Ledger Dispatch (CA)
Copyright (c) 2000, Contra Costa Newspapers
April 14, 2000
Section: news
LOCAL RAPPER GETTING NATIONAL PLAY
Celeste Ward
ANTIOCH ANTIOCH Record stores in some far-off places have Woodie's work flying off their shelves.
So even though career criminals in Antioch are familiar with gun-toting gang life, conflicts with police and serving time, now a whole lot more people around the country have come to know what the local rapper calls "Yoc influence" (life on the streets of Antioch ).
Rapper Ryan Wood, aka Woodie, 24, has introduced Yoc influence to people in Omaha, Neb., Witchita, Kan., Colorado Springs, Colo., and as he says, "towns you never heard of."
He and his cousin Jim McCoey started East Co Co records with 500 cassettes and have put out their own CDs and a compilation, "Northern Exposure," of local rappers. Local stores like Underdog and Rock Bottom Records stocked it, and soon, the stores were running out. Then large chains like Tower Records and Sam Goody started stocking it all over the country.
Woodie's songs are filled with references to gangs, guns, enemies, police, snitches, and, with an interesting frequency, conscience. Woodie often brings up sins, forgiveness and the Bible in his raps about revenge and thug life.
Looking at the history of drama swirling around him, Woodie is a relic compared with his friends. He's lived to be 24; many of his friends haven't.
In 1998, close friend Carlos "Blackbird" Ramirez, 21, was found dead alongside his two daughters, Kavi, 1, and Kayleonna, 3, after a 42-hour standoff with police.
Police said he killed his daughters and shot himself in the head; Ramirez's friends and family have their suspicions about that. In his song "Yoc Life," Woodie mentions Ramirez, saying "Blackbird is gone, and sometimes I want to die, just to kick it with my homie . . ."
In 1994, Ramirez's brother Raymond was paralyzed from a bullet he took in the spine during a drive-by shooting in Pittsburg. He died years later. Another friend, Gabriel "Snoopy" Roberson, is in Folsom Prison serving a life sentence for murder in connection with a shooting the day after Ray Ramirez's at a Veterans Hall party in Antioch. That shooting left one man dead and four injured.
Woodie says in many of his songs that Roberson was framed and he is not giving up a fight to get him freed.
Like his friends, Woodie also knows his way around the inside of the County Jail. He was arrested several years ago and charged with attempted murder, which was reduced to assault with a deadly weapon. Now he's a felon and can't stand the fact that he can't vote.
Woodie is an Antioch native who graduated from Antioch High School and has been into rap since the days of Whodini, Run-DMC and the Cold World Hustlers. He remembers when break-dancing was cool.
And he never hesitates to mention in his music that he is a gang member who has seen a lot of tragedy and death. His sister Melissa died at 11 from cancer. For a long time, he didn't believe in God because of that. But after Carlos Ramirez's death, he started to believe.
His new release, scheduled to come out this spring with guest rappers B-Dawg, Shadow, Lou-E-Lou, Lil' Los and vocalist Morgan Knight, is titled "Take My Soul" and is an exploration of faith, he said.
"Basically, I'm speaking to God," he said.
He's also talking to a representative from a major label, he said. He thinks there will always be strong interest in tales from the street.
"It's hard-core truth. Everyone wants to hear another man's story," he said.
Reach reporter Celeste Ward at 925-779-7116 or [email protected].
Photo: Ryan Wood, aka Woodie, 24, is shown with his dog Psydal and photographs of his deceased friends Raymond and Carlos Ramirez. (Nader Khouri/Staff)
Copyright (c) 2000, Contra Costa Newspapers
April 14, 2000
Section: news
LOCAL RAPPER GETTING NATIONAL PLAY
Celeste Ward
ANTIOCH ANTIOCH Record stores in some far-off places have Woodie's work flying off their shelves.
So even though career criminals in Antioch are familiar with gun-toting gang life, conflicts with police and serving time, now a whole lot more people around the country have come to know what the local rapper calls "Yoc influence" (life on the streets of Antioch ).
Rapper Ryan Wood, aka Woodie, 24, has introduced Yoc influence to people in Omaha, Neb., Witchita, Kan., Colorado Springs, Colo., and as he says, "towns you never heard of."
He and his cousin Jim McCoey started East Co Co records with 500 cassettes and have put out their own CDs and a compilation, "Northern Exposure," of local rappers. Local stores like Underdog and Rock Bottom Records stocked it, and soon, the stores were running out. Then large chains like Tower Records and Sam Goody started stocking it all over the country.
Woodie's songs are filled with references to gangs, guns, enemies, police, snitches, and, with an interesting frequency, conscience. Woodie often brings up sins, forgiveness and the Bible in his raps about revenge and thug life.
Looking at the history of drama swirling around him, Woodie is a relic compared with his friends. He's lived to be 24; many of his friends haven't.
In 1998, close friend Carlos "Blackbird" Ramirez, 21, was found dead alongside his two daughters, Kavi, 1, and Kayleonna, 3, after a 42-hour standoff with police.
Police said he killed his daughters and shot himself in the head; Ramirez's friends and family have their suspicions about that. In his song "Yoc Life," Woodie mentions Ramirez, saying "Blackbird is gone, and sometimes I want to die, just to kick it with my homie . . ."
In 1994, Ramirez's brother Raymond was paralyzed from a bullet he took in the spine during a drive-by shooting in Pittsburg. He died years later. Another friend, Gabriel "Snoopy" Roberson, is in Folsom Prison serving a life sentence for murder in connection with a shooting the day after Ray Ramirez's at a Veterans Hall party in Antioch. That shooting left one man dead and four injured.
Woodie says in many of his songs that Roberson was framed and he is not giving up a fight to get him freed.
Like his friends, Woodie also knows his way around the inside of the County Jail. He was arrested several years ago and charged with attempted murder, which was reduced to assault with a deadly weapon. Now he's a felon and can't stand the fact that he can't vote.
Woodie is an Antioch native who graduated from Antioch High School and has been into rap since the days of Whodini, Run-DMC and the Cold World Hustlers. He remembers when break-dancing was cool.
And he never hesitates to mention in his music that he is a gang member who has seen a lot of tragedy and death. His sister Melissa died at 11 from cancer. For a long time, he didn't believe in God because of that. But after Carlos Ramirez's death, he started to believe.
His new release, scheduled to come out this spring with guest rappers B-Dawg, Shadow, Lou-E-Lou, Lil' Los and vocalist Morgan Knight, is titled "Take My Soul" and is an exploration of faith, he said.
"Basically, I'm speaking to God," he said.
He's also talking to a representative from a major label, he said. He thinks there will always be strong interest in tales from the street.
"It's hard-core truth. Everyone wants to hear another man's story," he said.
Reach reporter Celeste Ward at 925-779-7116 or [email protected].
Photo: Ryan Wood, aka Woodie, 24, is shown with his dog Psydal and photographs of his deceased friends Raymond and Carlos Ramirez. (Nader Khouri/Staff)
