Saafir

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• Genre: West Coast Indie
• Hometown: Oakland

About

An underground hero and feared battle emcee, Saafir has been ripping mics and shaming competitors since the early '90s. He got his start on albums by Raw Fusion, Digital Underground, and Casual before delivering his critically acclaimed debut Boxcar Sessions in 1994. The Bay Area lyricist is well-known for his razor-sharp rhymes and on-point delivery, as well as for a notorious radio battle pitting his Hobo Junction crew against Hieroglyphics. A skilled beatmaker, Saafir has also produced tracks for some of Cali's finest underground artists. In addition to his solo work and production duties, he's collaborated with Xzibit and Ras Kass as the Golden State Warriors. He released his second album Trigonometry in 1998, and followed up one year later with The Hit List.

- Brolin Winning