O.F.T.B.
| Industry | Music |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1990 |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California , United States |
| Products | Hip hop music |
O.F.T.B. (Operation from the Bottom) was a hip hop trio originating from the Watts neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. The members—Kevin "Flipside" White, Sammy "Bust Stop" Williams, and Ronald "Low M.B." Watkins—were genuine gang affiliates from the Nickerson Gardens housing projects, which are known as the base for the Bounty Hunter Bloods. They secured a contract with Big Beat Records and launched their first album, Straight Up Watts, in 1992, which included the popular track "Slangin' Dope."
History
Flipside, Low M.B., and Bust Stop began their musical journey with the release of Straight Up Watts in 1992 under Big Beat Records, a subsidiary of Atlantic. Their single "Slangin' Dope" received significant airplay on Los Angeles’ local music station The Box. Managed by "Greedy" Greg—who also represented DJ Quik and 2nd II None—O.F.T.B. later signed with Death Row Records.
Death Row Records
During their tenure at Death Row Records, O.F.T.B. appeared on multiple platinum-certified soundtracks. These included the 1994 film Above the Rim with the track "Crack Em," produced by DJ Quik; the cassette-only song "Hot Ones" featured on Murder Was The Case; "Body and Soul" from the Gridlock'd soundtrack; and "Keep Your Eyez Open," part of the Gang Related soundtrack.
Collaboration with Tupac Shakur
O.F.T.B. worked alongside Tupac Shakur on several songs such as "The Struggle Continuez", "Worldwide (Time After Time)", and the original version of "Better Dayz". A reimagined version of Better Dayz was posthumously included on 2Pac’s multi-platinum double album titled Better Dayz. The group also produced a tribute track called "Still A Mystery", dedicated to 2Pac and Yaki Kadafi, featuring appearances by The Outlawz and Kurupt. Tupac referenced O.F.T.B. in his hit "To Live And Die In L.A." from the album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory as well as during the outro of "Last One Left." In 2013, O.F.T.B. independently released the album Hostile Environment through Tha Payroll Entertainment.
Passing of Flipside
On September 23, 2013, Kevin "Flipside" White was tragically shot in Watts, California. Despite being transported to a medical facility, he succumbed to multiple gunshot injuries. Shortly thereafter, Markice "Chiccen" Brider, associated with the P Jay Crips, was also killed. Authorities charged Kevin Phillips, linked to the Grape Street Watts Crips, with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.
Kevin White’s memorial service took place at Macedonia Baptist Church in Watts and attracted over 700 mourners including relatives, friends, and supporters. He maintained a longstanding friendship with Big Wy from Damu Ridas and The Relativez, and played a mentorship role for rapper Jay Rock.
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"
Compilation albums
- 1994: Above the Rim soundtrack
- 1994: Murder Was the Case soundtrack
- 1996: Christmas on Death Row (in collaboration with Death Row Records)
- 1996: Gridlock'd soundtrack
- 1997: Gang Related soundtrack
- 1998: Return of the West
- 2007: Archives soundtrack
- 2009: The Ultimate Death Row Collection
Music videos
| Video title |
|---|
| "Check Yo Hood" |
| "Crack Em" |
| "Piru Love" |
| "Hey Bounty Hunter" |
| "They Ain't Ready" |
| "I Trust Nobody" |
| "We Fed Up" |
| "Starvin For It" |
| "Body And Soul" |
| "Slangin' Dope" |
| "They Wont The Ghetto" |