O.F.T.B. (an abbreviation of Operation From The Bottom) was an American hip hop group from the

Watts Watts is plural for ''watt'', the unit of power. Watts may also refer to: People *Watts (surname), list of people with the surname Watts Fictional characters *Watts, main character in the film '' Some Kind of Wonderful'' *Watts family, six chara ...

district of

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. The group O.F.T.B. consisted of three founding actual gang members Kevin "Flipside" White, Sammy "Bust Stop" Williams, and Ronald "Low M.B." Watkins, who grew up in Nickerson Gardens Project, which is home to the notorious gang

Bounty Hunter Bloods The Bounty Hunter Watts Bloods, also known as the Bounty Hunter Bloods, is a predominantly African American street gang situated in the Nickerson Gardens public housing projects in Watts, Los Angeles. History The gang was originally established ...

. They were signed to Big Beat Records where they released their debut album ''Straight Up Watts'' in 1992 with the hit single "Slangin' Dope".

History

The trio, Flipside, Low M.B., and Bus Stop released ''Straight Up Watts'' album on the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

-backed Big Beat Records in 1992. their first single, "Slangin' Dope", received heavy rotation on The Box, which was a local TV channel for Los Angeles that only played requested music videos. Under the guidance of

DJ Quik David Marvin Blake (born January 18, 1970), better known by his stage names DJ Quik or Da Quiksta, is an American rapper and producer, known for his production in the G-funk style of West Coast hip-hop. Blake has collaborated with Snoop Dogg, ...

and

2nd II None 2nd II None is a rap group from Compton, California. It consists of cousins KK (born Kelton L. McDonald) and Gangsta D (born Deon Barnett). They were members of the Elm Street Piru Bloods.Death Row Records Death Row Records is an American record label that was founded in 1991 by The D.O.C., Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, and Dick Griffey. The label became a sensation by releasing multi-platinum hip-hop albums by West Coast-based artists such as Dr. Dre ('' ...

. O.F.T.B. appeared on the platinum-selling,

Suge Knight Marion Hugh "Suge" Knight Jr. (; born April 19, 1965) is a American former music executive, convicted felon, and the co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records. Knight is considered a central figure in gangsta rap's commercial success in ...

Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...

-produced soundtrack for ''

Above The Rim ''Above the Rim'' is a 1994 American sports drama film co-written and directed by Jeff Pollack in his directorial debut. The screenplay was written by Barry Michael Cooper, adapted from a story by Benny Medina. The film stars Duane Martin, Tu ...

'', as well as the soundtrack for ''

Murder Was The Case ''Murder Was the Case'' is a 1994 short film and soundtrack album starring and performed by Snoop Doggy Dogg. The 18 minute film was directed by Dr. Dre and Fab Five Freddy and chronicles the fictional death of Snoop Dogg and his resurrection afte ...

''.

Death Row Records

The trio appeared on the platinum-selling, Suge Knight and Death Row-produced

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

for the 1994 film ''

Above the Rim ''Above the Rim'' is a 1994 American sports drama film co-written and directed by Jeff Pollack in his directorial debut. The screenplay was written by Barry Michael Cooper, adapted from a story by Benny Medina. The film stars Duane Martin, Tu ...

'' with tracks, such as "Crack Em" (produced by DJ Quik and

"Hot One") as well as on the

for 1997 film ''

Gridlock'd ''Gridlock'd'' is a 1997 American black comedy crime film written and directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall and starring Tupac Shakur, Tim Roth, Lucy Liu, and Thandiwe Newton. It was the directorial debut of Curtis-Hall, who also has a small role in t ...

'' with track "Body & Soul". O.F.T.B. also appeared the ''Gang Related'' soundtrack with "Keep Your Eyez Open" in 1997.

With Tupac Shakur

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the Li ...

worked with O.F.T.B. on several tracks such as ''"The Struggle Continuez"'', ''"Worldwide (Time After Time)"'' and the original version ''"

Better Dayz ''Better Dayz'' is the eighth studio album and fourth posthumous album by the late American rapper 2Pac, and is his last to be a double-album. It was released on November 26, 2002, debuting at number five on the US ''Billboard'' 200. This album ...

"''. The remake of ''Better Dayz'' was released after the death of 2Pac on his multi-platinum double-album (Better Dayz). They also made tribute song dedicated to 2Pac and

Yaki Kadafi Yafeu Akiyele Fula (October 9, 1977 – November 10, 1996), better known by his stage name Yaki Kadafi, was an American rapper and a founder and member of the hip hop groups Outlawz and Dramacydal. Early life and education Yafeu Fula was born ...

called ''"Still A Mystery"'' featuring

The Outlawz Outlawz (formerly known as Outlaw Immortalz) are an American hip hop group founded by rapper Tupac Shakur in late 1995 after Shakur's release from prison. Collectively, they were best known for their association with Shakur. Most of the group m ...

and

Kurupt Ricardo Emmanuel Brown (born November 23, 1972), better known by his stage name Kurupt, is an American rapper and record producer who aided gangsta rap's rise via 1990s verses helping set lasting trends. He is one half of the rap duo Tha Dogg Po ...

