20 Years Later, Traxamillion’s ‘Slapp Addict’ Remains the Royal Hyphy Standard
Traxamillion’s album The Slapp Addict is a Renaissance painting; a still life, depicting a moment in time of oversized white T’s and Gucci Air Forces, dancing a little different to a sound unlike anything hip-hop had heard before.
As a proper portrayal of the hyphy period, it combines the San José-raised producer’s canvas of banging beats with lyrics from rap heavyweights in the region. The result is a record that represents hyphy-era royalty — but the only Regals referenced are Buicks.
Released in August 2006, the album joined an onslaught from Bay Area hip-hop artists that same year. Vallejo’s E-40 dropped My Ghetto Report Card and Oakland’s Too Short released Blow The Whistle. The Pack came out of Berkeley with the song “Vans,” while San Francisco’s Messy Marv had a run of seven back-to-back albums.
In the midst of it all, Traxamillion delivered one of the most significant and underrated albums of the entire subgenre that had folks going dumb.
It’s audible time capsule, preserving a slice of culture while serving as a history lesson that you can still gig to, 20 years later. On Saturday, Aug. 22 at Passport Bar & Lounge in Oakland, an event honors the album’s 20th anniversary.
“It has so many hits on it,” says Alex Jimenez, event co-organizer and Traxamillion’s former assistant, adding that the album is “arguably one of the top records for that era.”
Near the top of the project is “Wakin Em Up” (feat. Dem Hoodstarz and Turf Talk), made to be played at a high volume, preferably by an old-school car with a huge sound system. (It pairs well with whistle tips, the kind that go woo early in the morning.)
The track “Grown Man (Remix)” (feat. Clyde Carson, Dem Hoodstarz, Mistah F.A.B., San Quinn and Turf Talk) is a function anthem. It’s also a bit of a protest song, pushing back against the dress codes at hip-hop clubs in the early 2000s. The high-energy track essentially says: Even with these Stacy Adams shoes on, I’m still finna go dumb.
The track “From The Hood” (feat. Husalah, The Jacka and San Quinn) is an ode to the real ones. Over a slower, menacing beat, the rappers bring audiences into the underbelly of the Yay Area. The gritty black-and-white music video is a perfect compliment to the song.
The project captures certain people at early stages of their careers. “We Like the Slapps” features Saeed Crumpler, rapping under the name Balance; Crumpler is now a full-time television writer and filmmaker. “Club Stuntin” features Lil B when he was with The Pack, and before he became the Based God.
Some people on the album are no longer with us, like The Jacka, who guests on “From the Hood.” There’s also “Top Down” with Zion I; the duo’s lead lyricist, Stephen “Zumbi” Gaines, was killed five years ago during an altercation with a security guard at a hospital in Berkeley.
The interludes further illustrate the era. In one skit, Rita Forte (then known as DJ Backside) calls Traxamillion looking to help deliver his songs to DJs around the nation. In another, someone calls Traxamillion impersonating then-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, frustrated after trying to get in contact with the producer via Myspace.
The album also contains aspects of the time that didn’t age well, namely using the term “retarded” to describe dancing; “Yellow Bus” by Mistah F.A.B. is a reminder of that. Meanwhile, Mistah F.A.B.’s “Sideshow” (which also features Too Short) has provided a soundtrack to car culture in this region for two decades, featured in street parties, bootleg DVDs and Instagram stories.
And the bass-heavy track “On Citas” (feat. Keak da Sneak), which made kids turf dance at the bus stop back in the day, is now being paired with a popular dance routine on TikTok by the next generation.
Jimenez, who has a nine-year-old and 13-year old, reports that “When [the song] started trending last year, they came up to me like, ‘You know Traxamillion is trending?’”
And that’s the larger goal, Jimenez tells me — to “reintroduce” Traxamillion’s work.
With appearances from Keak Da Sneak and Turf Talk, Jimenez says the 20th anniversary event will feel like a “hyphy reunion.” Co-hosted by Priceless Da ROC, with a headlining DJ set from DJ Mind Motion, the event will also benefit Traxamillion’s estate.
Traxamillion never stopped reaching new heights. He produced City Girls’ 2020 song “Broke N—-s” (feat. Yo Gotti) and E-40’s 2021 track “I Stand On That” (feat. Joyner Lucas and T.I.). Today, 20 years after his debut album and nearly five years after his passing, he’s still moving the people.
“The people that are coming together,” Jimenez says of the upcoming event, “probably haven’t been together in the same room in a while. That’s going to be pretty cool to see.”
The Traxamillion ‘Slapp Addict’ 20th Anniversary Day Party takes place Saturday, Aug. 22, at Passport Bar & Lounge (1915 Broadway, Oakland). Tickets and more information here.