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Inthisweek.com Bands: The Commission Posted 2009-04-22 10:45:08 by Amanda Chamberlain The Commission www.inthisweek.com/bands The Commission is: Savvy -- hooks, raps and harmonies; Coleone -- raps, concepts and production; and Pravity -- punch lines, lyrics; song creativity. Pravity, SavvyYola, and Coleone form The Commission. By Amanda Chamberlain achamberlain@inthisweek.com It won't be long before the bigwigs running Musicland discover Utah's hip-hop scene, which brims with artists who could easily give T-Pain or Chamillionaire a run for their money in a chart race. But despite the amount of mainstream appeal packed into our salty scene, local rappers are holding on to their undiscovered status, saying it's a "good thing" that the scene is still "underground." "There's a strong unity building between artists because we're all underground and we all are chasing the same dream," says the three rappers of local group The Commission. In fact, The Commission's commitment to camaraderie in SLC's hip-hop community influenced their group name. "Originally, 'The Commission' was a MySpace idea to unite artists in Salt Lake," they say. Underground ideals aside, The Commission's mainstream-worthy music makes me wonder how in the hell their tracks aren't all over the radio. Hook-y melodies and a backing buzz from a voice box give The Commission's brand of hip-hop stacks of crowd-pleasing appeal, while lyrical topics like cocaine and running the streets exposes its Gangsta Rap foundation. Hints of Dre waft from the darkly epic track, "Watch Who U Trust," while "Tattoo" flaunts chant-a-long capability with its spell-out chorus and head-bobbin' beat. Of course, you can hear the tunes for yourself on IN's Web site, but if you want to learn about the local rappers behind the beats, read the following Q&A with the three emcees of The Commission: Savvy, Coleone and Pravity. In Utah This Week: When, and how did the group form? The Commission: About two and a half years ago, Savvy and Coleone were working on an album called "2 Face." Around the same time, Pravity was doin' his solo thing. Pravity met Coleone at a venue and later, we all collaborated. IN: What's the band currently working on? TC: The upcoming album, "The Commission" featuring The Game, and working on the video for "Hundreds Burning." Plus, much more! IN: If The Commission were a flavor, what would it be and why? TC: A habanero 'cause we fire! LOL. IN: What does the band plan to accomplish in the near future? TC: Exposure, success and most importantly, reaching more fanz. IN: Which is better, domestic or imported beer? TC: All of the above. IN: Describe your music. TC: It's universal and appeals to all crowds. IN: Biggest pet peeve? TC: Hayterz. IN: What are the group's biggest accomplishments? TC: The number of fanz that continues to grow; exclusive interviews with 97.1 ZHT; our mixtape featuring DJ Warrior; and more to come. IN: What's your discography? TC: Savvy Yola's "Street Musick Vol. 1" and "Young, Broke and Ambitious;" Coleone's "Money Over Anything;" and coming soon, Pravity's "Struggle 2 Strive." IN: What do you think of the current state of hip-hop (with all the radio play, it seems like it's the new "pop")? TC: That's the problem; it's not pop, it's hip-hop. It's street, it's urban -- that's what our idea of hip-hop is. There are a few artists that hold it down still but it's mostly watered down. IN: Describe your idea of a fresh-to-death outfit. TC: Fresh white tees and a mean shoe game! IN: Who are some of your comrade artists in the scene? TC: Sick Lake, Charlie Soul, Young Neff, P. Thizzle, JQ, J Gee, D. Taylor, Troy Vigil, The Franchise, Albie the Great, Lump Sum, Mak Demon, Big Bridge, King Caputo and the list is just too big! IN: Last words? TC: We care and appreciate all our fans because without people supporting us, we wouldn't be where we are. We are real kick back cats, humble in this game and very open-minded to change.