kato, "These are my brothers."