Raised in San Francisco, Rich Iyala rips tunes that take a page from the Bay’s rich history of funk and soul. Years after breaking into the music industry as teenage emcee "sayknowledge", the rapper has changed his moniker, and vibratory level . Iyala’s new sound has evolved into blends of elemental hip hop, finding a sonic home somewhere between eclectic future beats and favela funk .
His upcoming album Camp Mendocino is heavy on the soul horns, and taps into his hometown’s identity as the launching pad for funk groups like Sly & The Family Stone. Lyrics drenched in escapism and humankind’s complex, evolving relationship with technology. Through his work, Iyala looks to define a distinctly California sound of social resistance — in his own words, “future soul hyphy funk.”
