It ain’t over till the fat lady sings, or so the saying goes. Well, since 2004, that fat lady has been pushed aside, multiplied, and renamed Slop Opera: an all-male, hip-hop/rap collective. According to Mike Ross, the emcee/producer known as Ross Rock—a nickname coined by his football coach at Soquel High School—the group started as a quintet, consisting of himself and emcee Addamantium, DJ/producer Mr. Bean, Debris the Emcee and emcee Slie.
“I was friends with Adam, really good friends with Mr. Bean—saw them at Moe’s Alley,” recalls Ross. “They pulled me onstage to do a song with them. We just kept bringing in more members.” The group gradually expanded to 11 members based in three states. In 2008, they debuted with Gettin Amongst It!—18 infectious and crude (yet hilarious) tracks—and now, they’re serving up another LP: Sloppy Seconds. “The fans that liked the more silly songs on the old album will appreciate this one,” says Ross, particularly referring to the glitchy “Hot Tubbin.” Asked about the new material, Ross spoke of the track called “Ewww”—“Us saying a bunch of gross punchlines that make people say ‘ew.’” He claims that “ew” is said a total of 40 to 50 times in the song. “Our sense of humor hasn’t exceeded past the fifth grade.” Keep an ear out for “Motor Scooter,” as well—it’s a song that discusses “leaving the bar with someone you’re not super proud of leaving the bar with: a coyote ugly type thing,” says Ross. Fans can get a taste of the new record at The Blue Lagoon—the site where Ross met his wife—on July 6. For once, most members will be in the same city. “When we all get together it’s going to be a cluster-fuck … organized confusion,” he says. “Sometimes the beats cut out, sometimes a random [fan] gets onstage … when it’s not organized and perfect, that’s the best Slop Opera show—raw hip-hop.”
INFO: 9 p.m. Friday, July 6. The Blue Lagoon, 923 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $5. 423-7117.