. 2Pac also mention them in his hit single " To Live And Die In L.A." from '' The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory'' In 2013, they digitally released ''Hostile Environment'' through Tha Payroll Entertainment.

Flipside's death

On September 23, 2013, Kevin "Flipside" White and a woman were shot in the 1600 block of East 114th Street in

Watts, California Watts, California, was a city of the sixth class that existed in Los Angeles County, California, between 1907 and 1926, when it was consolidated with the City of Los Angeles and became one of the neighborhoods in the southern part of that city. ...

. Flipside was rushed to a hospital and died from multiple gunshot wounds. Ten minutes later, a member of the

P Jay Crips The Crips is an alliance of street gangs that is based in the coastal regions of Southern California. Founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1969, mainly by Raymond Washington and Stanley Williams, the Crips were initially a single alliance ...

, Markice "Chiccen" Brider, was also shot to death. Kevin Phillips, a known member of the

Grape Street Watts Crips The Grape Street Watts Crips is a Crip subset based in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. The gang's rivalry with the Bounty Hunter Bloods has been described as being "the most violent and long lasting feud between two gangs that are in the W ...

was charged with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. A funeral service for Kevin White was held at

Macedonia Baptist Church Macedonia Baptist Church may refer to: * Macedonia Baptist Church (Denver, Colorado), listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) * Macedonia Baptist Church (Holden, Louisiana), listed on the NRHP in Louisiana * Macedonia Baptist ...

in Watts. The funeral had over 700 people in attendance, which included family, friends, and fans. Kevin White was longtime friends with Big Wy, of

Damu Ridas Bloods & Crips was an American gangsta rap group from Los Angeles County mostly known for their record selling song "Piru Love". History The success of N.W.A. had frustrated many in the gang community who saw the group capitalizing on the ga ...

and The Relativez, and a mentor to

Jay Rock Johnny Reed McKinzie Jr. (born March 31, 1983), better known by his stage name Jay Rock, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Los Angeles. He signed to indie label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), in 2005. Under TDE, Rock secured a rec ...

.Jay Rock: From Gangbanging To Banging Beats
allhiphop.com 28-05-2014 Retrieved. 28-05-2014

Discography

Studio albums

* 1992: ''Straight Up Watts'' * 2007: ''Unearthed'' * 2009: ''The Missing D.R. Files'' * 2011: ''Damn Near Dead'' * 2013: ''Hostile Environment''

Singles & EPs

* 1992: "Slangin' Dope" * 1992: "Gimme 'Nother Hit " * 1994: "Hot One" * 1994: "Crack 'Em" * 1996: "Check Yo Hood" * 1997: "Body And Soul" * 1998: "Off The Ringer" * 1998: "In Too Deep"

Compilations

* 1994: ''

'' soundtrack (Various) * 1994: ''

Murder Was the Case ''Murder Was the Case'' is a 1994 short film and soundtrack album starring and performed by Snoop Doggy Dogg. The 18 minute film was directed by Dr. Dre and Fab Five Freddy and chronicles the fictional death of Snoop Dogg and his resurrection afte ...

'' soundtrack (Various) * 1996: ''

Christmas on Death Row ''Christmas on Death Row'' is a Christmas compilation album by Death Row. The album, Death Row's only Christmas-themed release, was made as a form of charity to the community. It was released on December 3, 1996 through Interscope. Production ...

'' (With Death Row Records) * 1996: ''

'' soundtrack (Various) * 1997: ''

Gang Related ''Gang Related'', alternatively known as Criminal Intent, is a 1997 American action crime thriller film written and directed by Jim Kouf starring James Belushi, Tupac Shakur, Dennis Quaid, Lela Rochon, David Paymer and James Earl Jones. The film ...

'' soundtrack (Various) * 1998: ''Return Of The West'' * 2007: ''Archives'' soundtrack (Various) * 2009: ''The Ultimate Death Row Collection'' (Various)

Videography

Music videos

References

External links

Tha Payroll Entertainment

O.F.T.B
at

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

*
O.F.T.B.
on Myspace {{DEFAULTSORT:OFTB Hip hop groups from California Bloods Death Row Records artists Gangsta rap groups Musical groups established in 1990 Musical groups from Los Angeles 1990 establishments in California