L.A. Underground Heroes Pac Div Announce 1st Baptist, Their First Album in Six Years

The Acclaimed Trio Shares the Snaking, Wildly Energetic “Stoked,” Premiered by XXL, and Unveil a New Line of Merch

03.28.2018

Critical Praise for Pac Div:

“The outrageous, super dope trio from California are back after five years in hiatus.” – Okayplayer

“One can’t talk about the height of blog era raps and Los Angeles’ growing alternative Hip Hop scene without mentioning Pac Div. BeYoung, Like and Mibbs proved the Internet offered unlimited possibilities since they released their debut mixtape, Sealed for Freshness: The Blend Tape” – HipHopDX

“Pac Div has proudly represented the West Coast from the birth of its career, and has done so independently.” – Billboard

The Announcement:

Known for their dense rhymes and eccentric personalities, Pac Div commands a massive cult following on the West Coast. Returning to the scene after a six-year absence, Pac Div announces 1st Baptist, their upcoming album. Combining classic sounds of west coast rap with deep spirituality and irrepressible energy, Pac Div emerge refreshed and rested on 1st Baptist. Demonstrating lyrical acrobatics over a kaleidoscopic collection of West Coast instrumentals, LIKE, Mibbs, and BeYoung bounce lines off each other, trading bars, uniting for hooks, and generally sounding enthralled with the act of rapping. With production from DJ Dahi, Swiff D, Huss, Esta, James Rodgers, and LIKE, the upcoming album recaptures the spirit and vibe of Pac Div’s original run of mixtapes with a sound updated for the future. 1st Baptist hits stores everywhere on April 13th.

“1st Baptist is unapologetically Pac Div,” says BeYoung, “It’s the re-indoctrination of Pac Div.”

“It’s called 1st Baptist because hearing the Div at any point is like hearing the gospel of rap,” adds Mibbs

To accompany the album announcement, the Div shares “Stoked,” an aggressive and energetic new banger. A rowdy party anthem produced by the Div’s own LIKE, “Stoked” alternates outrageous boasts with menacing threats and earnest pearls of advice to those trying to hustle their way to the top.Premiered by XXL, “Stoked” doesn’t speak from the perspective of a high roller, but from the perspective of a guy who needs to finesse the bouncer to get in at all: “This for n*ggas that turn up the most/Sneak in the club with the toast/Oh you got Hen’?/And I got smoke?/And there’s hella bitches?/And I’m not broke?/N*gga, I’m STOKED.” “Stoked” follows the release of the Complex-premiered “First Baptist,” which samples the 1960s classic “Never My Love” by The Association and shows off a softer, gentler, but still laser-focused side of the trio.

Formerly known as Pacific Division, Pac Div formed in the early ’00s, when the three members were in high school. Comprised of brothers LIKE and Mibbs and their friend BeYoung, the group first gained attention with Sealed For Freshness (Blend Tape), their debut mixtape, earning comparisons to L.A. legends like The Pharcyde and Freestyle Fellowship. Winning high profile fans such as Snoop Dogg, Questlove, and others, Pac Div built buzz with a series of popular mixtapes. In 2011, Pac Div released their debut album The DiV, which featured production from DJ Dahi and No I.D., and quickly followed it up with GMB, which peaked at #15 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and debuted at #57 on the Hip-Hop/R&B chart. After GMB, the group focused on solo endeavors–LIKE became an in-demand presence as a rapper and a producer (landing a production credit on “Sing About Me” by Kendrick Lamar), Mibbs released a series of albums with Scoop DeVille (Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg), and BeYoung released a series of mixtapes. Though they pursued separate projects, The Div never forgot their roots–now they’re back, getting ready for the release of 1st Baptist on April 13th.

Pre-order 1st Baptist: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/1st-baptist/1364143563?ls=1&app=itunes

Listen to “Stoked”: https://soundcloud.com/itsthediv/pac-div-stoked/s-MCwV6

Check out the XXL premiere: http://www.xxlmag.com/rap-music/new-music/2018/03/pac-div-stoked-1st-baptist-album-tracklist/

Buy official Pac Div merch: https://www.itspacdiv.com/store/

1st Baptist tracklist:
1. Players Of The Year (Produced by LIKE @clearlyitslike)
2. Stoked (Produced by LIKE @clearlyitslike)
3. Apt 10 (Produced by Swiff D @SwiffD)
4. Time Will Tell (Produced by DJ Dahi @DJDahi)
5. Gorgeous (Produced by Esta @beatsbyesta)
6. Circle (Produced by LIKE @clearlyitslike)
7. No Fux Given (Produced by Huss @Husslehouse)
8. Hate To Love It (Produced by Huss @Husslehouse)
9. 5 Dolla Bill (Produced by LIKE @clearlyitslike)
10. Summertime Fine (Produced by James Rodgers @50jjr

https://soundcloud.com/itsthediv/pac-div-stoked

Please contact Michelle for more info.

The Background:

In line with their church-themed releases over the last decade, Southern California’s Pac Div is a holy trinity for colorful, relatable Hip-Hop. Since the mid-2000s, group founders Like, Mibbs, and BeYoung are pioneers to a movement that has since of Hip-Hop passion, accented by storytelling, in a quest for good times, girls, and gear. Five years removed from sophomore album, GMB, the trio reforms like Voltron to own their contributions and give music fans some daily bread with a new album in 2018.