Ras G never changed the original needle on his Spacebase home studio turntable. According to his brother Bryan, he referred to the dust it accumulated as “seasoning.” This was just one of many rules he broke during his remarkable 14-year career as a professional musician.
“Ohhh Rasss!”
From his early bedroom beats to eventual sound system-rattling live performances around the world, Ras was a force to be reckoned with. His trademark “Ohhh Rasss!” reggae vocal/air horn sample became a frequent refrain in his recorded music and live shows. It always ensured that he had people’s undivided attention.
He built an expansive musical universe that drew on Afrofuturism and his unique worldview. He crafted beats by mixing whatever sampled elements and sounds he felt like combining, no matter how unconventional. From his two-sided debut EP with Black Monk in 2005 to his 2019 Dance of the Cosmos album, he amassed an incredible body of work. It was one of remarkable consistency and quality.
When he passed away in late July of 2019 the sense of loss was profound. Today, with the second anniversary of his passing fast approaching, the absence of Ras G is still deeply felt by many.
Photo Courtesy of Bryan Shorter
Pause Tape Mixes and Bedroom DJ Sets
Born Gregory Shorter Jr. in the early winter of 1978, Ras G grew up in a Leimert Park house where records were always playing. From a relatively young age, it was evident to his family that he was going to do something very special with music.
He transitioned from eager listener to active creator. A young Ras taped local radio shows like The Baka Boyz’ Friday Night Flavas and Da Joint with King Emz and Mike Nardone. Honing a DJ’s ear before he owned turntables, he turned the radio show highlights into epic pause tape mixes to bring to high school with him.
“The first Spacebase was in my mom's shed. I'd sit with my brother day and night, go to school, come back. He’s in there, just going at it." -Bryan Shorter
Ras eventually saved up for turntables and immediately wowed people with his skills. At first, he DJed in his bedroom for friends to dance, freestyle, or hang out and listen. Still, he tapped into his audience’s musical subconscious from the very start. “Before a vibe was somethin’, G created and curated the vibe at the house,” his brother Bryan says.
From DJ to Aspiring Producer
Ras also developed a producer’s ear as his DJ skills flourished. First, he saved up for an E-mu SP-12. Soon his skills started to take off when he obtained an AKAI MPC 2000XL—a time Bryan remembers in vivid detail. “The very, very first Spacebase was in my mom’s shed,” Bryan says. “I’d sit there with my brother at crazy times of the day and night, go to school, come back. He’s in there, just going at it. And he used to do it on little mono computer speakers before he had monitors.”
Over the years Ras added the BOSS SP-303 and Roland SP-404 to his arsenal. The 404 became a pivotal part of earthquaking live shows at Sketchbook Sessions, Low End Theory, and venues all over L.A. and the world.
Ras’ music often put the abilities of the concert engineers to the test and he once blew out a venue’s entire system. On another occasion, a concerned soundman sought out Bryan when he couldn’t keep Ras’ levels out of the red. Bryan’s response was simple. “I said, ‘Do you see this crowd? Do you see them moving? Leave it right where it is.”
Record Stores, Ghetto Sci-Fi, and Afrofurist Influences
Outside of the Spacebase and live venues, Ras G found inspiration at records stores all over the city of Los Angeles. A huge fan of the now-defunct but legendary Aron’s, he was also a fixture at Poo-Bah Record Shop where he worked from 2004 until the time of his passing. His vinyl collection and sample sources were both vast and diverse. They ran the gamut from classic rap 12-inches to dollar bin international records from the 1970s.
"Ras dubbed his label Ghetto Sci-Fi Music. Indeed, his intergalactic sound was something that critics and fans both noted throughout his career."
He was also heavily influenced by Sun Ra, the legendary Afrofuturist jazz musician. Sun Ra built an entire identity and mythology around his music and claimed he was once abducted by aliens and taken to Saturn. But Ras G’s connection to Afrofuturism ran even deeper than Sun Ra. He also found himself drawn to numbers like Gary Bartz NTU Troop’s “Rise” from the 1969 record Home!. “It can take you off the planet and bring you back at the same time,” he told Red Bull Music Academy in a 2019 interview.
Ras dubbed his label Ghetto Sci-Fi Music. Indeed, his intergalactic sound was something that critics and fans both noted throughout his career. He used the similarly extraterrestrial moniker The Afrikan Space Program for boundary-pushing efforts. “ASP is everything and nothing,” he told Laurent Fintoni in a 2015 Fact Magazine interview. “It’s the whole catalog, Ras G is an individual style within that, which I work on.”
Bus Rides Beats and Collecting Sounds
Though he may have been at a level of consciousness beyond many earthbound beings, Ras also embraced direct human connection. He enjoyed time spent on buses and trains due to his lack of a driver’s license. Inspiration often came from the shared experience of people from all walks of life traveling in one direction.
He even recorded the world around him on his iPhone so he could translate the noises into his unique vision. “I’m sampling stuff that I’m hearing in the world,” he said in a 2017 interview. “I’m hearing sounds, I hear a snare, I hear something and I’m just collecting that shit.”
But he wasn’t merely collecting sound with his iPhone, he actively created it as well. In fact, he constructed most of his 2016 contribution to Fat Beat’s Baker’s Dozen series on the iMPC app. The album also includes “Deuce!,” a loving tribute to Bryan’s son and Ras’ nephew. Deuce has since recorded many TikTok videos proudly set to his uncle’s tribute.
"Ras embraced human connection. Inspiration often came from the shared experience of people from all walks of life traveling in one direction.
The Now
Though Ras is no longer with us, his music continues to emanate and inspire. In honor of his affection for the SP, 4/04/20 marked the first annual Ras G Day. To commemorate the event his family released Raw Fruit Vol. 5 & 6 and said in the liner notes, “let’s just say We Will Keep The BASS BUMPIN! Like He wanted Us to!” According to Bryan, fans can expect to see more of Ras’ vast, meticulously organized archives officially released in the not-too-distant future.
Even though he was one of the most compelling producers and people, it is sometimes difficult to fully describe the effect of Ras G’s music and art. For someone who once said, “I’m a music man, I speak through feelings,” perhaps that’s how he would want it.
