Image via Banditdamack/Instagram
A month ago, if you had asked me to locate Hemet on a map, I probably would’ve only been able to pretend I knew what you were talking about. It’s the home to the Hemet Mall and the Ramona Pageant, California’s official outdoor drama theater. A working class, agricultural community that doesn’t boast much excitement. Before speaking with the 951’s own Banditdamack, I rarely had an excuse to travel past the Miller Distillery in Irwindale into inland California.
On the morning of our interview, I left my house without knowing exactly where I was headed. Bandit and I had been going back and forth the week prior, and he told me that once I got to Hemet, he’d drop me a pin for his exact spot. I said “fuck it” and started driving east.
Four hours and over 120 miles later, I reached the fields at the northmost end of San Jacinto and made my way down State Street until I hit Highway 74, Hemet’s main avenue. Eventually I found Bandit in a neighborhood north of downtown. As I turned the last corner, I caught sight of him hopping out of a blacked-out vehicle at the end of a cul-de-sac running parallel to a cluster of apartments wearing a white Pro Club and custom sweats.
At just 20 years old, the artist born Bryce King has carved a niche for himself amidst the new wave of Gen-Z West Coast rappers. Raised by his mother, King spent most of his childhood moving around the San Jacinto Valley. His teenage years were marked by frequent run-ins with the law, which eventually landed him in juvenile hall. It was there, scribbling lyrics onto the tops of school notebooks, that his passion for rap found its footing.
Two years ago, King was working a warehouse job five days a week in Perris, CA, a job he obtained through a “Fresh Out” program. After the program ended, he decided that his days of waking up early for a manual labor job were over. With some financial aid money left over from his FAFSA package, Bandit began investing in studio time and video shoots. He began uploading music videos to Youtube, building a catalog of singles in 2022 that caught heat with the success of regional hits like “Potent.” But it was 2023’s “Squabble N Rap,” a song about what Bandit claims are the only two things to do in juvie, that really placed him in the conversation of “next up.”
Bandit’s flow dances between sharp humor and gritty realism, channeling his own unique streetwise lingo in a post-Drakeo storyteller style. It hits listeners like a sucker punch. He is precise and deliberate, but always ready to bust out that sly grin. You’re not simply hearing the music; you’re being walked through a dark alley in Hemet, experiencing the stark reality of life lived in survival mode.
Bandit’s full debut album, Da Mack, dropped in July of 2023, with features from Spank Nitti James and Lou Deezi. Over nine songs, Bandit delivered a visceral project that signaled his emergence as more than just a local name. With Hemet being a place no one knew, Bandit’s defiant voice suddenly put the small town struggles he grew up with on the map. In a place where opportunities are scarce and local ambition fades under the weight of reality, Bandit’s determination uproots the idea of no one from Hemet making it out.
Da Mack is unapologetically West Coast, featuring beats that echo the thumping basslines and creeping keys that have defined the region’s contemporary sound. Bandit’s verses are filled with a mix of street wisdom and brash humor. The features from Spank and Lou are not just collaborative moments, they’re statements of solidarity that reinforce Bandit’s roots to the 951.
Since his debut, Bandit has turned his underground popularity into a stepping stone to break out of the Inland Empire. With growing confidence, he’s positioning himself as a significant force in the wider Southern California hip-hop scene. Bandit now finds himself making the drive to LA regularly to hit the studio and shoot music videos. He’s collaborating with rising names in the “New LA,” forging a network of producers and artists in the city. Newly signed to Thizzler, Bandit is carrying the momentum needed to end the year on a high note. As he continues to evolve he’s going to prove that a kid from a small town can make a big impact on the culture. – Diego Tapia