Cruising into his fourth decade of rap stardom, Vallejo’s E-40 only gets better with age. Strutting his stuff above a filthy hyphy instrumental, E-40 comes down hard on bullshitters in “Ain’t Talking Bout Nothin’,” his latest single. Recruiting two Los Angeles rappers for a quick drive up The 5 to Oakland, 40 spars with Vince Staples and G Perico on the single, creating a fascinating contrast of styles: 40 uses his unlimited vocabulary and unique flow to create a nursery rhyme of sorts, while Perico aggressively reps for South Central and Vince mocks mumble rappers with his nimble flow. In the video, the three emcees wild out in a dark room, lit only by neon and the fire in their eyes.
Last week, the prolific hip-hop legend shared The Gift of Gab, his 28th solo studio album, and the first of three 2018 LPs in the The Definition Series. On the new album, 40 flexes his lexicon over high-definition Bay Area beats, wielding his rubbery and elastic flow to expand his sonic palette and mutate the mainstream to fit his singular vision. Featuring appearances from Ty Dolla $ign, Kent Jones, Yhung T.O., Problem, FMB DZ, Sada Baby, Konshens and more, The Gift of Gab is available via Sick Wid It Records.
On August 29th, E-40 embarks on The Gift of Gab Tour. Spanning 21 dates across the west coast, The Gift of Gab Tour features special guests Nef The Pharaoh and OMB Peezy and will offer fans the opportunity to meet 40 at a special Meet & Eat with 40 and Trap Kitchen. Buy tickets here.
An unstoppable force in the rap game, E-40 churns out charting albums with remarkable efficiency. Earlier this year, the rapper teamed up with B-Legit, his cousin and with 40, a co-founder of seminal rap group The Click, for Connected & Respected, a full-length collaborative album. Packed with classic Bay Area slappers like the P-Lo-featuring dancefloor jam “BOY,” Connected & Respected is a master-class in rhyming and a treatise to the importance of keeping it in the family. In addition to his prolific musical output and his frequent courtside appearances at Golden State Warriors games, E-40 is an accomplished businessman in the adult beverage industry, hitting it big with his Earl Stevens Selections line of wine, his best-selling mixed cocktail drink Sluricane, and most recently, E. Cuarenta, his new brand of premium tequila. E-40 continues to add to his legacy with The Gift of Gab, with two more albums slated to release before the end of this year.