Tha Eastsidaz is a hip hop duo consisting of
Tray Deee
Tracy Lamar Davis (born April 27, 1966), better known as Big Tray Deee or simply Tray Deee, is an American rapper. He is a member of rap group Tha Eastsidaz (alongside Goldie Loc and Snoop Dogg), as well as the Diirty OGz (alongside Tha Chill, K ...
and Goldie Loc put together by
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...
, who often featured on their songs. Their first appearance was on
Tommy Boy Records
Tommy Boy Records is an American independent record label and multimedia brand founded in 1981 by Tom Silverman. The label is credited with helping and launching the music careers of Queen Latifah, Amber, Afrika Bambaataa, Stetsasonic, Digita ...
''Ride'' soundtrack with Crooked Eye Q on a
Battlecat-produced song called "Feels So Good" in 1997.
History
Emergence (1997–2003)
The band originates from Long Beach, California. In 1997, after Snoop Dogg left Death Row records, he formed 'The Eastsiders' with
Crooked I,
Techniec, and
Lil' C-Style. They released one song commercially 'Feels So Good' on the soundtrack for the 1998 film
Ride. The group was briefly under contract with Virgin records, however no other songs were released besides a few other songs that were leaked onto the internet in 1999.
It took another two years for the revival of the ensemble and they formed again in 1999, with a new line-up made up of Goldie Loc,
Tray Deee
Tracy Lamar Davis (born April 27, 1966), better known as Big Tray Deee or simply Tray Deee, is an American rapper. He is a member of rap group Tha Eastsidaz (alongside Goldie Loc and Snoop Dogg), as well as the Diirty OGz (alongside Tha Chill, K ...
, and Snoop Dogg. The name was also changed to 'Tha Eastsidaz', possibly due to contractual obligations with Virgin Records. After signing on to Snoop's
Doggystyle Records
Doggy Style Records (formerly known as Dogghouse Records) is an American record label founded by the rapper Snoop Dogg in 1995. It is named after Snoop Dogg's debut album, ''Doggystyle'' (1993).
The record label started out as a subsidiary of D ...
, distributed by TVT, they released their debut album, ''
Snoop Dogg Presents Tha Eastsidaz''; which was a hit and eventually went platinum. They were also featured on "Lay Low," a hit single from Snoop Dogg's album ''
Tha Last Meal
''Tha Last Meal'' is the fifth studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released through No Limit, Doggy Style, and Priority Records on December 19, 2000. It was his third and final studio album released on No Limit, marking this rec ...
'' and the soundtrack to the horror film ''
Bones'', which starred Snoop as the title character. The next year, they released their second album, ''
Duces 'n Trayz: The Old Fashioned Way''. The album was critically well-received, but only certified gold.
Breakup (2003–2014)
The group broke up when Snoop left while making their second album and Tray Deee was being sentenced to 12 years in prison for attempted murder. In 2005, Goldie Loc and Snoop Dogg reunited to form Tha Eastsidaz; they released a new joint album with the IV Life Family. Goldie Loc was also involved in
The Warzone with
MC Eiht
Aaron Bernard Tyler (born May 22, 1971), better known by his stage name MC Eiht (pronounced "MC Eight"), is an American rapper. Many of his songs are based on his life in Compton. His stage name was partly inspired by the numeral in KRS-One's nam ...
and
Kam.
The group also appeared in two films. They were featured in the 2001 film ''
Baby Boy'' and their self-titled direct-to-video crime film, which was a success in retail sales despite the extremely low-budget production thus was certified double platinum.
Reunion (2014–2016)
On April 3, 2014, Tray Deee was released from
California Men's Colony
California Men's Colony (CMC) is an American male-only List of California state prisons, state prison located northwest of the city of San Luis Obispo, California, San Luis Obispo in San Luis Obispo County, California, along the central Californi ...
, where he had been incarcerated since 2005 on
attempted murder
Attempted murder is a crime of attempt in various jurisdictions.
Canada
Section 239 of the ''Criminal Code'' makes attempted murder punishable by a maximum of life imprisonment. If a gun is used, the minimum sentence is four, five or seve ...
charges. On April 18 and 19, Tray Deee and Goldie Loc will reunite as Tha Eastsidaz to perform at "Krush Groove 2014" at
Save Mart Center in
Fresno, California
Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...
and
The Forum in
Inglewood.
Tray Deee has stated that it is unlikely that there will ever be another Eastsidaz album.
Second reunion (2022–present)
On February 4, 2022, Tray Deee announced new upcoming music from Tha Eastsidaz. On February 9, 2022, Goldie Loc confirmed a new Eastsidaz album. On October 25, 2024, the duo released ''Still Easty'', a 7-track
EP on
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. D ...
.
Discography
Studio albums
* ''
Tha Eastsidaz'' (2000)
* ''
Duces 'n Trayz: The Old Fashioned Way'' (2001)
Extended plays
* ''Still Easty'' (2024)
Filmography
* ''Tha Eastsidaz'' (2000)
* ''
Baby Boy'' (2001)
* ''
The Wash
The Wash is a shallow natural rectangular bay and multiple estuary on the east coast of England in the United Kingdom. It is an inlet of the North Sea and is the largest multiple estuary system in the UK, as well as being the largest natural ba ...
'' (2001)
* ''Crime Partners'' (2003)
Awards
* Won at the 2000
Source Awards : New Artist of the Year, Group.
References
External links
Interview with Tha Eastsidaz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eastsidaz, The
Hip-hop groups from California
Snoop Dogg
TVT Records artists
Musicians from Long Beach, California
Musical trios from California
West Coast hip-hop groups
Gangsta rap groups
G-funk groups