LA Remains Undefeated

by @jamesstaubes

Liner Notes

Walking down La Cienega last week, I heard someone bumping old-school hip-hop. Instantly, I thought, "I should do an old-school hip-hop track for FAWM." And just like that, the phrase "LA Remains Undefeated" hit me. I had to write it down before it disappeared.

For the lyrics, I used ChatGPT to help shape the words. I had to edit, tweak, and reshape almost everything to make it work.

The title told me everything—the fires, the resilience, our city that always bounces back. I pulled a lot from Dr. Dre and that ’90s hip-hop energy: funky, fuzzy bass, a gliding Moog lead, that classic feel. I love how it turned out musically.

As for the rapping? Let’s just say I’m the whitest rapper alive. My flow is as old-school as it gets, but hey—I went for it. LA remains undefeated. #rap #hiphop #electronic #synth #pop #gfunk #AI #chatgpt

Lyrics

Intro JamSmooth here with some white boy rap California forever No matter what we face, we rise again LA remains undefeated Listen to what’s up

Verse 1 Cruisin’ down Sunset, city lights gleamin’ From the hills to the shore, always California dreamin’ 405 bumper to bumper, ain't no leavin’ But we ride with the vibe with the palm trees swingin’

Venice Beach where the skaters still grindin’ Hollywood sign in the mountains always shinin’ Dodger blue fitted, yeah, that’s the city spirit From Crenshaw to Fairfax, you can always feel it

City of hustlers, no sleep, just ambition Every block got a story, gotta sit back and listen Ain’t no other place got a style so bold Where the weather stay perfect and the culture stay gold

This ain't just a city man it's a way of livin’ Through the highs and the lows, but we ain't never quittin’ We built this together, straight from the ground The earthquakes shake, but we still hold it down

Chorus We lived through the flames, we lived through the pain LA stands tall and we rise up again No matter the struggle, or what the east coast is thinking You best believe, LA remains undefeated

Verse 2 Smoke in the sky, red glow in the distance Ash on the pavement, but we ain't never quittin’ From the valley to the bay, we saw it all burn But we rebuild stronger every time we return

Heroes on the front line, fightin’ that blaze Neighbors helpin’ neighbors, that’s the LA way Yeah, the hills might scar but the spirit don’t fade Like Kobe in the 4th, we were made for this day

Through the heat and the struggle, we still goin’ hard From Skid Row to Rodeo, we all play our part Rebuild the blocks, see the new roots grow Like a phoenix from the ashes, LA is gonna glow

You count us out, but we double back quicker Stronger than ever, we will paint a new picture So no matter what you say, no matter what you do LA remains undefeated and we’ll always stay true

Comments

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Wow! This is my first exposure to your work. Love, love, love!! That and your lyrics are inspiring!

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@mannon

AYYYYYE LBC-reppin' haha. Everything about this is just so nostalgic to me, the lyrics really paint a really vivid picture of the area and love the west coast vibes. Great track all around! :' D

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Wow, you've totally nailed the G Funk sound. Makes me feel like a very white teenager again, nodding along to Snoop, Dre, NWA etc.

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Damn bro! Props on this. Nailed that West Coast sound. Lots of great imagery. Nicely done!

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@zervas1

Nice phrasing. Definitely showing some swagger here. "Kobe in the 4th!"

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Dude, this is amazing! Production's totally on point, your flow sounds just fine to me, and it's also very life-affirming and positive in the face of extraordinary hardship. Love the East/West coast beef lines (was the ChatGPT?) and the vocoder echoes on the main hook are fab.

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@seb

This is G! Everything is perfect. Maybe the rapping phrasing a few tweaks but the beat rocks, the synths rock, the lyrics, da hook. Great job on the background rhytmic voices and the pitched higher voices that double the title. Hell yeah

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Was in LA (twice) in October before the fires. It does bounce back and I'm glad it does, but re the fires, in the 1960s(!) they were case-studies for us young enthusiastic fireys because the issues were so clear and the needed responses so obvious, and the application to our own hills so important. 60 years on and none of the lessosn are learnt stll. Not here, either. Sigh. I'm not a rap person and not happy with AI either but I agree this is a good track.

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Hahaaaaaaa I bust your Zong!

Fuck yeah this is all g-funk era, funked out with a gangsta twist.

I don't think this is the first time I've heard you rap, but you got this, man. This has the best vibes of the saltnpepa era, complete with that smacketty snare. Nice man.

[FAWM]