DJ Pooh and Sir Jinx were two important figures during a pivotal era in the LA rap scene, yet are often eclipsed (or completely overlooked) by the likes of Dr. Dre, DJ Muggs, and DJ Quik in modern discussions. Tied together by their work with Ice Cube, each of them contributed a number of essential entries into the west coast rap cannon in their prime. Between them, this talented pair are responsible for ‘It Was A Good Day,’ ‘How To Survive In South Central,’ ‘No Vaseline’, and ‘New York, New York,’ to name but a few.

Jinx started out with Ice Cube and K. Dee in a crew named C.I.A., who attempted to recreate the sound of the Beastie Boys in 1986 with a Shout Rap single produced by Dr. Dre. The three would reunite as members of Cube’s Lench Mob posse once he broke camp with Ruthless Records, with Sir Jinx playing an important role in the creation of AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted despite having limited commercial experience outside of a single he released with Dazzie Dee in 1988. Utilising a similar aesthetic to the Bomb Squad’s wall of sound technique, Jinx quickly proved himself a worthy contender by layering sample upon sample and demonstrating a flair for ramping up the tension on track. Songs such as Ice Cube’s ‘The Product’ [1990] were perfect demonstrations of this technique, and Jinx continued to impress the following year with his involvement with the influential WC and The Madd Circle project and his work on Cube’s triumphant sophomore LP.

DJ Pooh was carving out a name for himself since 1987, serving as King Tee’s partner in crime while producing solid records for Mixmaster Spade and rapping comedian Bobby Jimmy. While he was originally down with the LA Posse (who were assigned to handle beats for LL Cool J’s second LP to replace Rock Rubin), it was Pooh’s work on King Tee’s seminal Act A Fool LP that solidified his reputation as a serious player in the LA rap game. In 1991 he reunited with his former LA Posse crew member DJ Bobcat to form the Boogiemen with Rashad, and were assigned production duties for Lench Mob member Del Tha Funkee Homosapien’s debut on Elektra as well as half of the Death Certificate album. Continuing his work with both King Tee and Ice Cube, in 1993 Pooh signed Threat to his Da Bomb imprint and recorded his remarkably assured Sickinnahead LP.

Meanwhile, the long-awaited Sir Jinx and Kool G Rap album was finally released independently in 1992 after Warner Bros withdrew their support in the wake of the Bodycount ‘Cop Killa’ situation. The hysteria surrounding rap depicting violence against police officers served to distract from the significance of a New York heavyweight such as G Rap choosing to connect with an LA-based producer for an entire record. The scenario cleverly mirrored the contrast of heaving Cube rap over the team who gave the world Public Enemy, and resulted in a vastly under-appreciated LP that not even G Rap’s own label believed in, seeing as though they tacked on three songs from the Trackmasterz on the CD version for fear of alienating east-coast elitists.

Pooh went on to produce hits for the Dogg Pound, 2Pac, and Snoop Dogg, while also expanding into the worlds of film and video games with his work on Boyz In The Hood, Friday and Grand Theft Auto III: San Andreas, while Jinx continued to refine the art of the hip-hop skit with Xzibit and dabbled in the R&B scene with work for Toni Braxton and Ce Ce Peniston.

Both of them released solo albums in the late ’90s with mixed results, but it was their early work that helped strengthen the identity of rap from Los Angeles as it sought to go toe-to-toe with New York and stake its own claim. Pooh’s loyalty to hard drums and P-Funk loops set him apart when many of his contemporaries attempted to imitate The Chronic, while Jinx’s mastery of chaotic symphonies set him miles apart from the standard Roger Troutman worshippers of the era. Next time you’re in a LA state of mind, dip into the discographies of these two pioneers and take some time out to appreciate their contributions to this little thing we call rap music.

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