Locksmith is a controversial cat in the Bay Area rap scene. Raw, but venomous. Intelligent, but insolent. From the Bay, but not of it. If you bring his name up in a circle of local hip-hop heads, at least half of them are sure to twist their faces up in disgust. Lock is indeed a gifted lyricist, but unfortunately he has enough of a spiteful nature to offset all the skill he posseses.
In this interview he comes off diplomatic about the haters, but forgets to address the negativity he often espouses. He notes that being a hater is just as dumb as the gimicky rap he criticizes, but seems blind to all the hate he directs at the scene that birthed him. Lock is from Richmond, graduated from UC Berkeley, owes his rap relevance to KMEL's emcee battles and has set up shop with East Oakland producer EA-Ski. So someone please tell me why he kicks dirt on the Bay's name at every opportunity.
It is often said that if you can't make it at home, you can't make it anywhere, but I guess Lock didn't get the memo. He seems stuck on the same archaic hyphy stereotype of The Bay as people in the backwoods of Alabama. If Lock in fact paid attention, he would find a wealth of respectable talent under his nose. But perhaps such an admission would crumble his imaginary ivory tower of hip-hop snootiness.
Lock, all I ask is that you embrace your talent and your community concurrently. Find some beauty in the soil you spurn, because until you do, you will always be that battle rapping, regional one-hit wonder of yesteryear–and you could be so much more.
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