Drinkin’, Drivin’, Cyclin’, Rappin’

Rappers measure success in different ways. Some purchase four-finger rings and 24-carat gold ropes. For local rapper Rob Deez, success came with the appearance of his acoustic hip-hop ditty “The Bicycle Song” on San Diego’s Critical Mass MySpace page.

Deez wrote “The Bicycle Song” around the time he went on his first Critical Mass ride, a monthly bike ride that celebrates cycling and raises awareness of cyclists. After the ride, he contacted the administrator for the Critical Mass website, and the song was uploaded onto the page shortly thereafter.

“I have a dream that on one of these rides ‘The Bicycle Song’ will start playing on one of the bicycle boom boxes.”

Deez, a native San Diegan, admits that one of the lowest points in his hip-hop career led to the writing of the song; it was after a show in Pacific Beach, where, according to Deez, he’d had a few drinks during his set.

“Eventually, I drove home. On the way home my car broke down, and while I was parked on the side of the road, waiting for the tow truck, the CHP shows up and I get a DUI.”

With a suspended license, Deez turned to his ten-speed and his acoustic guitar and the lyrics began to flow: “I ride my bike all over the place, but I still got a beer belly and a jelly face.”

Deez is scheduled to perform his acoustic hip-hop set on July 11 at Brick by Brick.

– Dorian Hargrove