The boys are undoubtedly back in business. After five long years, Angeleno trap stars Shoreline Mafia have returned to their hyphy-infused West Coast bangers, following a period in which members Fenix Flexin and Ohgeesy pursued solo careers. Their newly released album, ‘Back In Bidness,’ is a more than welcome return to form for a group beloved by a rabid cult fanbase.

Since disbanding in 2020, rapper Ohgeesy dropped projects like Geezyworld (2021), Geezyworld 2 (2023), and Paid N Full (2025), while Fenix Flexin released three volumes of the Fenix Flexin series and the 2024 album BACK FLEXIN. By the duo’s own admission, it was a needed break. “It’s been some years since me and him [Ohgeesy] had even been in the studio together. So when me and brother got back in the studio, started working, this shit felt like it was just magical.”

For Shoreline Mafia, whose signature style can be characterized as a brooding and ominous soundscape marked by deep sub-bass, minimal melodies, and slow, hard-hitting, stripped-back drums, there’s no better time to return than now. “It just made sense all around. Spending some time apart from each other and getting our heads right and just growing as people. It was the perfect time to do it all over again.” The duo is spot-on—LA hip-hop roared back to life in mainstream rap in 2024, thanks in part to Kendrick Lamar’s apocalyptic feud with Drake and his subsequent GNX album and Super Bowl performance.

Ohgeesy was present at Lamar’s crowning moment, “The Pop Out: Ken & Friends” concert, appearing as a guest performer. Ohgeesy, born Alejandro Carranza, is 31 now, and a father. He left the Kendrick show early to take his son to the movies, a decision that reflects where the rapper’s headspace is at as we approach the latter half of the 2020s. “I don’t got nothing else except my son. My son and hip-hop, that’s it.”

The duo are in lockstep in that regard. Fenix is a father as well, laughing wistfully at his children’s age and taste in music, saying, “My son’s mom sent me a video the other day of her asking my son Amari, ‘What do you want me to play? What do you want to hear?’ He’s like, ‘Daddy, play Daddy’s music.’”

I somewhat sheepishly remark to the pair that their subject matter might not be age-appropriate, which quickly elicits laughs. Ohgeesy retorts, commenting, “I was just thinking about that, and I was like, ‘Me and Fenix gotta start working on some positive type music.’” Fenix jumps in, saying, “In the last couple of years, I’ve definitely stepped out and made a couple songs that were some heartfelt, sharing insight to my struggles and emotions. Right now, we’re having fun with it, and we’re gonna get to where we need to go. Once we’re almost at our peak, there’s gonna be a whole other peak to hit with different types of music and sounds.”

The vibes are overwhelmingly positive between the pair, whose brotherhood and fruitful creative collaboration has lasted for more than a decade. Their chemistry brings out the best in both of them. “Geesy’s hooks are fucking crazy. I’m not really good at coming up with hooks, so I be tripping out when we recording seeing how fast he can come up with some catchy shit. In the music industry as a rapper, that’s a fucking gift right there. So, shit, it’s a blessing to have that, it makes recording easy,” Fenix shares.

It’s difficult for artists to capture lightning in a bottle in the streaming era, where deluxe albums run rampant and sounds become oversaturated quickly, but the overwhelming sentiment coming from Shoreline Mafia is that the recording process for Back In Bidness was fairly quick and simple, like when longtime friends who haven’t seen each other reunite and quickly fall back into old habits. Rap groups have historically had trouble rekindling a flame that went out years ago upon reforming, but for Ohgeesy and Fenix, it seems as simple as riding a bike.

Lead single “Back In Bidness” sets the tone for the new album, with the duo declaring: “Bitch, you know we back, yeah, we back in bidness / Back with the switches, back with the bitches / Chain look ridiculous, God as my witness / Playin’ with the Mafia? Sleep with the fishes.”

