The pack.

THOUGH HE never attended classes at the illustrious institution of UC Berkeley, rapper Mac Dre was a self-proclaimed California Bear. Summa Cum Laude in the streets, MD toted his game block to block through the Bay Area. He truly was, and thus remains, the Boss of the Bay.

Therefore, when upstart Berkeley rap quintet The Pack confronted criticism regarding their footwear of choice, their Myspace page offered a rebuttal none could counter. Embedded in the profile was a YouTube clip of the late Mac Dre, lounging on the beach in Hawaii, pointing to his fresh pair of Vans shoes. See, around these parts, anyone talking down on MD must have a hunger for hollow tips.

Unless you've been living under a rock, The Pack's hit single, "Vans," has undoubtedly entered your ear drums. Set against a melodic beat--genius in its simplicity--The Pack laced lyrics glorifying their endorsement of the original skateboard shoe, gaining themselves a major record deal in the process. This union between rap music and skateboarding is hardly a shallow plot to gain recognition. These young bucks really do skate. Have you seen Young L's nollie flips?

Shooting to overnight stardom isn't all accolades and ass, and The Pack are intent on plotting their own path. The EP, "Skateboards and Scrapers," will be on shelves December 19th.

Unlike other cookie-cutter rap cliques in the business, Young L, Stunna, Uno, and B are products of their unique environment. Berkeley is a land like no other. Its beacon, the University of California, has held host to Timothy Leafy and the experimentation with LSD, hippie counter-culture and political extremism, as well as the invention of Plutonium, which led to the atomic bomb. In this town, worlds collide, barriers are broken and the implausible persists. To The Pack, rocking Vans is only natural.

Now growl like a Bear!