Although Southern California has long been known as a hotbed for hip-hop talent, the Inland Empire usually gets looked over in those discussions. Located East of Los Angeles county, the I.E. is comprised of the Riverside and San Bernardino counties, which are then comprised of a number of cities including Fontana, Ontario, and others. With such a huge population of people, it’s largely surprising to see the I.E. not get the attention it deserves, especially when you realize that artists like Hit-Boy proudly rep the region. Still, this doesn’t discourage the artists making music there, as they’ve built an infrastructure for themselves to thrive in. One of the main catalysts of that is San Bernardino native Cam Gnarly, who checks into our pages yet again with his new EP, Love Really Is….
Clocking in at 17-minutes, Love Really Is… is a thought-provoking, engaging album that finds Cam further proving himself as a well rounded artist. Known for his soulful vocals and introspective songwriting abilities, he utilizes the project as an opportunity to level up. On tracks like, “Sweet,” he recruits Pretty Pape$ as they provide a festive narrative about a beautiful woman that has them vexed, while on records like “Boundaries,” he lets his guard down a bit more, baring more personal information about how he feels on certain topics. The best song on the project, though, is without a doubt, “Heart Talks.” Produced by Aye Brook, the record finds Cam and featured artist, Nicky D’s completely letting loose, lyrically. With Nicky kicking things off with an infectious opening verse, Cam plays clean up and leaves no stone unturned as he raps for a few minutes straight about all of the things plaguing his mind.
Following up his 333 HZ album that was released in the earlier part of 2020, it seems as if Cam Gnarly has no signs of slowing down. Take a second to tap into his new EP above and get familiar with the San Bernardino emcee.
Connect with Cam Gnarly: Twitter | Instagram | Spotify