At 16 songs in 42 minutes, the pair packs a plentitude of high-quality beats and incisive bars at a relatively short runtime. “Back 2 Back” moves with menace, asking where the cabbage hides—the money flashes, then the metal speaks. “Set The Record Straight” delivers a warning: you need credentials just to be in their orbit. DJ Paul saves the best beat for last on “Top Notch,” flipping a gospel sample into a triumphant beat that underscores their message—they’re still top-tier, even after five years away.

They first performed the new record at this year’s Coachella to a raucous crowd that’s been desperate for new music. It’s a welcome return, as the sounds of late 2010s SoundCloud are once again en vogue, especially as there’s a distinct absence in LA since hyphy and nervous trap pioneer Drakeo The Ruler was murdered in 2021 before properly getting his flowers on a national level. While Kendrick has been getting the plaudits for the return of LA, Shoreline Mafia deserves their credit too. Geesy speaks to that, saying:“I feel like we were at the forefront of [the resurgence] when we first came out with Shoreline Mafia. Us, Greedo, Drakeo—what we did for the West was so different. We were the first ones to really put it back on.”

03 Greedo is a fellow pioneer, and the boys gave him the platform he deserves when they brought him out to perform their collaborative song “Trap House” in front of 60,000-plus people at Coachella. This magnitude of audience is what the group craves. “We wanna cement ourselves as one of the biggest, if not the biggest, group of all time outta LA. Everyone knows what we did and what we mean to the West Coast. And if they don’t, then they’re for sure gonna find out now.”

There was a point where the signature Shoreline Mafia party-driven sound—built on uptempo rhythms, thumping basslines, and bold synths grounded in the unmistakable swing of West Coast bounce—was oversaturated. Fenix says that this was the reason they moved away from the sound for a bit. “There was a point in time where I feel like Shoreline Mafia type beats on YouTube are probably the most looked up type beat in the world.”

Shoreline Mafia’s music undoubtedly soundtracked parties, blew the bass out of cars, and rocked house shows during a very specific era in the late 2010s. Their influence can be traced far and wide, but the duo is not interested in dwelling on the past. The new record hints at this, with the metaphorical past burning behind them and something new emerging out of the ashes. That doesn’t mean they ignore music history; far from it. Ohgeesy shares: “The whole constant behind the album cover was the Capone-N-Noreaga stuff, their album cover being the reference.”

They also continue looking backward on the tracks themselves. On “Rubbaband Man,” the duo take a tense, jittery turn, nodding to T.I.’s iconic hit of a similar name. Meanwhile, “Shoreline Twins” pays tribute to the iconic Ying Yang Twins, complete with co-production from the legendary Mr. Collipark himself. That track is one of Fenix’s favorites on the record, remarking: “I’m excited for the video and going back to touch up on a song that was such a big record back in the day.  As a kid I remember hearing that shit on the way to school being like six, seven years old.”

It’s obvious they’re having fun. Shooting the album cover itself, which shows them decked out in camo in front of a burning car, they literally blew up the whip with TNT. Ohgeesy says: “It was a real explosion and we just shot in front of it.” Fenix adds: “I felt like Tom Cruise in that motherfucker.” It’s a statement of intent, and Ohgeesy is enthralled: “I thought, this is gonna be an iconic picture. This is like the ghetto equivalent to The Beatles walking across the street.”

It’s difficult to keep the band together. The Beatles learned this the hard way. Some original core members are no longer in the group, with Fenix and Ohgeesy opting to continue the Shoreline legacy on their own. Still, I can’t help but be impressed by these two old friends continuing their desire to be on top. I asked them how they keep the relationship going, both professionally and personally.

Ohgeesy responds simply: “Good communication, maturity, and just really being good friends for real.”

Photographed by Zhamak Fullad

Styled by Michy Millions

Written by Tal Kamara

Grooming: Nathaniel Dezan at Opus Beauty

Flaunt Film: Ethan Schlesinger

Location: Whisky Hotel Hollywood