Send "The CUF " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Popmatters |
 Sacramento’s The CUF—it stands for California Underground Funk—layer funky bass and synth lines with clever, polysyllabic rhymes courtesy of MCs Crush, Pete, Brotha RJ, Taktics and N8 the Gr8. (Yeah, I know.) Tunes like “Flame Lit” and “We Got More” lay down lazy, almost trip-hop beats, while quicker tunes like “I’m Too Much” and “Larry Lay” channel a more energetic vibe. Samples are varied and lively, ranging from electric guitars to lounge-piano tinkling, and while nothing here could be described as groundbreaking, there is undeniable pleasure in hearing a crew rhyme with cleverness and competence. As for lyrical content, most songs are primarily concerned with how cool, def, dope, etc. the various members of the band are. That isn’t a huge surprise, either, so if you’re looking for some mindlessly fun, funky beats, this record may be for you....full text |
| Bestnewbands |
| While some debate whether you can have too much of a good thing, no one can argue that you can definitely have too much of the same thing. Veteran rap group The CUF was originally formed in 1993, which has allowed for plenty of time to find the group’s niche, or musical comfort zone. Eighteen years later, The CUF promises its latest release, CUF Caviar Vol. 1, to be its most dynamic to date -- an assertion that is most definitely up for debate. CUF Caviar Vol. 1 is the fourth album from The CUF, short for California Underground Funk. This five-man hip hop crew -- composed of MCs N8 the Gr8, Pete, Crush, Brotha RJ, and Taktics (Lil N8) -- is based out of Sacramento, CA. The album starts out promisingly enough: “How We Get Down” establishes an old-school vibe for the seasoned quintet. “Flame Lit,” as mentioned in the album’s digital liner notes, is “a song that speaks to how they are still doing what they’ve always done, which is make quality music.” CUF Caviar Vol. 1 continues with the same general, mellow hip hop beats and seemingly-witty-but-actually-quite-simple lyrics and flow. “Don’t Ask No ?’s” breaks out the T-Pain auto-tune app for the chorus -- about four years late by today’s pop culture standards. Having said that, the album is not bad; it’s just not amazing. That seems to be okay with The CUF, though. The aforementioned digital liner notes add that the last track, “More,” sums up the album’s theme: “We never made cuts to be famous,” MC Pete said. “All we ever wanted to do was rap in different places!” The tracks that stood out most to me include “I’m Too Much” for its staggering, tripping bass line and upped-ante rhymes; and “Tragic” because it’s slightly more bouncy, beat-wise, and definitely more sassy lyrically (“You reap what you sow up / don’t let your mouth get you tow up or shown up...”). “Larry Lay” is kind of funny, but only when the title of the song is mentioned....full text |
| Survivingthegoldenage |
| When most people think of California in the context of hip hop, they think of Compton and the origins of gangsta rap. Compton birthed such artists as NWA, Dr. Dre, and Game. But 400 miles North in the bay area, a different movement has been happening in hip hop. The underground movement up there has been lead by artists like Lyrics Born and the Quannum Project crew as well as Zion I & The Grouch and OM Records artists. These are the movements that The Cuf was born out of. Cuf is actually an acronym for California Underground Funk. The crew runs five members deep but they are not Wu-Tang wannabes; their laid back, funky style is similar to Del the Funky Homosapien mixed with Colossus. I listen to a track like “I’m Too Much” and it seems Wu-Tang-esque because of the minimalist hip hop production but the dynamic flows of the five members are much more akin to Del or Q-Tip. The flow and the production work well together; my only problem with the track is that none of the rappers distinguish themselves. The rappers have fairly similar voices and they seem to match eachother’s flow which makes it nearly impossible to tell one rapper from another. I have a similar problem with the album’s lead single “Wish You Would.” The track is less minimalistic and instead takes a more R&B-tinged root. It actually is a pretty good single; it reminds me of Floetry but with male rapping. In the end, the issue of not being able to tell one rapper from another is not a major problem. The album is well produced and the flows are on point for the most part. Some of the more R&B-tinged tracks drag a little but the album as whole is pretty good....full text |
The CUF lyrics
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