It’s been nearly a year since the last EP and almost two years since the last full project, but hip-hop duo The Come Up — Braddock natives Franchise and Vinny Radio — is focused on the future, and wants to give you something while you wait.
The two are signed to Remember Music, owned by longtime friend/collaborator Mac Miller. The Come Up’s nine-track project, Visions From the Pacific, which drops June 24, is the label’s first official project since signing a reported $10 million deal with Warner Bros.
"We got so much music in the stash," Franchise says. "Most of these songs are like two-to-three-years old, so we wanted to put something together that was a little bit different than what the [next] album will sound like."
Visions From the Pacific is free to download, and The Come Up describes it as an ode to the music they grew up listening to.
"It’s to show love to some of the artists [we heard] growing up — we grew up [on] West Coast music. We just wanted to put our take on it," Vinny Radio says.
Both agree that one of the artists from the left coast who influenced them the most was DJ Quik, from Compton.
"I like Nate Dogg," Franchise says, adding to the list of West Coast artists that influenced the album. "It’s funny because I got, like, a Nate Dogg-esque hook on there, so I’d say it’s a blend of that."
The project features a different vibe than their last project, Lighter Fluid, Franchise says. Lighter Fluid was influenced by the environment they were in at the time, specifically Atlanta. The six-song EP featured an assortment of live instruments, not typically used in an era of digital music.
Major-label duos are hard to find in hip-hop these days, when most artists are choosing to go solo; even a group as strong as Odd Future has recently called it quits. But staying together doesn’t seem like an issue for these two: They give off a vibe that suggests they actually are brothers.
"It’s like a family thing — we bump heads sometimes, but it’s nothing we can’t figure out. And we love the same music, so we have the same influences and it works itself out," Vinny Radio explains. The two can also be seen at most hip-hop shows throughout the Pittsburgh area, regardless of whether they’re performing.
"I like to be around good music and just good vibes. I just like to be supportive of artists and producers, even videographers. Everybody just doing their thing for the city, [and] I feel like [if] people show support a little more, it’ll help everybody get to the forefront quicker," Franchise says.
Looking ahead, the two say that this project, along with several videos to come, is part of the run up to the full-length they expect to release next year.
"A lot of people think we fell back, or [are] chilling out, but it ain’t that. We’ve still been working, trying to get everything right with Remember Music," Franchise explains.
"We’re formulating a plan with the new team," Vinny Radio adds. "You know, trying to do it correct."
For more information, check out The Come Up on Twitter: @TheComeUpBoys.
