The Break Presents: Cam & China

In the early 2000s, Cam & China were part of the L.A.’s jerkin’ scene, making a name for themselves in a group called Pink Dollaz. After the group split, the twin sisters from Inglewood, Calif., hit the studio and perfected their craft. With a new name but same passion for the game, Cam & China dropped “Do Dat" in 2014, re-introducing themselves as a duo in the hip-hop scene.

Similar to how YG evolved from "Toot It and Boot It," Cam & China's new sound grew up into something totally original to who they are. In 2016, Cam & China released their self-titled EP and now have the industry's full attention. Their chemistry is electric, reminiscent of The Clipse when they first broke out in the early 2000s.

"We push each other, we try to make sure that both my sister and I are in tip-top shape as far as writing with the pen, delivery and being in the studio. We’re definitely competitive," China tells XXL.

With momentum on their side, the sisters are looking to break out onto the national scene. "We’re actually getting ready for our new EP," said Cam. "We’re in the studio locking in, writing better. We’re trying to get in more storytelling. We’re getting ready."

Keep an eye out for this West Coast rap team.

Name: Cam & China

Hometown: Inglewood, Cali.

I grew up listening to: Cam: "I thought about being in entertainment since I was like one. It was always entertainment that we enjoyed. It wasn’t until our teen years that’s when we went to rapping and became interested in doing because we would write people’s raps down and try and memorize in them and try to rap them."

China: "We would be in the studio and make sure our pen game was strong. We would take our time with each record, making sure everything was right. A lot more thought into each record. And try to make sure that it can resonate with someone."

Cam: "We made sure that the vibe was right. We definitely go back and forth with each other, we’re in it together. We try not to put too much pressure. Whatever your ideas is, if it's dope, let's do it. One song may turn into a crazy topic out of no where. It’s all fun."

Most people don’t know: China: "We come off to be really mean but in person we’re really sweet people. We’re funny, it’s always great vibes. We’re down to earth kind of people. And me and my sister, even though we’re twins, we still have our own identity. People say, 'You think the same thing?' and stuff like that. No, we’re actually two different people. We’re opposites, which is why we work well together."

My style’s been compared to: Cam: "I would say, it’s a version of us. I wouldn’t describe it in any category. We just try to be as original as possible, very edgy. It’s just the Cam and China thing. We’ll go into any direction but it’s always raw. People always compared us to Salt-N-Pepa, We gotten OutKast, we gotten Lil’ Kim or Queen Latifah."

My standout records or moments to date have been: China: "I would say the biggest moment is putting our first EP out and finally getting a body of work out. 'We Gon Make It' is pretty dope. We get a lot of people that listen to that song and it’s very motivational. It’s the last one on the EP and is different from the rest of the songs. It meant a lot to us too because it’s coming from a real place. Just people gravitating to that song."

My goal in hip-hop is: Cam: "I would say our goal in hip-hop is to be heard and give a voice to it. Try to change the dynamic of hip-hop so it’s not just be males. There’s a lot of women out there that want to be heard but are scared. They too scared to come to the front. We want to give them a voice and show that you can do whatever it is you want to do. We need women.

"For men, we want to be able to have a response for the things they talk about women and how they degrade women. For every action there’s a reaction. It’s unfair that most women are unable to be heard. We want to positivity around the young women growing up and teach them the do’s and the don’ts."

I’m gonna be the next: China: "Rebellious. We represent to have a voice on speaking your thoughts to how you truly feel and being a woman about it. Just not caring about what anyone else has to say."

Follow Cam & China on Twitter and SoundCloud.

Standout: Cam & China EP

"Nada"

Cam & China playlist

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