{"id":348173,"date":"2026-06-05T16:21:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T16:21:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/348173\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T16:21:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T16:21:22","slug":"how-seiji-oda-got-the-trunk-boiz-back-outside","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/348173\/","title":{"rendered":"How Seiji Oda Got the Trunk Boiz Back Outside"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whenever that high-pitched \u201cwould you give meee\u201d shrills through speakers, Bay Areans look for a dance floor or start making one. The mysterious sample on the 2007 Oakland anthem \u201cCupcake No Fillin\u2019\u201d cemented the Trunk Boiz<\/a> as local legends. Yet the cousin duo, comprised of B*Janky<\/a> and F.A. Tha Jefe<\/a>, went dormant with their music for years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Last year, emerging Oakland rapper Seiji Oda<\/a> released \u201cno fillins\u00b2,\u201d bringing fresh energy, and a new generation of listeners, to the classic song. \u201cA lot of people tried to remix that beat, man,\u201d F.A. reflects, \u201cbut they never could get it right.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Seiji Oda did. The remix sparked a collaboration that evolved into a new full-length album, RIGHT BACK IN, summoning the Trunk Boiz back outside.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Seiji Oda, 28, was just nine years old when \u201cCupcake No Fillin\u2019\u201d started blasting out of car speakers across Oakland. Now, as the \u201cthird Trunk Boi\u201d and producer of the album, he architects a soundscape textured by voices, nature sounds and sideshow sonics.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gentle rhythms interlace with signature drum kicks, pushing each track open like a window into the nuanced contradictions of life in the Bay. The avant-garde sound reminds listeners of why we say music slaps to begin with.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHe enhanced our sound,\u201d F.A., 37, reflects. \u201cLike we got the banana split, but he\u2019s like the cherry on the top.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c[Seiji] brings another special element, like a missing puzzle piece,\u201d B*Janky, 38, adds. \u201c[He] helped us showcase our growth and our versatility.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

As a producer, Seiji Oda approached the artists from a place of deep respect, studying their discography far beyond their sprinkle of hits. He asked himself, \u201cHow can I just be of service, and try to make the best thing possible using their [different] styles?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

At times, it meant setting aside egos and doing what was right for a song. For \u201cI Can Tell!,\u201d he handed the reins to producer Oliver McDaniel<\/a>. Featuring Ajaya Jones<\/a> and Oda Kai<\/a>, the track weaves together five voices to rap about the clues that give away if someone\u2019s really from the Bay: \u201cLook how they slide, look what they drive,\u201d they echo on the hook. It\u2019s a standout sure to become a staple at house parties this summer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The bulk of the project was recorded at Red Heron Studios<\/a>, in the heart of Oakland\u2019s Chinatown. In addition to the voices on \u201cI Can Tell!,\u201d Fijiiana<\/a> features on \u201cSky Scraper,\u201d Michael Sneed<\/a> appears on \u201cKARMA\u201d and Cait La Dee sings on \u201cOut There,\u201d a remake of a song she originally recorded with The Jacka.<\/p>\n

Recently the trio has been showcasing their synergy on stages across Oakland. 510 Day, a community festival and act of defiance against displacement, served as the perfect backdrop to their latest video, \u201cGO DUMB!\u201d A nod to the phrase that defined the hyphy movement <\/a>during the 2000s, the track is dedicated to the overthinkers who need a push to start creating. \u201cThe flow state won\u2019t come, because you\u2019re thinking about it too much,\u201d says F.A. \u201cThe best thing you can do as an artist is keep your flow state, go dumb.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

At 510 Day, kids jumped double dutch, turf dancers battled and a crowd of over 100 people stood watching, soaking in the last rays of sun as it set over Lake Merritt. As the track started, Seiji Oda glided through the crowd, inviting people to join in as they filmed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to make that feel-good music,\u201d B*Janky insists. \u201cIt was all age groups out there, all nationalities. We from the Bay, you know what I mean? That\u2019s what we grew up with.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Before RIGHT BACK IN, the Trunk Boiz had another project they decided to scrap. F.A. believes it was the right move; he now feels it would have brought \u201cnegative energy.\u201d B*Janky agrees: \u201cWe\u2019re tired of the negativity, that rap that\u2019s getting people killed and going to jail. We want to change the narrative.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis feels right. I can put this out and wholeheartedly promote it,\u201d F.A. says, \u201clet my kids sing it, let other people\u2019s kids sing it, old people sing it. It could potentially be on the radio.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"BlackFor the Trunk Boiz, the feel-good energy of the album felt right \u2014 a contrast to the \u2018negative energy\u2019 they\u2019d been seeing in other rap projects.<\/p>\n

For Seiji Oda, creativity begins with preparation, the kind that allows you to be a vessel when the magic surfaces. \u201cIf you listen to the background of \u2018GO DUMB!\u2019 there\u2019s a really high voice that\u2019s like, \u2018Going, going, going dumb.\u2019 It sounds like a kids\u2019 choir or something,\u201d he notes. In reality, it\u2019s F.A. singing in the studio, which Seiji Oda quickly captured. \u201cIf you prepare really well, then you\u2019re prepared for something you couldn\u2019t have even thought of.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Trunk Boiz are used to being resourceful with their artistry, or \u201cgetting it out the trunk,\u201d which is where their name comes from. B*Janky remembers the BART tours, a masterclass in marketing: \u201cWe\u2019d be at the BART station, at the popping gas stations, selling CDs all over. We\u2019d have rappers, singers, turf dancers with us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

When potential customers hesitated, unsure if they wanted to commit to a CD of music they didn\u2019t know, the Boiz would step in, and one of the artists would sing or rap right on the spot. \u201cOnce they hear that voice, that CD sold,\u201d B*Janky continues. \u201cOnce we showed them the talent we had.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

That drive and dedication inspired Seiji Oda, who\u2019s part of a generation hustling their art through streams and algorithms. He attributes the depth of face-to-face connection to why people have such a deep affinity for \u201cCupcake No Fillin\u2019\u201d to this day.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yet the Trunk Boiz aren\u2019t interested in simply swimming in nostalgia. They\u2019re invested in evolving, adapting to express what feels current and alive for them today. They recently performed with Seiji Oda in front of thousands of people at an Oakland Roots game.<\/p>\n

\u201cMusic is not an age,\u201d F.A. says. \u201cYou could be 50 years old and still make really good music. 2 Chainz didn\u2019t start poppin\u2019 \u2019til he was like 35.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n